We have received several questions from parents and babysitters about wearing masks since the end of quarantine.
More information in this article.
#1 Children do not have to wear a mask
First of all, it is not recommended that small children wear masks. Why? Because they may misuse them or even lose them. Make them wash their hands regularly and sneeze in their elbow. These are good habits that will help them even once the COVID-19 crisis is over.
#2 We strongly recommend that babysitters wear a mask
It is highly recommended to wear a mask during babysitting hours, except in exceptional cases. To protect everyone, and because you may using public transportations we prefer to be too careful and require that you wear the mask while taking care of children.
#3 Few tips to ensure that everything goes smoothly
It is not easy to wear the mask for hours and it can also be disturbing for the child. From our experience in recent weeks, children quickly get used to seeing masked people.
Here are our tips to make things run smoothly for them and for you:
• Send a picture of yourself with your mask to the family before you go, so that the child won't be surprised,
• Talk about it with the child. You can rely on documents like this one (in French) and also do an activity with them.
• Speak with your eyes and your hands! A large part of the face is hidden by the mask, so it is not easy to transmit your emotions and even less to teach a new language, so use your hands, your eyes, or even draw, to make it more obvious for you and the child.
#4 What if the family doesn't want me to wear a mask?
If the family does not want you to wear it, we can't tell you much!
We know that this is already the case for many of you. We just recommend you to be very careful, to wash your hands regularly, to avoid the contact of your hands on your face and on children's face.
If the family does not want you to wear a mask but you would rather wear it for safety, try to talk with them. If that is not enough, contact rh@momji.fr so that the Mômji team can deal with this situation.
#5 Which mask should I wear?
You can use homemade sewn masks or masks sold in pharmacies. The most important is that you feel good in it, avoid contact with your face and transmission of the virus from your mouth.
We also offer masks for free for our employees. If you live in Paris, come to our offices in the morning (27 rue de Citeaux, 75012 Paris). Otherwise, send an email to rh@momji.fr and we will reimburse you according to your number of hours of service between June and July (you just need to show us a receipt).
#6 What about gloves?
Gloves are strongly discouraged!
As this French website reminds us, "Putting gloves on for everyday activities avoids good hand hygiene and contributes to environmental contamination."
Indeed, if you wear gloves and touch contaminated surfaces, you then contaminate those around you.
The best barrier to the virus is to wash your hands!
For more information, we added, in your online space, a guide to help you.
Do not hesitate to consult it or contact our HR team.
