Pediatricians felt relieved after seeing most newborn babies exposed to COVID-19 seemed to do just fine; however, their happiness did not last long. Knowing the effects of Zika and other viruses that can cause congenital disabilities prompted doctors to look for problems.

Dumitriu (pediatrician) and her team, in their recent study, compared the results from babies born before and during the pandemic for any neurodevelopmental differences between the two groups. They found a significant effect of the pandemic on infants. Those born during the pandemic scored lower, on average, on tests of gross motor, fine motor, and communication skills compared with those born before it. Their preliminary research also showed that pandemic-related stress during pregnancy could negatively affect fetal brain development in some children. A child′s physical and mental abilities could also be compromised if frazzled parents and caregivers interact differently or less with their young children.

Lockdowns have isolated many young families, restricting the children of their playtime and social interactions. Some researchers have also commented that some babies born during the past two years might be experiencing developmental delays. In contrast, others might have thrived if carers were at home for extended periods and there were more opportunities for siblings to interact. Furthermore early data suggests no negative effects of using masks on children′s emotional development. However, prenatal stress might affect brain connectivity in some ways. 

Sean Deoni, a medical biophysicist, and his colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other techniques to investigate how environmental factors influence infant brain development. On plotting and comparing the yearly averages and variances from the infants′ neurodevelopmental scores, they found that the scores during the pandemic were much worse than those from previous years. The pandemic-born babies scored almost two standard deviations lower than those born before it on a suite of tests that measure development, similar to IQ tests. Also, babies from low-income families experienced the largest drops, boys were more affected than girls, and gross motor skills were the most affected. Deoni suspects that the problems faced by the babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic of experiencing significant cognitive and especially motor deficits are probably due to a lack of human-to-human interactions. 

Other recent research suggests that a lack of peer interaction may be preventing some kids from reaching their full potential. The authors of recent research surveying 189 parents of children between the ages of 8 months and 3 years found that the children′s skills were stronger if they had received group care during the pandemic, and these benefits are more pronounced among children from lower-income backgrounds.

To overcome these situations, researchers have advised Parents to make headway by playing and talking with their young children regularly and allowing them to play with others in safe settings. 

Researchers claim that most children will probably be OK; however, many of them might currently be struggling.

Nature. 2022; 601:180-183. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00027-4