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Parenting

Safer Ways to Celebrate Holidays

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Attending gatherings to celebrate events and holidays increases your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. The safest way to celebrate is virtually, with people who live with you, or outside and at least 6 feet apart from others. For information on what fully vaccinated people can do, see the When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated page.

  • Decorate your home with holiday themed items and banners.
  • Host a video chat party with family and friends to share in the celebration.
  • Plan a special meal with people who live with you inspired by the holiday or event.
  • Have an outdoor celebration with everyone at least 6 feet apart and wearing masks.
  • Watch virtual events and celebrations.
 
Holiday travel tips

Holiday Travel

CDC recommends delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated. If you are not fully vaccinated and must travel, follow CDC’s Domestic Travel or International Travel recommendations for unvaccinated people. If you will be traveling with unvaccinated people, such as children younger than 12 who are not eligible for vaccines, follow recommendations for unvaccinated people and choose the safer travel options. Everyone, even people who are fully vaccinated, will still be required to wear a mask on public transportation. If you are considering traveling for a holiday or event, visit CDC’s Travel page to help you decide what is best for you and your family.

Everyone Can Make Holiday Celebrations Safer

If you are attending a holiday celebration, you may want to think about what steps you need to take to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19.

  • If you are not fully vaccinated and aged 2 or older, you should wear a mask in indoor public places.
  • In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings.
    • In areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

Safer Celebrations

Outdoor-activities

Celebrating virtually or with the people you live with is the safest choice. If you do gather with people who don’t live with you, gatherings and activities held outdoors are safer than indoor gatherings.

  • Host a virtual gathering with friends and family.
  • Drive or walk around your community to wave to neighbors from a safe distance.
  • Take a food or gift to family, friends, and neighbors in a way that does not involve contact with others, such as leaving them at the door.
  • Throw a virtual dance party and collaborate with friends and family on a playlist.
  • Celebrate outside with neighbors and friends.
  • Volunteer to help others in need.
  • Attend a virtual ceremony or celebration.

In addition to following the steps that everyone can take to make the holidays safer, take these additional steps if attending a gathering to make your celebration safer:

  • Have conversations ahead of time to understand expectations for celebrating together.
  • Know when to wear a mask.
  • Do not attend or host a gathering if you are sick or have symptoms of COVID-19.
  • If celebrating indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible. You can use a window fan in one of the open windows to blow air out of the window. This will pull fresh air in through the other open windows.

Safer Travel Tips for Families with Unvaccinated Children

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CDC recommends delaying travel until you are able to get fully vaccinated. If you are traveling with children who cannot get vaccinated at this time, follow recommendations for people who are not fully vaccinated and choose the safer travel options described below. 

Check CDC’s Domestic Travel or International Travel pages for the latest recommendations for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.

  • Wear a mask over your nose and mouth in public. Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth is required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and while indoors at U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. Travelers are not required to wear a mask in outdoor areas of a conveyance (like on open deck areas of a ferry or the uncovered top deck of a bus).
  • Avoid crowds and stay at least 6 feet/2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from anyone who is not traveling with you.
  • Wash hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60%) alcohol.

People You Come into Contact with During Travel

Safer

Less Safe

  • Close contact with people who are not fully vaccinated who are not from your household

Avoid

  • Crowds

Transportation

During car travel, making stops along the way for gas, food, or bathroom breaks can put you and your traveling companions in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. If traveling in a RV, you may have to stop less often for food or bathroom breaks, but you could still be in close contact with others while staying at RV parks overnight and while getting gas and supplies.

Traveling on buses and trains for any length of time can involve sitting or standing within 6 feet/2 meters of others, which may increase your risk of getting COVID-19. If you choose to travel by bus or train, learn what you can do to protect yourself on public transportation.

Air travel requires spending time in security lines and airport terminals, which can bring you in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes. However, keeping your distance is difficult on crowded flights, and sitting within 6 feet/2 meters of others, sometimes for hours, may make you more likely to get COVID-19.

Safer

  • Short road trips with members of your household or fully vaccinated people with few stops along the way
  • If you must fly, try to take flights with the fewest stops or layovers

Less Safe

  • Longer trips by car or RV with many stops along the way
  • Trips by car or RV with people who are not vaccinated or not from your household
  • Flights with layovers

Avoid

  • Long-distance train or bus trips
  • Traveling on a cruise ship or river boat

Accommodations

Check your accommodations’ COVID-19 prevention practices before you go.

