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But to keep our little ones safe, we’ve had to tuck them away, keep them away from cooing visitors and other children, and do everything we can to protect them as we get through this pandemic. It also means they don’t get the attention and experiences that other babies got.
While I don’t blame you for worrying about social isolation, I’ll be honest with you: there’s not much to worry about developmentally. Five-month-olds are very curious, alert, and interactive. At this stage, they need very little to grow socially.
In the first year of life, people only need a few attachments: the Adults who love and care for them fully. Because caring for a baby is so physical, it requires that you and other loving adults stand by and call the baby to feed, hold, change, talk and laugh with him—and him in to look the eyes. The exchange of physical contact and the subsequently released “love” hormones lead to a deep bond between parents and child. This bond orients your baby towards the rest of the world, not the other way around. Your baby doesn’t need to be socialized; they simply need you (and whoever supports you) to laugh, giggle, sing, read and talk with them. Your baby’s brain would be okay with other children and activities, but only if their bond with you is warm and loving.
“This is a critical developmental time for your baby, but these parental interactions seem to be the most critical in an infant’s development,” says Gregory Germain, associate chief of pediatrics at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. “And when you have a partner, grandparent, trusted caregiver who is on board with whatever precautions you feel are warranted, your baby will benefit from those unmasked interactions, too.”
When it comes to baby well-being, who needs social interaction the most? yes it is you Raising (particularly mothering) young babies before the pandemic was an isolating experience in the United States, now what? I’m even more worried about the mental health of new parents. “Social stimulation through activities like library events, meetings, play dates are important for parents during these more isolated months,” says Krupa Playforth, a pediatrician and mother of three.
Making friends with other parents who are in the same phase as you can save sanity and is crucial in early parenthood. Spring is here so please trust the data that babies are less likely to have severe cases of Covid-19, talk to your pediatrician and get outside. Nature becomes their own beautiful socialization because 5 month old babies are at a sensory age. Watching birds bathing, listening to children playing in the park, eating a banana with you, touching grass and smelling flowers is how a baby is socialized. Tell as you walk because your baby loves your voice and learns as you speak, strengthening your connection. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have a pandemic, but your child is tuned into your face, and that’s the most important thing.
“The bottom line is we’re facing unprecedented challenges and the pressure to do everything ‘right’ is enormous,” says Playforth. “Parents get overwhelmed with ‘what ifs’ when it comes to things like development. Realize that… children, especially babies, are actually a lot more resilient than we think. Young children in very different environments around the world and with very different challenges develop social skills. We are evolutionarily designed for this. As parents, we can certainly improve on this by providing opportunities to practice these skills, but even without these opportunities, many infants will continue to develop the skills themselves.”
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