5 tips for celebrating your children's birthday in the Covid era

The arrival of the coronavirus has radically changed the way we relate to others. Gone are the days of greetings with kisses, physical contact and mass gatherings. Similarly, parties, celebrations and birthdays have also changed to adapt to this new reality.

During the confinement, many children celebrated their birthdays telematically, but now it is possible to do so in the company of their friends if a series of measures are taken into account.

Although there are no official recommendations on how to celebrate a birthday safely, here are 5 tips that might help you when preparing a children's birthday party in times of COVID.

1. Keep the number of children to a minimum

No more crowded birthday parties with dozens of friends, siblings, cousins and parents of children together in the same space. With COVID circulating, the fewer people gathered together, the better to avoid the spread of the virus in case someone was infected and did not know it. So don't invite too many people, and if on the other hand you are invited to a party that is too crowded... perhaps opt for an online greetings card to be given to the birthday boy or girl.

Also the authorities are appealing to public responsibility when it comes to social gatherings, with some autonomous communities even banning gatherings of more than 10 people in public and private spaces.

2. If you want to meet...Better outdoors

Experts insist that it is preferable to meet outdoors rather than in enclosed spaces, as the unrestricted circulation of air minimises the chances of contagion. The countryside, the mountains or recreational areas in natural surroundings are the perfect setting to celebrate a birthday.

Alternatively good options for children's parties - if you own them or if you can rent them - are plots of land or estates. This is undoubtedly a much more comfortable and practical idea, but much less economical.

In the event of not being able to hold the party outdoors and having to resort to an indoor space, we should opt for places with continuous ventilation and where we can be sure that they comply with all the protocols and anti-covid prevention measures.

3. Opt for individual meals

Before the coronavirus, guests attending a children's birthday party would all sit around the same table, sharing the same tray of sandwiches, snacks, fruit or sweets. In addition, bottles of juice or soft drinks were common to all, and the children refilled their glasses as their drinks ran out.

Now we have to think of ideas that allow us to dispense with the buffet and also ensure interpersonal distance during the meal. Individually packaged food and drinks are the best alternative. At mealtimes, the children can be seated in a circle on a large blanket on the floor, one and a half metres apart. Of course, all utensils and kitchenware will be disposable, and to avoid confusion and swapping with drinks bottles or cartons (although if the distance is kept this would be unlikely), we can label the containers with the initial of the child's name.

4. Cake candles and 'happy birthday' song

Another of the basic measures when celebrating a safe birthday is that children should not blow out the candles on the cake that all the guests are going to eat.

So as not to take away the excitement of this emotional moment, we can cut a small piece of cake for the birthday boy and place the candles exclusively on his portion. Then, keeping the maximum possible distance from the rest of the children (as researchers assure us that if we blow with force, the droplets that are released can reach more than two metres), the birthday boy or girl can blow out the candles.

Although this measure has become particularly fashionable at the moment, the truth is that a few years ago we already reported on a study that warned that blowing out candles on a cake could increase the probability of bacterial transmission by up to 1400%.

As for singing 'Happy Birthday', aerosol researchers at Lund University in Sweden advise against it, as singing (especially the louder it is done) spreads a greater number of droplets that remain suspended in the air, which can more easily lead to contagion. However, if we decide to sing the well-known song, we should always do so with a mask and the maximum possible interpersonal distance.

5. Games for children

As for the children's games that we can play to liven up the party, once again it is time to bring out our most creative side so that the children can enjoy themselves without risk. We should avoid games that involve physical contact or do not allow for respecting interpersonal distance, as well as games in which the same objects have to be shared.

Some suggestions could be traditional games such as hide and seek, the game of statues or hide and seek, hopscotch, racing games, races with skates or bicycles as long as each child brings their own, ball games with their feet, dances or games with music.... In the case of older children, we could also choose to play skipping rope, frisbee or jumping rubber, disinfecting their hands before and after playing.

If we are in the countryside, an activity that never fails is to leave the children free to enjoy nature, throwing pebbles into a stream, collecting sticks, nuts or flowers, or making small constructions individually. Afterwards, we should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water.

 

Source: https://www.togethercards.com/blog/2/childrens-birthdays-in-the-covid-era