Impact of Covid on Babies and Young Children

The COVID-19 pandemic had a particular impact on young children because restrictions took up a greater part of their lives compared to adults and older children, their inherent vulnerability, and because it occurred at a highly sensitive time in their holistic development. This Knowledge Bank theme curates evidence on both the immediate and ongoing impact of the pandemic on the youngest children with a focus on those experiencing poverty and explores how we can mitigate against this and prevent this disproportionate impact in future crises situations.

The content is split into sections below in PDF format with a 'full read' section at the bottom of the page, all sections have live links.

Key Messages

Introduction

A summary of the key points of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on babies and young children in particular and the purpose of this theme.

Key Messages (PDF)

This section introduces the topic and some of the recent key developments, including why we need to better hold babies and young children in mind.

Introduction (PDF)

Why Focus on the Impact of Covid on Babies and Young Children?

Measures That Impacted Babies and Young Children

This section details why it is important to focus specifically on babies and young children due to their particular developmental vulnerability to changes in their environment.

Why Focus on the Impact (PDF)

A summary of pandemic measures that most impacted on babies and young children, with specific focus on children experiencing poverty.

Measures that Impacted (PDF)

Positive Developments

Different Groups

Image credit: RDNE stock project / Pexels

Some aspects of the pandemic had a positive impact on babies and young children. These can be built on and are outlined in this section.

Positive Developments (PDF)

Image credit: Bernardo Lorena Ponte / Unsplash

This section outlines which groups of children were impacted differently and how and why existing inequalities were exacerbated.

Different Groups (PDF)

Impact on Babies

Impact on Transition to Early Years Education or School

We focus on how pandemic measures impacted on babies born during the pandemic and impact on perinatal services.

Impact on Babies (PDF)

Image credit: Element5 Digital / Unsplash

This section looks at how pandemic measures and changes impacted on the experience of young children's transition to childcare, early years settings and school.

Impact on Transition (PDF)

Impact on Play and Socialisation

Impact on Mental Health and Wellbeing

Play is central to children's healthy development. Yet play was heavily curtailed and not regarded as essential during the pandemic. We explore why and what we can learn from this.

Impact on Play and Socialisation (PDF)

This section describes how the pandemic contributed to increases in family stress which in turn impacted on young children's mental health and wellbeing.

Impact on Mental Health and Wellbeing (PDF)

Impact on Behaviour

Impact on Parents

Where higher levels of stress are experienced, this impacts on children's behaviour, as well as on how their behaviours are perceived. Family tensions can also increase family conflict.

Impact on Behaviour (PDF)

It is important to explore how parents were impacted to understand what made it harder for them to provide the responsive and nurturing care for their babies and young children that they wanted to provide.

Impact on Parents (PDF)

Impact on Health Services and Early Years Settings

Key Evidence in the UK

Pandemic measures led to changes in how health and early years services were run. Some of these changes continue or face ongoing additional challenges.

Impact on Health Services and Early Years (PDF)

This section curates key evidence from across the UK: both UK wide evidence as well as country specific research that allows a deeper understanding of experiences and challenges.

Key Evidence in the UK (PDF)

Going Forward, Focussing on Children's Rights

Questions to Ask

The CUIDAR/Take Care Framework provides a useful approach to how planning, mitigation, response and recovery to crisis situations can better hold children in mind and include them in every step. This section also considers how to best learn from and address the impact of the pandemic going forward.

Going Forward, Focussing on Children's Rights (PDF)

This section suggests some questions that practitioner, researchers, policy makers and decision makers can ask to better hold babies and young children in mind now and in the future.

Questions to Ask (PDF)