So in these circumstances, what can parents do to help their babies? The evidence suggests that the key to optimal development is play and stimulation, those back-and-forth interactions between caregivers and babies.įollowing a child’s lead when they take an interest in some item, naming objects, talking, laughing, singing and reading – all simple, minimal-cost activities – keep babies learning and developing even when the world outside is in difficulty. Read more of our coverage of the first anniversary of the pandemic:Ĭoronavirus one year on: two countries that got it right, and three that got it wrongĬOVID-19: how to deal with a year of accumulated burnout from working at home Social support from friends, family, community groups and professionals is normally considered vital not only because it provides infants with variety, stimulation and opportunities for learning, but also because it is good for the wellbeing of parents, on whom babies are so dependent. On top of that, friends and family have had their ability to visit loved ones and their babies drastically curtailed. Many expressed concerns about their ability to monitor children’s development and refer families to specialist support services when parents were experiencing mental health problems. Those who remained have reported that their work with families was considerably affected by very high caseloads and the barriers created by social distancing measures. insta_photos/Shutterstockįor example, many health visitors, who provide advice and resources and who are often the main source of support and connection to health services for families with young babies, have been redeployed into the frontline COVID response during the pandemic. Many babies will have only met their grandparents on Zoom. But, by the same token, it also means that babies are highly susceptible to the negative impacts of adversity. This dependence on environmental input makes the brain exquisitely flexible and capable of adaptation. This early development depends crucially on experience, and particularly social experience, which stimulates, tunes and hones the brain’s unfolding architecture.Ī stimulating, varied and responsive environment supports the development of language, cognition and emotional and social competencies. What are the implications for these pandemic children? While as researchers we do think that most babies will have had an opportunity to thrive, there’s still a lot we don’t know, and we are clear that the first months and years of life are vitally important for a child’s long-term health, development and wellbeing.ĭevelopment takes place at an extraordinary rate during a baby’s first year, when the brain doubles in size. They certainly will not have had the same opportunities to interact with other children as those born in the years before. They may never have met anyone who isn’t their parent, or they may only ever have seen their grandparents from a distance. Newcastle University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.īabies born after Mawill have only known a world in the grip of a pandemic. University College London provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. He is Deputy Editor in Chief of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry for which he receives an annual honorarium. He is an unpaid Trustee of the registered charity Foundation Years Information Research. He receives funding from the National Institute for Health Research, the Wellcome Trust and the What Works Centre for Children's Social Care. Pasco Fearon works for UCL and the registered charity the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. Sunil Bhopal is a clinical lecturer funded by Newcastle University, and holds voluntary unpaid trustee roles with the registered charities Foundation Years Information & Research and The Children's Foundation. Academic Clinical Lecturer in Paediatrics, Newcastle UniversityĬhair in Developmental Psychopathology, UCL
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