We did our quarantine back in Nov/Dec where the travel restriction was still 21 days quarantine. Luckily now it is back to 7 days but we hope that these tips will be helpful regardless!

Hong Kong has some of the strictest quarantine rules in the world and currently requires travelers from most countries to quarantine 21 days in a designated hotel. You will be tested upon arrival and will also be tested multiple times during your quarantine. It is hard to believe that the pandemic has been going on for almost 2 years and we have been battling the decision of whether to travel since the pandemic started. Jerry’s family is in Holland and while we used to go back every 2 months, we haven’t been able to in almost 2 years. Now that we have Lex, there are so many other considerations to think about while traveling, especially during a pandemic. After talking about it for months, we finally decided that there was no perfect time to go and made the decision to go back to Holland in October. The 21 day quarantine was a major factor in our hesitancy to travel, we initially felt that we couldn’t possibly put Lex through this and it would be detrimental to him. However, after reading many facebook reviews on the Quarantine Support Group (absolutely incredible resource and support network) and talking to some other moms, I became more comfortable with the idea and felt that perhaps it was not only doable, but could be slightly enjoyable. We just finished up our 21 days and I hope that I can share all my ideas and tips so that any other parents who is in the same position. Lex was 17 months when we did the quarantine.

We were very lucky and were able to book a hotel just a month beforehand. I did not know this before but quickly found out via the facebook group that hotel bookings are very difficult and the quarantine hotels get snatched up fast. We booked a serviced apartment called CM+ in Sheung Wan.

I knew that I wanted the quarantine with Lex to not only be passable but to be fun and engaging for him. I definitely went with the “more is more” route and bought A LOT of things in preparation for the quarantine. I wanted to have an assortment of toys and activities that were fun and educational. I did have a few toy cars as a special treat each week but did not want to only have flashy toys to entertain him. I got the majority of things from Amazon and also from various bookstores and toy stores.

I sorted my toys/activities into the below categories and listed some of the activities/toys we did with Lex:

Gross/fine motor

• Felt story board: big felt board with lots of different animals and plants (we got the farm theme from Amazon). I would take each item out and tell Lex the name/or ask him what it is. Then he will stick them onto the board
• Mega blocs: endless fun building and taking apart the blocs, I find that this works better than Lego Duplo at this age because they are bigger and easier to handle
• Tunnel: lots of fun climbing in and out of it and playing hide and seek

Sensory

• Play dough
• Rainbow rice: my wonderful helper made it using this recipe and brought it over once we returned to HK. We bought a wooden sensory kit with different scoops and bowls from Amazon
• Oatmeal
• Plastic balls/ball pit
• Water play: water in cups and assortment of spoons and scoops

Hand eye coordination

• Suction animals
• Busy boards: we got both cloth and wooden ones from Amazon. The cloth ones were fine but the wooden one’s were pretty low quality. I would recommend getting wooden ones from Etsy if time allows.
• Window stickers: We got Melissa and Doug ones and they were a HUGE hit. We spent lots of time sticking them on the hotel windows.

Arts and crafts

• Ziplock bag painting: check out how to do them here
• Crayons
• Crayola Water WOW coloring books

Others

• Music time with sticks and egg shakers: this mimics the music activity Lex does in playgroup. I asked his teacher for a list of songs they usually do in class
• Bubbles
• Masking tape
• Facetime with family

I would also highly recommend getting a messy play tray such as this one. This was SUPER useful and we continue to use it after quarantine.

I would have 1-2 activities each day mixed with regular activities and toys that are available every day such as reading time and his usual small pile of toys (toy cars, sensory block, puzzles). I tried to make sure I combine activities from each category each day. I initially had a super intense and detailed schedule planned out for every 1.5 hour of the day but I actually did not have to use it. I just mostly went with the flow and planned the activities on the day and depending on his interest level. I made sure to introduce the activities and toys in a strategic way so that there was something fresh and exciting each week. I also would rotate the activities so that Lex would not get bored. For example, I introduced the rainbow rice in the second week and if he was interested I would let him play with it for two days in a row, then I would put it back in the cabinet and not take it out for another 4-5 days.

This was my rough schedule of how to introduce the activities and toys (it does not include all the activities but gives you a general idea of how I planned things):

• Week 1: mega blocs, magnet fishing game, toy cars
• Week 2: ball pit, tunnel, play dough, busy board, stickers, rainbow rice
• Week 3: felt story board, oatmeal sensory, suction animals, more toy cars

Books also played a major role in our quarantine. Luckily for us Lex LOVES reading time and we spent a lot of time reading his favorite books. We had packed a few books for the trip and our helper brought more books to us during the quarantine. We also had a few new books that I introduced periodically.

