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...

@Halloweenrainbow
😂😂😂😂

I think it is a problem for young children as they are just learning about interacting with others and facial expressions are a huge part of communication. It is also a big issue for those with autism and social communication issues as they struggle to pick up social cues as it is. My son has ASD and finds it difficult to read faces but with just the eyes visible it is near impossible for him to work out what people really mean.

I do think it must have an issue. At nursery all the staff wear masks and at school quite a few of the primary teachers are using them. I get it but it isn’t ideal for early years teaching really. It doesn’t seem to have affected my 2yo but I don’t think she’s as strong a communicator as my eldest. There could be lots of reasons for that but I’m fairly sure the pandemic must have had some effect.

Oh and yes to lack of health visiting support. My eldest had proper checks at 9m and 2 as well as all the weighing. My youngest has had no face to face development checks abs we’ve just had questionnaires. The service is shocking and it worries me how many things could be missed.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7598570/

My twins are 4 months old - I've noticed they get quite upset in shops if I'm wearing a mask.

They spent 3 weeks in NICU in lockdown 3 so the first few weeks of their lives all they knew were masks as I had to wear them all the time even when cuddling them and so did all the doctors/nurses. But we only go to the shops very briefly and if we are outside and people approach to have a look (must be a twin thing!) I'm ok with them pulling their mask down to speak to them

I think the pandemics' impact on peoples ability to parent will have a greater impact than mask wearing. Higher rates of depression, stressed parents with a lack of time to spend with babies due to other children at home etc.

I think as long as the majority of interaction is done maskless, a few masked ad hoc interactions with members of the public in shops etc shouldn't make too much difference.

@TempsPerdu

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.

The staff have actual work to do rather than chatting to your DD.

In saying that, I was playing peekaboo with a baby in a pram at work yesterday as she was a bit upset. I've found that if I smile, use a happy voice and wave then little kids will happily smile back.

@Halloweenrainbow

What? Why not just socialise outdoors? No masks needed at the park

Because early socialisation involves being exposed to a range of social settings and contexts, not just traipsing round a damp park. My DD is now firmly embedded in her local community, loves her shop and market ‘friends’, interacts happily and politely with them, knows the appropriate behaviour for a range of contexts, knows how a shopping transaction works, understands how money is used etc.

The shop staff also like seeing her and appreciate the fact that we’re cheery and sociable; several of those who are mask exempt have mentioned that they’ve essentially been treated like social pariahs throughout lockdown.

My ds just turned 2 so he turned 1 in the last lockdown so has seen masks for over half his life, they haven't seen to have affected him he chats away to shop staff and smiles back at people, hopefully it won't have long term affects but as a pp said we won't really know yet.
I think if anything they will be much better at reading eyes than we are!

The staff have actual work to do rather than chatting to your DD

Oh do bore off. Some people appreciate human interaction and community. We don’t all want to live anonymous lives shopping via apps and shuffling round silently like automatons. And exchanging pleasantries at the checkout is hardly preventing staff from getting on with their job.

Article by Dr Yvonne Wren, Director of Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit:

theconversation.com/how-lockdown-has-affected-childrens-speech-and-what-parents-can-do-to-help-160886

It's not just masks. Lack of nursery, play group, play dates, activities, seeing grandparents, aunts, cousins, chatting to people when out and about etc. Lack of opportunity and lack of stimulation. Also the impact on parents and families has a knock on effect. This just isn't how communication develops because this just isn't normal. And what about those who have a delay or disability anyway? They need more input.
It was on the news a couple of weeks ago about the impact on speech and language

I know a three year old who completely stopped talking towards the end of last year and now only gestures. The pediatrician has attributed it to the pandemic and has told the parents that their child is not a unique case.

To be honest I'm more worried about my 9 year old.

I'm trying to teach her to trust her instincts, to go with the "feeling" that she gets from people, to keep herself safe and get out of situations that aren't. I think facial expressions are a huge part of that - knowing who to go to for help, as well as who to avoid.

That is really hard to do with everyone in masks. It was raining all week and with hoods up, you could barely see anything of anyone.

No, they wore masks during the Spanish Flu without any detrimental effects on babies/children.
Plus in some countries/cultures face coverings are common and everyone grows up fine.

It must feel great being so certain about things.

[quote Onceuponatime1818]@CoffeeWithCheese

I got very angry with school when they had staff wearing masks

I’m a teacher and will be wearing a mask for my own safety until I’ve had 2 vaccines.[/quote]
Do not @ me and take one line of an extended explanation out of context to distort what I've said to fit your own goals.

The paragraph in question was about school staff wearing masks and telling the kids that it didn't matter as "none of you are deaf" when there are multiple children in the class with language processing needs who also rely upon very clear delivery and non-verbal cues, plus lip reading in order to grasp what was being said.

Not the rabid teacher hating comment you are twisting it to be to suit your own agenda.

@putpupilsfirst

No, they wore masks during the Spanish Flu without any detrimental effects on babies/children. Plus in some countries/cultures face coverings are common and everyone grows up fine.

Evidence base for your Spanish Flu statement please? Oh sorry you don't have one.

My position on masks has always been "We should wear masks as a way of getting out of lockdown faster, because masks enable more activities to be carried on in a relatively normal manner"--not, "Masks have no disadvantages." I think it's less than ideal for everyone to wear masks. They are useful for a while longer, but I don't think we should be encouraging universal mask-wearing to drag on and on for years. They cause issues for people with hearing issues or who are non-native speakers of whatever language is spoken in the country in question.

Yes of course it does.

But the virtue-signallers who want to wear masks for years don’t like to hear anything negative about their beloved muzzles.

Can’t wait to get rid of the things, like anyone normal.

No, they wore masks during the Spanish Flu without any detrimental effects on babies/children.

I can’t actually believe people can post this kind of utter baseless crap.

Yes, I do: a negative one.

I don't think masks have such a big negative impact on their development. Unless their parents wear masks at home all the time.

I do worry about this. I hate wearing masks but I do, still it’s a worry for me.