Safer

  • Staying in a house or cabin (for example, a vacation rental) with people from your household or fully vaccinated people
  • Visiting a fully vaccinated family member’s or friend’s home

Less Safe

  • Hotels or multi-unit guest lodgings with common areas (e.g., bed and breakfasts)
  • Visiting an unvaccinated family member’s or friend’s home
  • Renting or staying in a house or cabin (for example, a vacation rental) with people that are not vaccinated or not in your household

Avoid

  • Sharing spaces with many people or sharing bathroom facilities (for example, a dormitory-style hostel)

Food

Before dining at a restaurant, check the restaurant’s COVID-19 prevention practices.

Safer

  • Bringing your own food and drinks.
  • Getting takeout.
  • Using drive-thru, delivery, and curbside pick-up options and wearing a mask when interacting with restaurant employees.

Less Safe

  • Eating outside at a restaurant where social distancing is possible and servers and other staff wear masks.
  • Eating inside at a restaurant that is well ventilated, where social distancing is possible, servers and other restaurant staff wear masks, and diners wear masks when not actively eating or drinking.

Avoid

  • Eating inside restaurants that are poorly ventilated, where social distancing is not possible, servers and staff do not wear masks, and diners do not wear masks when not actively eating or drinking.
  • Self-service options that require extensive touching of surfaces, such as buffets.

 

Camping

Safer

  • Camping with people who are fully vaccinated or from your household only and not sharing facilities with persons outside of your household.

Less Safe

  • Camping with people who are fully vaccinated or people from your household only, but sharing facilities with people outside of your household, where distancing at least 6 feet/2 meters is not possible.
  • Sharing tents or cabins with friends or family who are not vaccinated or in your household.
  • Interacting outside with people who are not wearing masks but are keeping at least 6 feet/2 meters apart.

Avoid

  • Camping in large dormitory-style settings with many people and shared facilities.
  • Interacting outside or indoors with people who are not wearing masks and are not keeping at least 6 feet/2 meters apart.

Are You Present with Your Children?

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How often are you fully and completely present when you are with your children? One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is to be fully present with them. Being fully present can often be a big challenge.

When my children were growing up, I worked full time as a counselor, wrote books, traveled on book tours, and pursued my passion as an artist – in addition to spending time with my husband. The only way I could be fully present when I was with my children was to set aside “time alone” with them. “Time alone” was the daily quality time I spent with each of my children, doing whatever they wanted to do. During this time, I did not answer the phone or deal with the many running issues. It was time set aside to be fully present with them, not even thinking about other things.

When you don’t spend quality time being fully present, the message you give to your children is that they are not important. When answering the phone, or getting things done, or thinking about what you have to do tomorrow is more important than being present with your children, they get the message that being with them and knowing them is not very important to you.

When I was growing up, my mother was always busy. She never had the time to be with me. She never wanted to know about my thoughts and feelings or how things were going at school. She never had the time to play with me or hang out with me. While she said that she loved me and that I was important to her, I never felt it. Words don’t cut it when the actions don’t follow.

If it is not important to you to be with your children – talking with them, playing with them, taking a walk, holding them, listening to them, sharing love with them – then they will likely not feel loved by you. No matter how many things you buy them or how often you tell them you love them, if they are not important enough to you to be with them, they will likely not feel loved and cherished by you.

Your children need your focused attention, and when they don’t get it, they may pull for it in various ways. They may chatter on and on, trying to keep your attention. They may act out by fighting with each other, or by not listening to you, or going into resistance regarding chores, homework, hygiene, bedtime, and so on. For many children, even negative attention feels better than no attention. This may create a very negative vicious circle, in that the more they act out, the less you feeling like being with them, but the less you are with them lovingly and attentively, the more they may act out.

Think about how you feel when someone gives you his or her full attention. Doesn’t it feel wonderful? How often does someone look you in the eyes and give you his or her full attention? How often do you feel listened to and heard by someone? Unfortunately, many people are so intent on being listened to and heard that they don’t listen and hear.

The simple act of being fully present with your children will do more for them than you can imagine. You have an opportunity to give your children a great gift – being fully present with them with your love, compassion, empathy, interest, sense of humor, playfulness, and affection. Each day, you have the opportunity, even if it is just for half an hour, to fully cherish them.

They grow up so fast. Don’t miss this opportunity each day.

Easy Ways to Teach Your Children to be Grateful for What They Have

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Here are some easy ways to incorporate instilling the virtue of gratitude in your children. Then, as you go through your day, show them the wonderful events behind the scenes that we most usually take for granted.

