Here’s How To Do A Child’s Covid-19 Test At Home

If your child needs a test for Covid-19, it can feel a little daunting. Getting the best result relies on the test being conducted properly, so to help MOLOs testing their little ones, this guide should help, including a couple of videos to show you how:

When to take a test

You should take a test within 5 days of having any of the following symptoms:

• a fever
• a new continuous cough
• loss of smell or taste

The Covid-19 Test

Start with the throat swab.

1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
2. Make your child comfortable, and explain what is going to happen. They can hold someone’s hand, or sit on a knee if they wish.
3. Ask them to blow their nose into a tissue and throw it away.
4. Open the packaging, swab stick end first – you must not touch the soft fabric end of the swab. Don’t let it touch anything else, including a surface during the test.
5. Starting with their throat, ask them to open their mouth and say ‘ahhh’ for five seconds so you can see the back of their throat easily.
6. Swab the back of the throat in the two areas shown in the picture below for 10 seconds. This may be uncomfortable for them, so a promise of a reward after might be a good idea! They should continue to say ‘ahh’ while you swab the back of their throat, around the tonsil area.
7. If you cannot take a throat sample, please take samples from BOTH nostrils instead.
8. Remove the swab from the mouth gently – don’t let it touch anything!

Next, do the nasal swab.

1. Put the same end, of the same swab into the nostril until you feel resistance.
2. Rotate the swab in the nostril for 10-15 seconds, then carefully remove.
3. Repeat this process in the other nostril if you were unable to take a swab from your child’s throat.
4. Place the swab carefully into the sample tube, snapping off the end as you do so and securely screw on the lid.
5. Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water and follow the instructions in the pack to return the test.

Here’s a video for adults, too:

To order a home test kit, or to find your nearest testing site, go to https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test