Do you think everyone wearing masks in public has an impact on interaction with babies/ young children?

[dellarossa]

Just interested in people’s thoughts and experiences with this...

A bit. Not that much. The only time I would ever really interact with children other than my own is with friends at their house or out somewhere or with ones I don't know in a playground. Neither of those scenarios would mean anyone was in a mask anyway.

People who work in shops are mostly in clear visors not masks so if they want to chat to DC it isn't really different.

I was never in the habit of chatting to strangers much in Tesco so it doesn't really make much difference I don't think.

I do worry about it. My son was born Jan 2020, I spent most of Feb trying to establish routines and didn’t really go out much and then March happened and we were in lockdown!

It doesn’t seem to phase him when he sees masks, but he did try and rip the poor lady’s visor off when we got him fitted for his first pair of proper shoes.
My health visitor at his 1 year appointment pretty much said that they don’t know what the full impact of lockdown/masks will be on children his age.

My son started reception this year, so when I went to pick him up from school I had to wear a mask. That meant he couldn't see my smiling face or hear me excitedly greeting him properly. I think that's really important for reconnecting and reassurance for him at a scary time. Obviously we had hugs and kisses through the mask, but it's all a bit muted. I hope it doesn't end up being a sad memory for him.

I am sure it does. I cannot see people's expressions with masks on...it us hard to see if they are happy, sad, angry etc. So yes it must impact on babies and young children...it is not normal!

I was surprised the other day when queuing in a shop and a little girl, maybe 18 months old was in her pushchair in front of me in the queue, staring at me. Forgetting I was wearing a mask, instinctively I smiled at her, and blow me, although she couldn’t see my smile but she gave me a huge smile back. I was quite astounded at how well such a young child had read my face well enough to know I was smiling without actually seeing my smile. I was reassured that maybe these little ones are more adaptable than I’d realised.

We spend a lot of time on the bus, lots of time talking to my babies and singing etc but it's all through a mask. Ido think it has an impact on their speech because they can't see my Mouth. Obv they do at home but bus time is our sit down strapped in and focused time because at home they run wild!!

Thankfully they've really loved playgroup starting up and lockdown doesn't seem to have impeded their sociability. They were born Dec 2019

I work as a barmaid/waitress and I was clearing some tables the other day and there was a baby in a high chair watching what I was doing as I went around the room and later on two very cute toddlers sat at a table.
Both times I smiled at them and got a little pang of sadness that they couldn't see my face properly.

I wonder how it works in strict Muslim countries, where half the population are permanently shrouded in public - not just a mask but a full body covering with a narrow slit for the eyes? Children there would only see faces indoors at home.

Last summer I was out with friend plus her toddler. All adults in masks. Baby in front of us in the queue was very happy and wavy with my friends toddler... And it was obvious it was because of the faces.

Also last summer... My 9yo really struggled with her shoe fitting because of masks. It's only now shell talk to someone in a mask (and talk while wearing one) and that's because her desire to go to the corner shop for a few items has helped her overcome her aversion. She has got sensory issues and noise issues, not just being stubborn.

DS had a speech delay which years later turned out to be part of ASD. I flagged concerns at 2 and he got SALT at 3.5. The advice for developing speech is lots of face contact and building up language structures and masks do inhibit that. They obliterate 2/3s of expression and muffle up the sounds and as an adult it's very draining trying to communicate with someone wearing one.

We used to go out a lot and talk through
things like the supermarket as well as toddler groups, and it does matter because being in different places stimulates a different range of vocabulary. Since my DCs started school, I can tell which words they commonly hear at school in the local accent and which words are mostly used at home because they copy my accent.

Face masks change the whole way people interact together and that does matter to a young child observing the world and people's behaviour.

Most children will adjust with little long term damage, but it is an extra complication for children with unidentified difficulties, particularly in a disadvanraged cohort and already over-strained health system for managing these issues in a timely fashion.

Well I bumped into an acquaintance, was stood chatting. I was double masked, and stood 3 m. plus away, yet still managed to interact with his small child in a pushchair. smiles with my eyes, wiggling eyebrows, peekaboo with my hands. Same as without a mask.
The lack of social contact for children is a huge shame, but I don't think masks are the issue.