  1. Set the Right Example.

Teach them by using the appropriate words at the right times yourself. For example, how many parents do you see saying “Thank You” to their two or three-year-old children? For example, kids learn best, and teaching gratitude is no different than anything else in that respect. “Children Learn What They Live!”

  1. Teach It Through Role-Playing.

You can play games with your children that implement the virtue of gratitude. For example, play the second chair and practice showing them how it feels to be on the receiving end of an unexpected “Thank You!”

  1. Teach by Showing Them How to Be of Service to Others.

Even simple things such as holding a door for an older adult are small ways to show them how others appreciate us and our actions. It is also a way to put a smile and a lift into a stranger’s day, which always creates a good feeling within the person who is doing the kind act.

You would be surprised how often a simple gesture like this can occur in your normal daily activities, in places like grocery stores, doctors’ offices, or shopping trips.

  1. Make a List.

It is an easy way to get them to make lists of what they are thankful for and how each thing makes their life better.

  1. Teach Gratitude While Going Without Things.

Recently my family and I had to deal with a full 24 hours of no power. This outage caused by a storm was an ideal opportunity for me to teach my children what we had to be thankful for that we normally took for granted. Simple things like lights, heat, and watching TV were just a few that quickly came to mind.

  1. Show them How to Be Thankful for the Little Things in Life.

As in the previous example, although most of us would not consider heat and light little things, they are always there for our kids, so they are simple things that they usually don’t pay much attention.

Other simple examples could include; having food to eat all the time, friends to play with, and having plenty of toys and school supplies. Showing them examples of third-world country children who go without these things is a way of teaching them an appreciation for what they have.

  1. Teach them to see the good in someone they don’t like.

You can even use a negative experience to teach them the value of being grateful. When I think of this, immediately what comes to my mind is the Walt Disney movie “PollyAnna,” where she played the “Glad” game and found many things to be grateful for in every situation she encountered. Renting this video, watching and discussing it with them would be a great, gratitude-building quality time family activity.

As you go through your day, show them the wonderful events behind the scenes that we often take for granted. For instance, things like the police, who protect us, the firemen who are there for those who need them, and the clerk at the grocery store doing her job to help us get our food. Simple thank you comments to all of these daily activities is the easiest way to model appreciation that your children will learn and emulate.

How to Get Your Children to Go to Bed

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Even though they know that they are tired, some children do not want to miss out on any of the action or excitement. They want to spend as much time with mom and dad as possible. They can even see that they have to go to bed before their parents as unjust and even cruel. These types of children will want to disrupt and even avoid going to bed at all costs.

I have two young children and have been through this experience myself. My daughter especially needs her sleep and can be very moody in the mornings if she has not had enough sleep. As a parent, it can become very frustrating and upsetting when you see your child crying because they do not want to go to bed. Comments like, please, dad, just one more program or game were far too regular, and at times I felt like backing down.

I have learned from reading many books on parenting how to best deal with this situation. Each child now has a set time when they have to be in bed. This is a time that they have both agreed.

They get changed into their pajamas around half an hour before this time and can either spend that period playing with their toys or watching the television. If they want to play, we ensure that the games are relaxing ones and not too energetic.

If there is a program that is on later than their agreed bedtimes, I agree to record it for them; this way, they know that they are not missing out.

I have agreed that I will read them a story at bedtime. This is something they both love and helps them to wind down and relax. They are also given a drink of water before bed. Therefore there is no need for them to keep coming downstairs for a drink of water after bedtime.

I have explained to each child the importance of sleep and that it should be something to enjoy and not see as punishment. I have even gone as far as saying that I would love to go to bed when they do; unfortunately, I have things to prepare for the next day.

I have tried to make their bedrooms their special place. A place that they find fun, relaxing, and comfortable.

My son likes to hear music, so we play his favorite songs in his room. The volume is set quite low, and this certainly helps him to get to sleep quite quickly.

These tips have helped make our children’s bedtimes a pleasant experience, where it once was a struggle. The children themselves are now into a routine, a routine they are happy with. I hope this advice proves useful to you as well. Good luck.

 

Ten Reasons to Read to Your Child

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We all know that learning to read is important, but as parents, what can we do to facilitate this milestone?

Reading to your child has many benefits, one of which is simply having time to snuggle together.

Here are ten reasons to read to your child.

1.When you read to your child, he/she will learn that reading is important to you, therefore reading will become important to him/her.

