Masks for under 5

CVTmarie23

Mouseketeer
Joined
Sep 7, 2015
My little one will be 2 and 2 days when we cruise in August. There is not a chance in the world that he will keep a mask on. I could probably hold it on him to get on board but unless I'm basically holding it on his face he is just going to continue to rip it off.

I saw a rumor that nurseries are going to be opening up. I assume they will require masks for him, but how does this work if we plan to have him go in for nap time? Is he expected to sleep in a mask? That doesn't seem safe...
 
Regarding him wearing it: You have some time until August, so start practicing with him now. Find masks with characters or colors that he likes and try different ones. (I tech special ed, and some of my kids do much better with the ones that look more like a duck bill than the ones that lay on their lips.) Practice at home in small increments where he wears it for x-minutes and gets some kind of reward. And gradually increase the time he wears it. To make it easier, you could wear one while he is - and for sure be POSITIVE about it, make it a game. If you're saying "I know you're not going to like this..." then no, he isn't. I've seen parents liken them to super heroes wearing capes as a way to make it super positive for the kid. If he has a favorite stuffed animal, put a mask on that - one of the kiddos in my class had a really hard time with it until I got hold of an old stuffed Elmo and tied a mask on Elmo. Kiddo loves Elmo and it worked.

Can't answer for the nursery - but I slept on a plane in a mask and had no issues breathing.
 
The rumor for nurseries was for Europe, but anything can happen between now and August. A mask would not be required for him to roam the ship. I can't speak for the nursery as there aren't any posted rules since it's been closed since 2020
 
My little one will be 2 and 2 days when we cruise in August. There is not a chance in the world that he will keep a mask on. I could probably hold it on him to get on board but unless I'm basically holding it on his face he is just going to continue to rip it off.

I saw a rumor that nurseries are going to be opening up. I assume they will require masks for him, but how does this work if we plan to have him go in for nap time? Is he expected to sleep in a mask? That doesn't seem safe...
Just don't do the nursery. Isn't it as simple as that?
 


Regarding him wearing it: You have some time until August, so start practicing with him now. Find masks with characters or colors that he likes and try different ones. (I tech special ed, and some of my kids do much better with the ones that look more like a duck bill than the ones that lay on their lips.) Practice at home in small increments where he wears it for x-minutes and gets some kind of reward. And gradually increase the time he wears it. To make it easier, you could wear one while he is - and for sure be POSITIVE about it, make it a game. If you're saying "I know you're not going to like this..." then no, he isn't. I've seen parents liken them to super heroes wearing capes as a way to make it super positive for the kid. If he has a favorite stuffed animal, put a mask on that - one of the kiddos in my class had a really hard time with it until I got hold of an old stuffed Elmo and tied a mask on Elmo. Kiddo loves Elmo and it worked.

Can't answer for the nursery - but I slept on a plane in a mask and had no issues breathing.
I'm definitely going to try, but he's not even 2 yet. I work at a preschool and am around littles all the time and none of them ever kept them on when it was first required. Sure maybe for a few seconds for the older 2s but there is not a chance he will keep it on for hours in the nursery. At this age, he's not really into any kind of characters yet, certainly not enough to care about them being on a mask and liking it enough to wear it because they are on it. Sure that works for my 4 year old but not my 1.5 year old.

This also doesn't seem like a safe sleep suggestion at all for this age group. How is it a suffocation risk for him 2 days prior to the cruise but then it's totally fine and no chance of suffocation.

I am not antimask at all and when we booked this we never imagined this would be going on as long as it has. I wish they had vaccines for his age group. Our neighbor just recently lost their 2 year old due to suffocation from a blanket in his crib during the night, so this policy seems insane to me. If the do require it for sleeping, we won't use the nursery, but this policy just seems to go against all the safe sleep practices.
 
Just don't do the nursery. Isn't it as simple as that?
Sure, but I would like to know ahead of time if it is required for sleeping or not so I can figure out my options. I'm going alone with my 3 kids, so I'd love to be able to do things with my older 2 that my little one isn't able to. I want to know what I'm getting into.
 
