Face masks and children

Face masks should NOT be used for babies and children under 3 years of age

Wearing a face mask in this age group can put babies and children at serious risk of harm or death:

• Babies and young children have smaller airways so breathing through a mask is harder for them
• Masks could increase the risk of suffocation because they are harder to breathe through
• Babies are unable to remove the mask should they have trouble breathing
• Infants could be at risk of becoming tangled, especially if they try to remove a mask, potentially causing serious injury
• Older infants or young toddlers are not likely to keep the mask on and will touch their face more to try and remove it.