How COVID’s impact on parents’ mental health trickles down to kids | USA TODAY

Two new studies show kids born during the COVID pandemic might be behind in social and speech development, but parent health is just as important.

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According to a handful of small studies published within the last few months, children born during the pandemic are scoring lower, on average, on tests of gross motor, fine motor, social and problem-solving skills compared with those born before it. For instance, a 6-month-old pandemic baby is less likely than a previous 6-month-old to get into a crawling position or smile at herself in the mirror – both of which are considered milestones for that age group.

Some of the research comes out of Columbia University’s COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes study, which uses data from parents’ responses to questionnaires. The researchers partly attributed the decreases to maternal stress, including that during pregnancy.

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