We were extremely lucky to have an awesome view for our quarantine hotel. We had the entire harbor view and were able to see boats, helicopters, cars, and even dogs at the dog park. It provided a lot of entertainment for Lex and he spent lots of time in the first 2 weeks looking outside. Unfortunately he did get a bit bored of the view by the third week but it was still amazing to have. The large windows also provided a great location for all the stickers and masking tape activities.

Adults need to have a nasal and swab test multiple times during the quarantine and children under 3 need to submit a stool sample. Luckily Lex was able to poop on almost all the designated days but he did miss on a few days. I called the DOH and they were very nice about it and said 1-2 days is nothing to worry about. The one thing you want to make sure you submit is the sample on day 19. You must make sure that you get the negative result or else you will not be released on day 21. Therefore, if you feel like your toddler won’t poo on the 19th you can consider submitting the sample from day 18 (the date will be noted on the form).

The first ten days actually flew by and I was enjoying our time in quarantine. It was very cozy and I was not actually missing being outside too much. However, once we reached the halfway point things started getting a bit tougher. It was hard to fathom that we another 10+ days to go and we were only halfway.

However, it is what it is and we just have to keep going at it! Here are some tips (both general and toddler specific)

General

• Unpack straight away: Yes you are probably exhausted from the flight and the entire ordeal at the airport, but you will feel SO much better if your room is unpacked and everything is in the right place
• Make the place cozier: We brought some items such as our favorite mugs from home to make the room feel more homey. I also saw on FB that people brought candles and other decorations
• Make your bed every morning: It’s a small action but it sets you up for the rest of the day!
• Clean up everyday: We had one of those small swiffer mops and I used it to clean up hair and dust everyday. We did not buy toilet cleaner but we did a basic clean for the bathroom every week. I would highly recommend getting a hotel room with hard floors over carpet.
• Have a countdown calendar: We printed out a calendar and would put up a sticker at the end of each day. It is a great morale booster! We tried to have Lex put the sticker on but he would just run away with it each time haha
• Accept offers from friends: We were super lucky to have many amazing friends and family who dropped off home cooked meals and care packages. They definitely brighten up our day and made the entire experience better. So if you are lucky enough to have a supportive network, don’t be shy and ask for help and accept treats!
• TREAT YO’SELF: quarantine is HARD. This is the perfect time to be excessive and order that fried chicken that you’ve been craving for dinner or that croissant for breakfast. We tried to have home cooked meals every few days but we also fully took advantage of the fabulous variety of Deliveroo options in our area. On the weekends we would eat extra indulgently and say “it’s the weekend!”. Just because we were inside doesn’t mean we had to be boring. We also ordered cakes/treats at the end of each week to celebrate. We also ordered a giant funfetti party cake for our last day

Quarantine with toddler tips

• Mat or carpet: our hotel had hard floors which I loved (no dirty hotel carpet thanks) but this made it extra important for me to find a big and fun carpet for Lex. I found an adorable road/car carpet and it was the perfect little play area for him
• Long baths: everyday, my husband would take over and give Lex a 1 hour+ bubble bath. I had all his usual toys and also had some new toys for him. Our helper brought over his tub from home.
• Drag out events if baby is having fun/in a good mood: I don’t mean to have everything drag on until they are completely bored, but don’t rush into each activity if they are in a good mood. For example, when we wake up we like to cuddle together and look at the view for a bit. Sometimes this can last over 30 minutes. During quarantine we have LOTS of hours together so every minute counts. There is no rush to jump into breakfast time or play time if things are going well right now.
• Maximize tidy up time: apart from building good habits, tidy up time is a great way to extend the time. I always make Lex tidy up his toys before moving onto another activity. Sometimes I even put blocks together so it takes him longer to undo them and put it back in the bag. Sometimes I also sneakily throw some balls around so he has to pick them up (shhh)
• Don’t be too uptight about screen time: we all try to minimize screen time but when you are on holiday or on quarantine, don’t give yourself too hard of a time. We all need a little break sometime and need to do what we need to survive quarantine! Some of the things we enjoyed were Peppa Pig and farm/tractor videos on Youtube

I hope that these tips will be helpful to other families who are traveling during these crazy times. Everyone’s circumstances are different but I can say that it was 100% the right decision for us to travel and the family time we had in Holland was worth all the hassle of travel and 21 days in quarantine. It is never an easy decision to make but we are so glad that we decided to go.