2.The more your child hears sounds, the better he/she will process these sounds into words. When a child is preschool/kindergarten age, the listening word starts to become the written word.

3.Reading has a calming effect on a restless or fussy child. Who doesn’t want an easy way to calm a fussy child?

4.Reading is a wonderful before bed routine. Studies have shown that a child will thrive in an atmosphere in which routines are present.

5.Reading will help to develop your child’s imagination. Have you ever gotten lost in a good book? Your child can do the same while you are reading to him/her.

6.Reading will foster your child’s ability to listen and pay attention. With all the problems we hear concerning attention spans, this is a great way to avoid that.

7.Reading to a young child will teach him/her the correct way to hold a book and turn the pages.

8.Reading to your child will develop in him/her the desire to become a reader.

9.Teachers will thank you.

10.When a child is read a personalized storybook, he/she will be able to recognize his/her name in print at an early age.

Isn’t it exciting to think that you can have such an effect on your child’s ability to readjust by reading to him/her? You have the power to develop a lifelong joy of reading and learning in your child. WOW! Just read.

Keep Children Healthy during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Teach and reinforce everyday preventive actions

Wash hands

Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, and encourage your child to do the same. Read more and watch a video on how to wash hands correctly.

If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Teach your child to cover all surfaces of their hands with hand sanitizer and rub their hands together until they feel dry. If your child is under 6 years of age, supervise them when they use hand sanitizer.

Wear a mask

Make sure everyone in your household wears a mask (if 2 years of age or older) when in public and when around people who don’t live in your household. Ensure your child wears their masks correctly and safely.

Some children may find it challenging to wear a mask. If your child finds it challenging, you can consider alternatives.

Avoid close contact

Make sure your child and everyone else in your household keep at least 6 feet away from other people who don’t live with them and people who are sick (such as coughing and sneezing).

Cover coughs and sneezes

When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, throw your tissue in closest garbage can, and wash your hands. Encourage your child and all household members to do the same.

Bring your child for their healthcare visits

Routine well-child visits and vaccine visits are essential, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prepare for your child’s healthcare visits

  • Call your child’s healthcare provider to ask about any upcoming appointments or to ask when your child’s vaccinations are due.
  • Ask your child’s healthcare provider what steps they are taking to separate healthy patients from those who may be sick. Some healthcare providers may choose to delay in-person visits, which will be based on the situation in your community and your child’s individual care plan.
  • Notify your child’s healthcare provider before your visit if you or your child have any symptoms of COVID-19.

Bring your child for well-child visits and vaccine visits

Your child’s healthcare provider will check your child’s growth and development at well-child visits. You can also track your child’s developmental milestones with CDC’s free Milestone Tracker app.

Vaccines are an important part of keeping your child healthy by protecting them against vaccine-preventable diseases. There are effective vaccines for illnesses such as measles, flu (influenza), whooping cough (pertussis), and other diseases that can spread from person to person. Although there is not yet a vaccine to help protect against COVID-19, your child should receive all of their recommended vaccines.

Get a flu vaccine by the end of October

A flu vaccine is the single best way to prevent flu.

CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu vaccine each year by the end of October (with rare exceptions). You and your child can get a flu vaccine during healthcare visits, or you can find additional locations at vaccinefinder.orgexternal icon.

Getting a flu vaccine can reduce the likelihood of your child getting sick, being hospitalized, or dying from flu. You and your family getting a flu vaccine will also help protect others around you who may be more vulnerable to severe illness from flu, like babies and young children, older adults, pregnant people, and those with certain medical conditions.

It is especially important for this upcoming flu season to help prevent over-burdening the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 and flu are both infectious illnesses that can affect breathing and have similar symptoms, but they are caused by different viruses. Learn more about similarities and differences between flu and COVID-19.

More about flu:

Help your child stay active

Regular physical activity can improve your child’s physical and mental health.

Help your child stay socially connected

Help your child cope with stress

The COVID-19 pandemic can be stressful for both adults and children. Learn more about signs of stress in children, ways to support your child, and how to take care of your own mental health.

CDC has also developed several tools to help you care for your child’s mental health and well-being. COVID-19 Parental Resource Kit offers tools to help you understand your child’s social, emotional, and mental health challenges according to their age group and promote their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and preschoolers page provides guidance on how to address common parenting challenges, like tantrums and whining, and information on things you can do to build a positive, healthy relationship with your young children.

Ask about school meal services

Check with your child’s school on plans to continue meal services if school is closed to in-person learning for some or all students. Many schools may continue to provide meals in different ways, such as allowing families to pick up meals at the school or providing grab-and-go meals at other locations.

