Parent and Caretaker Resources and Recommendations

 

If you are pregnant or just had a baby, see our page for pregnancy, birth, and caring for your newborn.

Staying up to date

Hygiene, Medical Care & Supplies

Coping with the Stress Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Even if your family is prepared, an outbreak can be very stressful. To help your family cope with this stress, following these recommendations can help:

Information & Communication

Scheduling & Activities

  • Even if your family is isolated or quarantined, this will be temporary.
  • Keep your family's schedule consistent when it comes to bedtimes, meals, and exercise.
  • Make time to do things at home that have made you and your family feel better in other stressful situations, such as reading, watching movies, listening to music, playing games, exercising, or engaging in religious activities (prayer, participating in services on the Internet).
  • Have children participate in distance learning opportunities that may be offered by their schools or other institutions/organizations.
  • Recognize that feelings such as loneliness, boredom, fear of contracting disease, anxiety, stress, and panic are normal reactions to a stressful situation such as a pandemic.
  • Help your family engage in fun and meaningful activities consistent with your family and cultural values.

Hygiene & Medical Care

  • Find ways to encourage proper hygiene and health promoting behavior with your children (create drawings to remember family routines; sing a song for length needed to wash hands like the Happy Birthday song, twice). Include them in household jobs or activities so they feel a sense of accomplishment. Provide praise and encouragement for engaging in household jobs and good hygiene.
  • Reassure your children that you will take them to the doctor and get medical care if needed. Explain, however, that not every cough or sneeze means that they or others have COVID-19.

Self Care & Coping

Seek religious/spiritual help or professional counseling for support. This may be available online or by telephone during an outbreak.

Helping Children Cope

Your children may respond differently to an outbreak depending on their age. Below are some reactions according to age group and the best ways you can respond:

Age Group Reactions How to Help
Preschool
  • Fear of being alone, bad dreams
  • Speech difficulties
  • Loss of bladder/bowel control, constipation, bed-wetting
  • Change in appetite
  • Increased temper tantrums, whining, or clinging behaviors
  • Patience and tolerance
  • Provide reassurance (verbal and physical)
  • Encourage expression through play, reenactment, story-telling
  • Allow short-term changes in sleep arrangements
  • Plan calming, comforting activities before bedtime
  • Maintain regular family routines
  • Avoid media exposure
School-Age
(ages 6-12)
  • Irritability, whining, aggressive behavior
  • Clinging, nightmares
  • Sleep/appetite disturbance
  • Physical symptoms (headaches, stomachaches)
  • Withdrawal from peers, loss of interest
  • Competition for parents' attention
  • Forgetfulness about chores and new information learned at school
  • Patience, tolerance, and reassurance
  • Play sessions and staying in touch with friends through telephone and Internet
  • Regular exercise and stretching
  • Engage in educational activities (workbooks, educational games)
  • Participate in structured household chores
  • Set gentle but firm limits
  • Discuss the current outbreak and encourage questions. Include what is being done in the family and community
  • Encourage expression through play and conversation
  • Help family create ideas for enhancing health promotion behaviors and maintaining family routines
  • Limit media exposure, talking about what they have seen/heard including at
    school
  • Address any stigma or discrimination occurring and clarify misinformation

Adolescent

(ages 13-18)

  • Physical symptoms (headaches, rashes, etc.)
  • Sleep/appetite disturbance
  • Agitation or decrease in energy, apathy
  • Ignoring health promotion behaviors
  • Isolating from peers and loved ones
  • Concerns about stigma and injustices
  • Avoiding/cutting school
  • Patience, tolerance, and reassurance
  • Encourage continuation of routines
  • Encourage discussion of outbreak experience with peers, family (but do not force)
  • Stay in touch with friends through telephone, Internet, video games
  • Participate in family routines, including chores, supporting younger siblings, and planning strategies to enhance health promotion behaviors
  • Limit media exposure, talking about what they have seen/heard including at school
  • Discuss and address stigma, prejudice and potential injustices occurring during outbreak

Seeking Additional Help

If you or a loved one is having a difficult time coping with the pandemic and want to seek outside help, there are ways to get that help. For example:

Get support regarding your anxiety or stress by speaking to a trained counselor at SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or by texting TalkWithUS to 66746.

Contact your physician or your insurance company (if they have a consultation line) to ask health-related questions or to seek mental health support.

Learn more ways to help your family. Additional resources can be accessed at:

More COVID-19 Information and Resources

Stay up-to-date on the current COVID-19 situation in Washington, Governor Inslee's proclamations, symptoms, how it spreads, and how and when people should get tested. See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

The risk of COVID-19 is not connected to race, ethnicity or nationality. Stigma will not help to fight the illness. Share accurate information with others to keep rumors and misinformation from spreading.