Sure, but I would like to know ahead of time if it is required for sleeping or not so I can figure out my options. I'm going alone with my 3 kids, so I'd love to be able to do things with my older 2 that my little one isn't able to. I want to know what I'm getting into.
As far as we know, there's no reason to believe the nursery will be open in the first place. And if it will, there's no reason to believe masks will be required. And if they are, there's no reason to believe they'd be required for sleep. You're speculating-on-speculation-on-speculation and complaining about a policy that doesn't exist.

I genuinely don't understand what you're asking. Disney hasn't announced that nurseries are reopening, let alone what the policies will be when they do. What information are you looking for anyone in this board to have?
 


As far as we know, there's no reason to believe the nursery will be open in the first place. And if it will, there's no reason to believe masks will be required. And if they are, there's no reason to believe they'd be required for sleep. You're speculating-on-speculation-on-speculation and complaining about a policy that doesn't exist.

I genuinely don't understand what you're asking. Disney hasn't announced that nurseries are reopening, let alone what the policies will be when they do. What information are you looking for anyone in this board to have?
Aren't masks currently required for under 5 in the kids club?

There are many posts on various sites about the nursery reopening on current ships today. And this board tends to have information faster than a TA would, I was just wondering if anyone might know how it's been for current under 5 year olds on board.

But thanks for all your help, I really appreciate your thoughtful response.
 
When did masks become a suffocation risk? Am I missing something here? I've also slept in a mask, worked all day in a mask, even worked out in a mask at the gym. There's no problems breathing in a mask. Being asleep doesn't change that.
For babies? Probably always? That's the justification I've seen everywhere for never requiring them for under 2 year olds. An adult sleeping on a plane with a mask is very different than a just turned 2 year old sleeping in a crib with a mask while in a nursery.
 
Just my opinion but I’d be surprised if they required them for 2 year olds in the nursery considering the 6mo-2 year olds wouldn’t need them. I know they have the kids club split but that’s by who is and isn’t vaxxed and it just seems like a giant hassle for nursery staff to try to keep masks on a bunch of toddlers.
 
If they do require them for the nursery try the KN94 small masks - they sit away from the mouth/nose so I’ve had the best luck with my kids wearing them. They probably wouldn’t require them during nap time (I’m not aware of any states that do) but if they do then just don’t leave him there during nap time - most kids have a hard time falling asleep in a new place anyway. I tried using the nursery for my daughter when she was 2, back in 2019. She wouldn’t nap there, even though she was exhausted. I actually didn’t use it much on that trip because they would just sit her in front of a screen the whole time, which I didn’t appreciate.
 
For babies? Probably always? That's the justification I've seen everywhere for never requiring them for under 2 year olds. An adult sleeping on a plane with a mask is very different than a just turned 2 year old sleeping in a crib with a mask while in a nursery.
I didn't think we were talking about babies. I thought we were talking about a child >2.
 
This reminds me of those threads that go "my 3/4 year old is old enough for the Oceaneer's club but isn't 100% potty trained, can they still go?" If masks are required age 2 and up in the nursery (unclear at present, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough), then 2-year olds who won't wear them aren't going to be able to use the nursery, just as 3- or 4- year olds who aren't potty trained can't use the kids club. If masks aren't required it'd be a non-issue. Best to wait for more direct reports and if masks are a requirement for that age, then get started practicing an hour or so at home with lots of praise, cute/fun/special disney masks, and a can-do attitude. Actually the potty training analogy is more and more apt as I write this...
 
My little one will be 2 and 2 days when we cruise in August. There is not a chance in the world that he will keep a mask on. I could probably hold it on him to get on board but unless I'm basically holding it on his face he is just going to continue to rip it off.

I saw a rumor that nurseries are going to be opening up. I assume they will require masks for him, but how does this work if we plan to have him go in for nap time? Is he expected to sleep in a mask? That doesn't seem safe...
Nursery on the Fantasy reopened YESTERDAY! :)
 
Just my opinion but I’d be surprised if they required them for 2 year olds in the nursery considering the 6mo-2 year olds wouldn’t need them. I know they have the kids club split but that’s by who is and isn’t vaxxed and it just seems like a giant hassle for nursery staff to try to keep masks on a bunch of toddlers.
They actually don't split them anymore. That changed back in April.
 
They actually don't split them anymore. That changed back in April.
But the younger ones who are unvaccinated are still expected to wear a mask while the vaccinated 5+ don't...hence OP's assumption 2 yr olds will need a mask at the nursery. I haven't seen any first-hand reports, though.
 

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