Consider taking extra precautions

In addition to following the recommendations above, consider taking extra precautions if your child has a disability or a developmental or behavioral disorder.

The Journey of Your Child’s Vaccine

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This video describes the journey of a vaccine for children from development through post-licensure monitoring. Learn about the three phases of clinical trials, vaccine licensing and manufacturing, how a vaccine is added to the U.S. Recommended Immunization

Child-Well Visits Are Essential

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In recent months, families have been doing their part by staying at home as much as possible to help stop the spread of COVID-19. As communities open up, it’s important your child goes in for their well-child visit. These well-child visits are essential for many reasons, including:

  • Tracking growth and development including milestones, social behaviors, and learning
  • Discussing any concerns about your child’s health
  • Getting scheduled vaccinations to prevent illnesses like measles and whooping cough (pertussis) and 12 other serious diseases

Did you know that there were several outbreaks of measles and whooping cough in recent years? These diseases are extremely contagious and can be very serious, especially for babies and young children. As schools and daycares also begin to reopen, protecting children against these and other diseases makes these vaccinations particularly important.

Not sure what vaccines are needed when? Check out this easy to read schedule. Concerned about keeping your child safe? Call your doctor’s office to see what special measures they might have in place. Many offices and clinics are taking extra steps to see children safely during this time, like:

  • Scheduling sick visits and well-child visits during different times of the day
  • Asking patients to remain outside until they are called into the facility to reduce crowding in waiting rooms
  • Offering sick visits and well-child visits in different locations

If you need help paying for vaccines, ask your child’s doctor or nurse about the Vaccines for Children program. This program provides free vaccines to children who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, underinsured, or American Indian/Alaska Native.

These are challenging times, but you have the power to help keep your child healthy. Making sure that your child sees their doctor for well-child visits and vaccines is one of the best things you can do to protect your child and community.

Five Steps To Raising Optimistic Children

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Why should you want your child to be an optimist? Because, as Dr. Martin Seligman explains: “Pessimism (the opposite of optimism) is an entrenched habit of mind that has sweeping and disastrous consequences: depressed mood, resignation, underachievement and even unexpectedly poor physical health.”

Children with optimistic thinking skills are better able to interpret failure, have a stronger sense of personal mastery, and are better able to bounce back when things go wrong in their lives.

Because parents are a major contributor to the thinking styles of their children’s developing minds, it is important to adhere to the following five steps to ensure healthy mental habits in your children.

How Parents Can Help

Step 1: Learn to think optimistically yourself. What children see and hear indirectly from you as you lead your life and interact with others influences them much more than what you try to ‘teach’ them.

You can model optimism for your child by incorporating optimistic mental skills into your own way of thinking. This is not easy and does not occur over night. But with practice, almost everyone can learn to think differently about life’s events – even parents!

Step 2: Teach your child that there is a connection between how they think and how they feel. You can do this most easily by saying aloud how your own thoughts about adversity create negative feelings in you.

For example, if you are driving your child to school and a driver cuts you off, verbalize the link between your thoughts and feelings by saying something like “I wonder why I’m feeling so angry; I guess I was saying to myself: ‘Now I’m going to be late because the guy in front of me is going so darn slow. If he is going to drive like that he shouldn’t drive during rush hour. How rude.’”

Step 3: Create a game called ‘thought catching.’ This helps your child learn to identify the thoughts that flit across his or her mind at the times they feel worst. These thoughts, although barely noticeable, greatly affect mood and behavior.

For instance, if your child received a poor grade, ask: “When you got your grade, what did you say to yourself?”

Step 4: Teach your child how to evaluate automatic thoughts. This means acknowledging that the things you say to yourself are not necessarily accurate.

For instance, after receiving the poor grade your child may be telling himself he is a failure, he is not as smart as other kids; he will never be able to succeed in school, etc. Many of these self-statements may not be accurate, but they are ‘automatic’ in that situation.

Step 5: Instruct your child on how to generate more accurate explanations (to themselves) when bad things happen and use them to challenge your child’s automatic but inaccurate thoughts. Part of this process involves looking for evidence to the contrary (good grades in the past, success in other life areas, etc).

Another skill to teach your child to help him or her think optimistically is to help your child see that the bad event may not be as bad or will not have the adverse consequences imagined. Few things in life are as devastating as we fear, yet we blow them up in our minds.

Parents can influence the thinking styles of their children by modeling the principals of optimistic thinking.