Pandemic Babies Five Years Later: How They've Been Affected

It's officially been five years since the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, keeping many people locked inside their homes and causing businesses to close their doors.

For many of us, we remember it like it was yesterday. But there are some who will only hear about it in the history books - the babies born in 2020.

Although babies won't remember the COVID pandemic, they still could been affected by it through their early brain development.

The world changed for all of us in 2020, but for the babies who knew nothing before the pandemic, their entire lives could have turned out much differently.

Why is Early Brain Development Important?

The first years of a child's life are extremely important for their health and development later on. The brain grows rapidly before birth and continues into early childhood. According to the CDC, the first 8 years of a child's life can build a foundation for their future learning, health, and overall success.

Several factors can determine how well a child's brain can develop, such as nutrition during pregnancy, exposure to infections or toxins, and a child's experience with people and the world.

In any other circumstance, young babies and children may have had visitors and been able to build social skills with their peers, however, the pandemic may have stiffled their opportunity to do so.

This could have put 'pandemic babies' as a big disadvantage in terms of communication and brain development.

How COVID Affected Children's Communication

Children being born into or growing up in the pandemic likely had less human interaction than normal - outside of their families at home.

One study followed a group of pandemic babies from the ages of six months to two years old. At six months, it was reported that only an average of three people had kissed the baby, and one in four babies hadn't met another child their own age.

At the babies' first birthdays, the study looked at ten development milestones. Compared to babies not born within COVID, fewer of the pandemic babies had said their first word, could wave bye, and more of them could crawl.

At two years old, pandemic babies had lower scores in communication, however motor skills and problem-solving ability scores remained similar to other children born before COVID.

Another study conducted by John Hopkins Children's Center researchers studied the development of 50,000 children between the ages of 0 and 5.

While similar results were observed, they found that the difference in communication was very low - a 3% decrease to be exact. The study also found that problem-solving and social skills decreased by 2%, but no chnage was observed in motor skills.

Researchers have found these results reassuring, but they're also concerned with the children's long-term development.

The Pandemic and Mental Health

The COVID-19 pandemic caused big changes in many people's lives, especially for families with young children. Schools and daycare centers closed, many parents started working from home, and people saw their friends less often. These changes led to more stress, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness for many.

Studies have also found that the pandemic affected children's health and well-being. It led to a lower quality of life for kids, more mental health issues, less sleep, and a higher risk of obesity.

Babies weren't the only children affected the the pandemic. Research also suggests that teenagers between the ages of 13-18 showed an increase in depression symptoms and a decrease in mental well-being.

Many teenagers missed important school events - such as prom, sporting events, senior graduation, and more, which could have contributed to their mental health.

The parents of these children could have also been affected by the pandemic. Not only were parents dealing with losing their jobs or working from home, many had to home-school or simply deal with the stress of raising children in a changing world.

Studies found that parents under the age of 35 were more likely to develop poor mental health and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Pandemic Babies: Five Years Later

Although these stuides show a slight change in communication and social skills for pandemic babies, as Sara Johnson, Ph.D., M.P.H. states, "The sky is not falling, and that is a really important and reassuring finding."

The COVID-19 pandemic affected children, teenagers, and adults in different ways, but the bottom line is everyone was likely affected in their own way.