Kids - Reusable Kids Mask, Ages 4 Up to 12 Years Old, Includes 5 Replacement Filters Made in USA, Washable, Easy Breathing, Adjustable Head Strap, Soft and Comfortable

I have a six-year old child who has been wearing his Flo Mask to school for the past 2 months. In my view, the most important features of a kid’s mask is a tight seal, filtration efficiency and compliance (ie, is it comfortable enough for the kiddo to wear correctly for long periods of time?). Here’s our critical analysis:· This mask has a tight seal. The Flo Mask has a silicone gasket that forms a tight seal around the nose and mouth, and although it looks weird at first, it covers only the necessary parts of the face. My son can run and play and it doesn’t slip down. Unlike cloth or disposable masks, he can talk freely without the mask bobbing up and down or gapping. We have struggled to find disposable or cloth masks to fit his smaller face correctly and always end up having to knot or modify them so that the mask will lay flush to his skin. Invariably, over the course of play or conversation, they either buckle or ride up on his face; however, with his Flo Mask, it remains sealed all the way around, nearly the entire time. One reviewer mentioned that laughing or smiling caused the seal to breach. That is true, but it is only momentary, and unless they open-mouth laugh or grin all day, I consider the overall tradeoff to be vastly tipped towards the Flo Mask.· Filtration efficiency. According to FloMask, the inserts have a 99.8% filtration efficiency of particles as small as 0.1 micron. For reference, respiratory droplet range from >1 micron to 1000 microns in size, respiratory aerosols between 0.7 and 1 micron, and most bacteria are about 1-2 microns (in width). So, these filters can ensnare a lot of culprits.· The around-the-head elastic band is a big plus. We love that the band goes around the back of the head and NOT behind the ears. A typical school day has him masked for 8 hours and we want him to keep it on, so comfort is a priority! Ear-loop masks put too much pressure on his little ears by the second hour and start to irritate his skin. We don’t have this problem with our Flo Mask-- a big plus for compliance. Nothing is perfect, and sometimes the elastic bands slip down the back of his head, but you can adjust the tightness to prevent this. The kit we got provided an extra elastic in case the first one wears out. We are currently two months in and haven’t had to use our back-up elastic yet.· Washable. Every day when our kiddo returns home from school, we dispose of the filter and wash the mask with water and a drop of dish soap and put it out to dry. This is one of my favorite features of this mask. We replace the filter daily, as recommended (after >8 hours of use).· Sizing. I agree with other reviewers that FloMask is better suited for smaller faces. It fits my 6 year old perfectly, but is too small for my 11 year old.· Environmental impact. I have been lamenting about our daily output of disposable mask garbage. With a replaceable cartridge, our environmental footprint is smaller with this mask.· Silicone gasket. Here’s a downside-- if your children are part beaver (like mine) and chew on everything, you have to be sure they fight the temptation to nibble on that delectable, soft silicone gasket. After two months of solid use, I noticed little tears in the gasket and wonder if this is what contributed to them (of course my little guy swears that isn’t the case). When I contacted the company to look for this replacement part, they replied promptly, explaining that they plan start offering this part separately, but would send me a replacement for free! Now we just have to be careful that it doesn’t get chewed again…They asked if I could write a review with my honest thoughts—and I knew that I could, being satisfied with this purchase and its performance so far. Although this mask is pricey, I feel that we have definitely gotten our money out of it with daily use. And most importantly, our kiddo will wear it without complaint. : )

I bought this mask for my 11 y/o daughter since we were using so many cloth and paper masks anytime we stepped outside the house. The paper and cloth masks don’t quite have the seal needed to really get filtered air, and all the adult masks were too large to fit my daughter. Flomask was a great find for a well designed mask that was built specifically for kids.DESIGN: The mask is plastic material with a silicone liner on the inside, on all the surfaces that touch the face. This makes a good seal around the nose and mouth so that all the air gets filtered properly. The mask does fit above the chin, as opposed to the paper or cloth masks that fit below the chin, but this mask creates the secure fit for the mask to work correctly.There are 2 straps that go behind the child’s head, one higher (with adjustability) and one lower. The 2 straps make a secure fit, which arguably is a tight seal, but again, that is what is needed to make sure the air is filtered properly.The front of the mask has a snap on “door” that can be fairly easily popped off and the filter can be replaced.USABILITY: The mask is fairly easy to put on by my daughter by herself. The elastic bands are comfortable and don’t stick to her long hair, yet do a good job staying in place behind her head.Once worn in place, the mask stays put quite well, and doesn’t move around, which is important to keep the seal.Removing the mask is also easy when my daughter learned to grab both bands behind her head and pull them over her head.Filter replacing durations are not specified, but I think that depends on the duration they are used.COMFORT: This mask is quite comfortable to wear, once the child gets used to it. Initially, it does feel more snug than the paper or cloth masks. But, again, this is by design.Overall, this is a great mask. It comes with 5 of the replaceable filters. Additional filters can be purchased separately.