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Taking care of your child during the COVID-19 pandemic

Taking care of your child during the COVID-19 pandemic

How safe are our children in the face of COVID-19? This is a question many caregivers are asking themselves as they worry about their children. We have seen cases where children are testing positive for COVID-19, and yet their caregivers are negative. Ideally, children are very social creatures with the need to play with their friends, explore when they are curious and be carefree without a worry in the world. As much as we wouldn’t want to restrict these activities from them, we wouldn’t want to put their lives at risk either. Children’s immune systems are not as strong as an adult’s. As some would put it, children are not little adults. Therefore, caregivers need to be vigilant in protecting them from diseases, when possible.

For caregivers with little ones, it has been quite laborious to ensure that they are safe from getting coronavirus. Here are some tips to help ease the labour:

A. Make it Fun

Educating children does not need to be tasking. Look for fun ways to teach them how to wash their hands or proper respiratory hygiene practices. Children pick up cues very quickly and enjoy routine. Teach them the proper routines and reward them when they get it right. This encourages them to learn better. For instance, encouraging them to sing their favorite cartoon theme song that lasts 20 seconds can be an exciting way for them to practice handwashing. Respiratory hygiene practices such as sneezing or coughing into their elbows or a tissue followed by a quick positive remark can be a routine easily taught.

B. Make it simple

Breaking down coronavirus in a way that they can understand is essential. As caregivers, we best understand the language which our kids see and understand the world around them. By structuring coronavirus to fit into the way they perceive things, children will pick up on it quickly. Maybe their favourite hero wears a mask. By pointing out that the masks help protect the hero from external factors such as coronavirus, they will be able to understand it from a visual perspective and will be more confident to wear one.

C. Always be prepared

Preparation also helps protect children better. This can include; carrying sanitizer for their hands and wipes for cleaning items when out in the public. This is because it can be difficult for children to avoid touching their faces or keeping things out of their mouths.

 D. Maintain clinic schedules

Keeping up with proper vaccination and clinic schedules is important. It will ensure they are protected from other diseases as well as improve their immune system. Adhering to appointment times, social distancing while in the hospitals and minimizing the number of people accompanying the little one to the hospital lowers the risk of contracting the virus.

E. Get them covered

Ensuring children have a health cover such as UAP Old Mutual Afya Junior cover, will go a long way in supporting access to quality healthcare whenever they need it.

F. Be the example

Ultimately, caregivers need to show a good example to their children. By taking care of themselves, it will help protect the children too. Children emulate people they are in constant contact with and this helps build up their personality. Let us teach our children to be responsible and independent, not just for now but also in the future.

UAP Old Mutual Foundation has partnered with Gertrude's Children hospital  to support free COVID-19 testing for children in Githogoro Settlement. 

We have also made sure that healthcare providers conducting tests for children have Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) so they can be protected.

Caring for your Child's mind during COVID-19

Caring for your Child's mind during COVID-19.

If there is ever a time where our mental wellness matters a lot, it is now- our own wellbeing and that of our children. We need to recognize that anxiety is a normal and healthy function that alerts us to threats and helps us take measures to protect ourselves.  Recognizing and handling emotions of anxiety and stress is important for good mental health as excessive anxiety can interfere with everyday life activities.

How well can your child cope with anxiety?  We should help children navigate these changing times with care and reassurance.  Remember, their lives have been disrupted as well in as much as they may seem to enjoy their free time at home.

For many children, the first signs of anxiety and depression manifest as vague symptoms: a mild headache that won't go away, outbursts of anger, acting out, an inability to focus on their school work. This experience is even intensified as the child may not be able to articulate their feelings or advocate for themselves.

Helping your children cope with stress

Maintain structure and routines

The school-going children are used to a routine of waking early to go to school, learning in a classroom environment and the daily commute to home from school.  The school activities give your children a sense of direction every day.  As they learn to make their own decisions and navigate the #NewNormal, the routine would be helpful in giving them a sense of normality and familiarity.  The predictability in the routine will help ease anxiety.