It's only really the school run where I have to wear a mask which is ridiculous as we are outside. My shopping is delivered so I generally don't have to worry about supermarkets but if I do pop in, it's very strange not being able to talk properly to my toddler when he's in the trolley. The cashiers like to talk to him but he really can't garner any kind of proper communication.

I have 9 month old daughter and she’s fine with me wearing a mask. It’s very rare that I have to wear one around her - I get supermarket deliveries and tend to do other shopping without her. I do wear it for the one class we attend together but doesn’t seem to bother her.

Obviously I’d prefer not to be wearing it around her but doesn’t seem to have much impact.

My DD was 2 at the start of this & has now just gone 4. Initially, she was wary of masks. She found them scary but within a couple weeks, adjusted & now constantly reminds me to wear one 😂 It’s not effected her at all, kids are remarkably resilient & adjust to change far better than many adults!

However, I do think masks are impacting my younger child. She frowns at me the minute I put it on and clearly spends longer searching my face for cues. We’ve been out & about lots this week now we can be indoors again & she clearly struggles to read everyone’s face. Shes 14 months. Once we’ve got outside & people take them off, she’s a really sociable little kid and beams away at everyone. Indoors, it’s all frowns. Kinda sad really but I don’t feel it’s doing any long term harm really.

The bigger harm comes from the severe lack of socialisation many lockdown babies have had. As much as I hated the end of my maternity leave, I was also extremely glad my DD was able to go mix with other kids & adults at nursery! It’s made a big difference to her in just 3 months..

I have always respected teachers parental recognition skills for pick ups (30 kids, 2+ possible adults who may pick up...). With masks as well they can do it. But when it's masks and hoods in pouring rain... I am amazed!

My 9mth dd glares at everyone at the school drop off like they're aliens. She doesn't smile at people with masks on. We started a new group recently and the circumstances were that we didn't need masks. It was the first time she had seen lots of people's faces all at once and she smiled and smiled and smiled. It was almost like the realisation that other people do have faces. I'm not sure whether there has been or will be any impact upon her but it has been clearly obvious that she struggles to read people with masks on.

Yes they absolutely are.

I work with under 5s and the babies born in lockdown are delayed with their language development. It is impacting on the slight older group because they had learnt to read faces (the first stage of communication).

I saw a baby in a cafe the other day and she was fascinated by the unmasked faces of people when they sat down! Just stared from person to person as they smiled and waved at her. I imagine it’s having a detrimental effect on the littlest ones who have only ever seen their parents’ faces.

I can’t see any way that mask-wearing won’t affect some children’s social and language development tbh. Anecdotally friends who work in Early Years and SALT (I’m an ex-primary school teacher) are saying that there has already been an uptick in young children presenting with speech and language delay, but it’s a difficult one as the Covid restrictions have been so extensive and multi-faceted that it will be difficult to separate out the impact of mask-wearing vs social distancing for example. So, to what extent are masks causing poor socialisation in kids, and to what extent is it simply lack of exposure to a range of people and places?

For each specific element of development/socialisation in babies and toddlers there is often a fairly brief window, and if these skills are missed they can’t always be easily caught up on without external intervention. Many aspects of child development are cumulative, with each new skill building on pre-existing ones, and if the basic ‘building blocks’ aren’t in place there can be issues further along the line.

Most children will probably adapt to their circumstances and turn out broadly fine, but some clearly won’t. In many cases it may be that those who are predisposed to have issues anyway will have more severe problems than they would otherwise have done; some children who were borderline in terms of normal development may also tip over into having issues. Many of these, I imagine, will only be picked up once these cohorts start formal schooling. I certainly don’t envy the Reception/KS1 teachers of the next few years.

My own DD is 3 and seems fine, but I have minimised mask-wearing as far as possible within the guidelines, continued to take her into public spaces (shops, on public transport) throughout lockdown, encouraged verbal interaction with as many people are possible and made the most of every opportunity on offer during periods of lesser restrictions.

