Watch: UAE doctor discusses child safety against coronavirus

Dubai: Keeping children safe is a concern among many parents, specifically with the children home from school. While there are many ways that preventative measures should be implemented in the home, parents can take these specific tips from Dr. Mohammed Mansoor, Consultant and Head of pediatric dentistry in Dubai Health Authority to ensure the safety of their children.

Dr. Mansoor firstly advises that children are sleeping well. Although it might be tempting during the holidays for children’s sleep schedules to shift, it is important that they are resting.

“These things are definitely important to ensure that their immunity is optimized. Having an active lifestyle also [is important] and to engage in creative activities. In addition to all that, it’s extremely important to take this opportunity to teach them about hand hygiene and the importance of hygiene etiquette like washing their hands frequently, trying to avoid touching their faces with their hands and to know the etiquette of how to sneeze into a tissue or their elbow,” Dr. Mansoor says.

The pediatrics doctor understands that teaching children about certain habits differs from each individual depending on their age and character, “Every child has a unique personality so understanding what they like can make a huge difference. For example, [parents] can reward the children every time they wash their hands, they can have a timetable [to keep track of handwashing], there can be small competitions in the house between the siblings, there could be a song that they sing while washing their hands, they can be watching a little clip, maybe a dance, there are many different things they can follow and it just really depends on the personality of the child.”