Create distractions.

Distractions are much welcome these days for everyone with everything going around the world.  Your children will appreciate the little distractions in their day. You can create distractions by suggesting doing homework, watching a favourite movie or getting in bed with a novel as ways to seek relief and find balance in the day-to-day activities.

Find new ways to connect with your friends

If you want to spend time with friends while you’re practising social distancing, social media is a great way to connect.  The teenagers can find joy by sharing videos and challenges on Tiktok. You can arrange video calls on Whatsapp so that they can talk to family members who live far away.

As you allow your kids to spend more time on the phone, do agree on a screen-time schedule so that they can be disciplined with how they spend their time.  This discipline may translate to their other spheres of life.

New hobbies for a New Normal

Learning is important for the growth of your children. Encourage them to take up creative activities, such as playing and drawing. Such hobbies not only keep them occupied but allow them to express and communicate any negative feelings they may be experiencing in a safe and supportive environment.

Allow children to share their feelings

Any feelings of frustration and anger should be allowed. Let your child know that having a wide range of emotions is normal and they can express themselves in a respectful manner. Do listen when they want to spend time with you and share their feelings. As an adult, you should be able to manage your own emotions well and remain calm, listen to children’s concerns, speak kindly and reassure them.

We, UAP Old Mutual, will connect you to Child Therapist Specialists or Counsellors who are available through our Tele counselling platform if your child needs psychological support or a counsellor for guidance. You can contact the team of experts on  0716518250 to book your virtual counselling session today.

Info Source on Anxiety: Unicef Kenya

Afya Imara Junior Blog Post

Your child is often your first priority as a parent. It is always a joy watching them achieve
various milestones such as hearing them call you for the first time, their steps though
futile but remarkable and watching them progress through school. The joy of
parenthood! As a parent, you feel the smile of your child and their pain especially when
they get sick.

The Benefit of Afya Imara Junior cover
At UAP Old Mutual, we want to keep that joy going by sharing the burden of your child’s
healthcare through the Afya Imara Junior healthcare cover. As a parent, worries over
the wellbeing of your child begin as soon as you know you are expecting. You pray that
the delivery will go well and that you will have resources to give your child the best
healthcare experience. This is more profound in a country where child and infant
mortality are statistically high.

The Inpatient Benefits
On the Afya Imara Junior cover, your child is covered from the date of birth as the cover
comes to play from birth (after hospital discharge) up to the age of 18. Furthermore, the
cover can be extended to cover your children up to a maximum of 21 years as long as
they are in school. As a parent, you won’t have to worry about insurance for your
university-going children while your little ones get to focus on their milestones and the
joy of everyday living-learning, and playing .

The inpatient cover ranges from Kes 500,000 to Kes 5,000,000 and has the following benefits:

● Hospitalization expenses including surgeon, physician, theatre, ICU & HDU fees.
● Diagnostics and physiotherapists fees, prescribed drugs, dressings, surgical
appliances .
● Accommodation costs for parent/guardian accompanying child of 12 years and
below.

The Outpatient Benefits
As your child grows, you often find yourself in-and-out of hospital whether it is the case
of a high fever in the middle of the night or well-baby checkups and vaccination
routines. One of the benefits of the medical cover is the outpatient benefit. This cover
ranges from Kes 50,000 to Kes 150,000 and covers a number of services such as the
routine outpatient services, consultations, diagnostics, drugs and dressings, routine
dental and optical services, including the cost of frames, lenses and the well-baby Clinic.
You shouldn’t have to bear the cost of providing good healthcare on your own.

Registration
Through the Afya Imara Junior cover, UAP Old Mutual is making healthcare for your
precious little ones easily accessible and affordable. Visit
https://www.uapoldmutual.com/h/health-insurance/solution/afya-imara-junior for
more details and quotations.