Lockdown babies slower to meet some milestones, study finds

Irish research shows infants were slightly less likely to speak, point or wave at 12 months but were more likely to crawl

The study, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, suggested that the pandemic lockdown had a small but measurable effect on babies’ language and communication skill. Pic: Loic Venance/Getty Images

Babies born during the first lockdown met fewer developmental milestones aged one compared with those born before the pandemic – although they may have been faster to crawl, data suggests.

The CSO has recorded 55,959 births during 2020 – when Covid restrictions and mask-wearing put a stop to many social activities, including toddler rhyme-times, antenatal group outings and cuddles with grandparents. Since then, parents and psychologists have pondered the impact of such enforced isolation on babies’ social development.