How has lockdown affected your baby?

[b67589]

I'm a FTM so I don't have anything to compare it to but I can't stop thinking about how crazy our situation has been. I know having a new baby is hard but I can't be wrong in feeling that having a baby during lockdown is 100x more difficult! My baby is almost 7m and was 3m when we went into lockdown, aside from the major things like lack of support and being unable to see friends/family, I’m starting to notice some of the more subtle impact that it’s had one us like she has major stranger anxiety and refuses to be held by anyone but me. We were also out today shopping for the first time in forever and I found it really stressful remembering to bring everything and coping with feeding/changing on the go because I’ve never really had to deal with it. She’s also completely unable to fall asleep when we’re out as she’s just used to sleeping in the cot.

How do you think it’s affected you/your baby?

My baby is a little bit younger than yours and aside from the feeding/changing in public (forgot the changing bag the first time we went ‘out’ when restrictions were lifted) I haven’t actually noticed anything. He was 7 weeks at the start of lockdown so slept a lot and didn’t really notice things. Now he notices everything, I took him to the supermarket earlier in the week and it blew his mind, his head was swivelling round in the sling.

Not sure about stranger anxiety but I am seeing my parents soon and they will be cuddling him. Hopefully he enjoys it.

Me, I’m not sure how I will feel about eventually leaving him with my parents or another family member. I left him with babysitters a couple of times before lockdown, and obviously his dad has looked after him whilst I’ve been for a run or to the supermarket, but leaving him with my parents is a bit different.

My baby is a little younger that yours, but I don't think he's been too affect yet. However I've not actually had anyone babysit for him at all yet. So I don't know how he would react like if both my husband and I were away.
I do think it has had an impact on my toddler. I think it has made him more clingy towards me especially (my husband is out of the house weekdays). He seems to be quite upset when I nip out to Tesco or if I'm in another room from him. I'm not sure how he'll be when he returns to nursery as he didn't used to be clingy in the slightest!

I have a nearly one year old. He was 7 months going into lockdown. Lockdown meant his routine became rigid as he always napped at the same time in his cot and meals at the same time. So now he doesn’t want to nap ‘on the go’ and I have small windows that we can actually go out between naps and bedtime ! Also very shy seeing family again even though we used FaceTime, just not the same. Which is difficult as I’m going back to work very soon !

It does make me sad that he hasn’t been able to play with other children at the age he probably needs it. But not much else we could do except work with it now.

OP stranger anxiety is really common around that age anyway. My son had it from about 6-10 months and this was in 2018/19 and he was mixing with loads of people.

Babies benefit most from close interactions with their primary caregivers so I think most of them will have benefited from lots of time with parents. My DS turned 2 during lockdown and has absolutely thrived. His language has come on leaps and bounds and he is so happy. He was always shy and is now much more confident. His relationship with his dad (who has been primary carer while I’ve wfh) has developed so much. I’m pregnant and I’m so happy he’s had this intensive time with both of us at home before the upheaval of a new sibling.

@BellaNutella88 just to reassure you, children don’t get anything out of playing with other children until they’re about 2-3.

www.babycentre.co.uk/a6576/developmental-milestones-socialisation-in-babies

No I think your baby will be young enough that all will be fine. As others have said that's all normal at that age.

I think older children will have suffered and missed social interaction and friends.

Baby would likely go through separation stage without lockdown.

Don't worry about the baby bag, I still get it wrong. Went out with Dd 20 months and everything was to small as I forgot to check! Oops. Grown a nappy and clothes size.

@HarrietM87 thank you, had a read and that does make me feel better ! On the positive side having 4 months at home to play and do not much else has really helped him progress. He’s gone from hardly moving to crawling, cruising and getting closer to walking. So I’ll look to the positives !

My DS was born a week before lockdown.
He’s actually a very happy (and reasonably easy from all accounts) baby but my god this has been a miserable and horrid experience.

