Masking Up

Generally we don't don't mind the mandatory mask rule in Singapore now.

We wear masks everywhere - even when we're just heading the 100 feet or so to the pool. We hardly notice wearing a mask anymore. MsE is the only one who prefers a face shield; Kids can opt for a face shield instead of a mask. I get her to wear a mask if we will be in close quarters like on the MRT (Subway) or bus. The longest period we've worn masks is about 5 hours - when us girls went to Universal Studios.

Occasionally the kids ask if they must wear their mask when they're out scooting or on the playground, mostly when they see other kids with them off. The rule is you can go without if strenuously exercising: scooting and the playground probably qualifies as mask free, but they're nose to nose with other kids on the playground equipment, and touching so many of the same things. Generally I ask if they can just try to keep it on, and usually they do.

Watching MsE figure out how to eat an ice cream cone in a face shield was the best thing ever. As soon as I handed her the cone, she almost slammed it right into the face shield, before she remembered the shield, saying "Oh, yeah!" She then very very carefully slide the cone inside and took a lick. I made her wait till we were at a table and could take off her shield after that.

How do I do this?

Step 1: Hold shield still.

Step 2: Get ice cream under shield.

Step 3: Lick without squishing icecream onto the inside of the sheild.

No mask required while eating at a table. Sit between X's but not on an X - for social distancing.

Not all mask wearing has worked out perfectly. I ended up with the scratchiest disposable mask one day. I have no idea where it came from. Almost none of the other masks I've worn have bothered me. We've had about 3 sets of disposable masks now, so that's probably one dud (actually 2) out of 70 or so masks. This one felt like fiberglass insulation on my face and I didn't have any more spare ones in my purse. It took about an hour of being driven crazy by it before it softened up from the humidity and my breath, and was only annoying after that.

I've found that unless you've only worn your mask for a few minutes, you just need to put a fresh one on if you take it off for any reason. For example, when we're going out for lunch, I always make sure I have a spare mask in my purse to put on after eating. MsC in particular can not stand reusing a mask. I carry extras for all of us in my purse. I really need to get a mask holder or what ever they're called. They have a pocket on one side for spares and one on the other side to put your used (but will wear again one). I carry ziploc baggies to put used ones in right now.

MsC in government children's issue and me in my Mrs.Bunny homemade mask.

One great time I got a really good reaction to my mask. Apparently some mask have latex or you can react to the glue or chemicals in the mask. I ended up with an itchy rash anywhere my mask touched. It took about 4 days to go away. Having to wear masks over it to leave the house did not help the problem. The only thing that helped was applying a thick coating of cream before putting the mask on.

To help minimize skin irritation, always wash your face after removing a mask. For reusable masks, hand washing with laundry detergent and then soaking them for 5 minutes in water from the just boiled kettle seems to really help too. I don't know if the extra soak just rinses the soap out better or if it sterilizes more effectively, but I always regret if I skip the boiling water soak.

We like the cloth reusable masks best. I made some, but it's time to toss those and make new ones again. I've shrunk some too much from the boiling water. For some the elastic ties have snapped over time. We're also being told to toss cloth masks after 30 washes to ensure the fabric is still a good enough barrier.

Everyone in our house has a different preference for masks. MsI only cares that it has a good picture on it. Her latest is Baby Shark. MsE ops for the headband face shield. I like my homemade 3-ply quilters cotton masks - although I really want to buy some silk ones. MsC will only wear the government issued children's size thin white ones. We gave her all 3 of the ones we received from the government. I should probably order some direct from that supplier for her. She's already got some Oreo cookie stains on them. Jonathan likes the black thick government issued ones that I happen to hate, so he has a stack of them for now.

MsE in her homemade Olof mask.

Our mask and face shield on the table behind us with our towels while we're in the hot tub.

Washing masks is the last thing I do each night. If I wring them out really well and hang them up inside, they're usually dry by the time we go out the next day. This is also why there is a stack of disposable masks at the door.