With recent headlines about swine flu spreading to summer camps, mothers like Maria Stanley are starting to worry. A lot.
"Even the name swine flu kind of terrifies me," says the 35-year-old mother of two from Kingston. "I can't even measure how concerned I am about it."
Lately, Ms. Stanley has been taking extra precautions to alleviate her concerns, such as staying vigilant about hand-washing and steering her family away from public places. But despite her anxiety, she's careful not to let her kids catch whiff of her fears.
"There's no need to frighten a five-year-old," she says. "You tell them as much as you need to and then it's my job to worry."
To health officials and parenting experts, Ms. Stanley is taking the right approach by shielding her young children from her concerns, which she admits could be overblown.
It's important that parents project confidence and calm to their kids, regardless of how they may be feeling, says Deb DeJong, a parenting consultant in Kitchener, Ont.
"As adults and parents, we need to stay informed but be aware of how much anxiety we're putting on this …," she says. "They'll be more anxious … we can make it worse."
For kids who are old enough to read the newspaper, parents should try to explain H1N1, says Susan Coombs, a pediatrician in Toronto.
"That would be very worthwhile," she says. "Otherwise children will wonder what's happening."
But striking that balance between educating your kids and scaring them half to death is tricky, she says.
"Try and prepare them for things, so they're not surprised," she advises.
For kids who are frightened by reports of swine flu-related deaths, parents should stress that these cases are rare and health officials are working very hard at containing the spread of H1N1.
"You just need to talk about it, to say it's not something that should stop you at this time from going to school or going to an activity," she says. "At the present time, the illness that we're seeing is not vastly more frightening than things we see quite regularly."
But with younger kids, there's no point in explaining H1N1 when your child can't even spell the term, says Michael Gardam, director of infectious disease prevention for the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion.
"Having a conversation with a kid below the age of 8 about this, you're not going to get very far," he says. "I think giving it a specific name really isn't necessary."
The important thing for concerned parents is to emphasize the importance of clean hands and proper sneezing etiquette - not as preventative measures for swine flu per se, but as precautions against all infections, says Colin Lee, associate medical officer of health for Ontario's Simcoe-Muskoka region and co-author of The Flu Pandemic and You: A Canadian Guide .
"I think [parents]just need to concentrate on the measures … and not necessarily bring extra attention [to swine flu]" Dr. Lee advises. "It's difficult for [young children]to understand what this really all means."
If they do start asking questions about swine flu, parents should definitely have a conversation with them, Dr. Lee says.
For Ms. DeJong, the key is to tread carefully and avoid launching into a full-on, encyclopedic explanation.
"Ask them, 'What do you think it is?'" she says. "Get an idea of how much they know or don't know. Then you can deal with some basic definitions."
From there, it's best to discuss swine flu in terms your kids can relate to, she says. Use an even, measured tone of voice and explain that H1N1 is an infectious disease many people are getting; however, little boys and girls can stay safer by washing their hands with soap for the same amount of time it takes to sing the happy birthday song.
"You want them to feel empowered with knowledge versus scared," Ms. DeJong says.