Also imo it isn’t just the fact that babies can’t read masked expressions that is the only factor. I’ve attended lots of toddler classes with DD both pre- and post-pandemic, and have noticed a huge difference between how parents/caregivers interact with children in masks and without - there’s much less interaction generally when adults are wearing masks, lots of people seem to retreat into their phones rather than attempting to chat etc. It is literally a barrier to communication, and also to community cohesion.

I’d also add that it isn’t just the youngest children who are being impacted by prolonged mask-wearing. I have several close friends whose teens have gone from outgoing, chatty, high achieving students to being withdrawn, totally silent in lessons, grades slipping etc. Masks have been cited as the probable reason in each case by both parents and school.

My children seem fine, but we won’t know if there is more widespread impact for a while I expect. Developmental stuff works on a longer term basis and there may well be a proportion of children for whom it’s been detrimental. We can’t say one way or the other yet, especially given that masks haven’t gone away yet. I have to say that handing over my 1yo to a masked nursery worker at the door is a pretty sad experience, but I expect I’m just being feeble.

“ Most children will probably adapt to their circumstances and turn out broadly fine, but some clearly won’t. In many cases it may be that those who are predisposed to have issues anyway will have more severe problems than they would otherwise have done; some children who were borderline in terms of normal development may also tip over into having issues. Many of these, I imagine, will only be picked up once these cohorts start formal schooling. I certainly don’t envy the Reception/KS1 teachers of the next few years. ”

This is my feeling

I think they are potentially quite damaging to young children, particularly combined with the detrimental affects of social distancing and lockdown. One of the few things which has been evidenced to make a significant difference to children's development is being exposed to a wide range of language and masks cut that down (and cut down the quality of exposure). There's also evidence that if a child is exposed to a wide range of facial expressions on different people early on they are more able to interpret facial expressions on a wide range of people later.

I've tried to take my 14m DS to as many situations as possible where masks aren't required and am very glad that the staff don't wear them at all at his nursery. I would be really concerned if someone spending a lot of time with him wore a mask. Apart from the lack of facial expressions, I think part of the issue is the fact that masks plus social distancing etc. stop people communicating with each other so you're bringing up your child in this world where people don't really speak to each other and, if they do, they often can't hear each other anyway. I would want to model speaking to checkout staff etc. with my DS but generally find that there's no point trying to have a conversation with masks and screen etc. because no one can hear each other. I've had the same experience at baby groups where people don't really talk to each other and don't really talk to their children while in masks.

It's very sad reading about toddlers required to wear them at nursery in the US and I really think masks on small children crosses the line into abuse - in a small study they found that the toddlers started off trying to take them off to speak and then when they were put back on just went silent.

@BogRollBOGOF
I agree about the affect on chatting to your baby / child while out and about and the reduction in range of vocabulary they are exposed to. I would usually chat to my DS in the supermarket with nonsense about what we are buying etc. but with a mask on he doesn't concentrate on me and can't really hear me. Obviously I talk to him a lot in other situations where I don't have a mask on but it's going to be more difficult for him to pick up vocabulary without a real world context.

Apart from the lack of facial expressions, I think part of the issue is the fact that masks plus social distancing etc. stop people communicating with each other so you're bringing up your child in this world where people don't really speak to each other and, if they do, they often can't hear each other anyway.

Yes that’s just what I was trying to get at in my post. Masks affect how everyone communicates and relates to each other (and in many cases, whether we bother to try and communicate at all), and this is what is being modelled to our children.

Wherever possible I always make a point of seeking out the mask exempt staff in shops etc for DD to chat to.

My 2.5 up dd makes her own masks out of wet wipes or her blankie. She says 'look mum, mask'. It's quite sad really.

Unfortunately I think we're all a bit too used to them now. I'm pg now so won't be getting rid of them next month if it's allowed.

Most children will adjust with little long term damage, but it is an extra complication for children with unidentified difficulties, particularly in a disadvanraged cohort and already over-strained health system for managing these issues in a timely fashion.

I think this will be the issue.

I had one with boarderline problems - just passing failing hearing tests and few speech issues - forming some sounds I suspect it would be these children most adversely affected tipping them over into more persisting problems which then means more pressure on a service already bare bones and over streached in many areas.