I couldn’t walk properly for a couple of weeks, my mum (we are incredibly close) was mortified not being able to help. (First grandchild on both sides)

I was horribly depressed, stopped eating, struggled breast feeding and got mastitis. It wasn’t PND though (I got help and the psychologist told me this) it was quite clearly a reaction to having just gone through the trauma of first time mum coinciding with lockdown.

Which makes me angrier if anything as I wouldn’t have been like this had lockdown not happened. Even more annoyed as DH and I waited and planned DS carefully. Wish we’d not bloody bothered now and just had him when we fancied it.

I have no mum friends, no groups to go to and basically no support (DH is a hospital Dr and DM is still shielding DF who has cancer).
HV and MW all dropped off the face of the earth when lockdown started. I’ve had to chase every single bit of contact and DS has been weighed once since he came home.

(I’ve held him on the bathroom scales a few times but it’s not accurate really)

Becoming a first time mum at the start of lockdown has been the most traumatic experience of my life...and I was raped as a teen!

My DS was 6 months when lock down began. He forgot who everyone in our family was except me DP and DD of course. Even though we would do regular face time calls. I have had to go back to work now so we have had to reintroduce him to everyone again because family do some of the childcare.

When he first saw family members again he would scream and scream and try to get away from them. He ok with them now.

Mine is 7 months and I’ve only noticed the positives of having older siblings home to entertain her (she loves to watch them play or just happy to sit at table w us all as a family while we eat). She gets to see daddy several times a day for a hello and cuddle between work calls. Nice days we took her out for walks when we went out during the lockdown. I was sad she wouldn’t be able to go on a swing, but then they opened parks so she has been on the swing. She is missing out on the baby music classes. But don’t think that will have any big impact on her.

@Pumpertrumper

My DS was born a week before lockdown. He’s actually a very happy (and reasonably easy from all accounts) baby but my god this has been a miserable and horrid experience.

I couldn’t walk properly for a couple of weeks, my mum (we are incredibly close) was mortified not being able to help. (First grandchild on both sides)

I was horribly depressed, stopped eating, struggled breast feeding and got mastitis. It wasn’t PND though (I got help and the psychologist told me this) it was quite clearly a reaction to having just gone through the trauma of first time mum coinciding with lockdown.

Which makes me angrier if anything as I wouldn’t have been like this had lockdown not happened. Even more annoyed as DH and I waited and planned DS carefully. Wish we’d not bloody bothered now and just had him when we fancied it.

I have no mum friends, no groups to go to and basically no support (DH is a hospital Dr and DM is still shielding DF who has cancer).
HV and MW all dropped off the face of the earth when lockdown started. I’ve had to chase every single bit of contact and DS has been weighed once since he came home.

(I’ve held him on the bathroom scales a few times but it’s not accurate really)

Becoming a first time mum at the start of lockdown has been the most traumatic experience of my life...and I was raped as a teen!

THIS. I am so so so glad to read this as this has been my experience of having a baby during lockdown, poor bubs doesn’t have any baby friends, which I’m feeling v guilty about, and I go back to work in October. My birth (just at the start of lockdown) was bloody horrid and aftercare non existent. It makes me really really angry when I think about it!

Like @BellaNutella88 I've noticed how much DD has come on in her physical skills during lockdown. 4 months at the start and screamed blue murder at tummy time, absolutely no effort to lift herself up and had HV decide to come and do a follow up check due to her being behind in this. Now 8 months and crawling, climbing and pulling up confidently. Maybe it would have happened anyway but I can't help but think 4 months of being in the house has helped.

@Geneva12 I'm going through this right now and wondered how long it took for your lo to settle with relatives?
My dd is 9.5 months now but after lockdown and not seeing anyone other than on screen for months, she now cries and looks scared when her grandparents are in the room, guaranteed to cry if anyone else holds her, etc.
I'm not sure if it's lockdown related, separation anxiety or a combination and I'm unsure how to handle it 🤷‍♀️
Trying to ensure we spend more time in others company now, but it feels cruel to just let her keep crying 😢
Need to find a solution soon as she's due to start childcare 😕