Your Pandemic Baby’s Coming Out Party

April 3, 2021

A roundup of new guidance and stories from NYT Parenting.

Golden Cosmos

Editor's note: Jessica Grose is on vacation this week, so Melonyce McAfee, an NYT Parenting editor, is writing today's newsletter.

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When I gave birth to my first child over the summer, the world was firmly in the grip of the Covid crisis. After a Zoom baby shower, a lonesome hospital stay and a newborn photo session basically shot from the Hubble Space Telescope, my husband and I had officially joined an exclusive club: Parents of Pandemic Babies.

Our girl is fast approaching a year without having met nearly anyone from our social circle, beyond a wave hello from the porch. And though we've treasured the time as a threesome, we worry that she's missing out on forming valuable attachments with loved ones and even strangers.

Thankfully, many of our friends and relatives will soon be vaccinated. So now what?

This week in NYT Parenting, contributor Elizabeth Preston writes about how introducing a child born during the pandemic to the world can be scary for new parents and awkward for all involved. But she finds that if the baby has formed a secure attachment — developed through a safe and consistent physical and emotional relationship — with their parents, the child should have no trouble forming outside relationships once the pandemic is over.

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You should still prepare relatives for the possibility of some rejection from your child, however, said Carola Suárez-Orozco, a professor of counseling and school psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. "Although younger infants might happily go from one set of arms to another, stranger anxiety develops by 8 months or so," Elizabeth writes. "This fear of new people usually lasts well into the child's second year."

Did you also have a new baby during the pandemic? We're collecting readers' photos and experiences with introducing babies to family and friends after lockdown for a future story. Submit yours by using the form at the bottom of Elizabeth's story.

Also opening up: travel. Debra Kamin looks at how families are approaching spring and summer trips in situations where parents are vaccinated but their children are not. And Jenny Marder asks whether participation in spring sports is safe for kids.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jeremy Samuel Faust and Dr. Angela L. Rasmussen write in an op-ed that we can't end the pandemic without vaccinating children.

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In non-pandemic news, Anahad O'Connor details a new study out of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which found that the brains of teenagers may be more vulnerable to the effects of marijuana and other drugs than people who are college-aged or older. Ezra Klein asks a provocative question on his podcast: When gene editing technology becomes more available, should we use it to edit children's genes to erase potential health problems?

Finally, generations of readers mourned the loss of Beverly Cleary, the gentle powerhouse of children's literature, who died at age 104 last week.

Thanks for reading!

— Melonyce McAfee, senior staff editor, NYT Parenting

THIS WEEK IN NYT PARENTING

Doris Liou

Your Pandemic Baby's Coming Out Party

Haven't seen your family in a while? Have a grandchild you've never met? Visiting may be awkward at first but you can get through it.

By Elizabeth Preston

Getty Images

Teenage Brains May Be Especially Vulnerable to Marijuana and Other Drugs

Teenagers are more likely to get hooked on marijuana, stimulants and other recreational drugs than college-aged or older adults.

By Anahad O'Connor

Todd Anderson for The New York Times

Family Travel Gets Complicated Without a Covid Vaccine for Kids

Amid the chatter of travel's long-awaited rebound one year into the pandemic, many families with children feel largely left out of the conversation.

By Debra Kamin

Marta Monteiro

We Can't End the Pandemic Without Vaccinating Kids

So far, children have mostly been spared from the worst aspects of Covid-19. Let's keep it that way.

By Jeremy Samuel Faust and Angela L. Rasmussen

Peter DaSilva

Beverly Cleary Wrote About Real Life, and Her Readers Loved Her for It

The creator of Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins constructed a world that children recognized — one that changed with the times.

By Elisabeth Egan

Illustration by The New York Times; photograph by Vanessa Vick for The New York Times

Humanity's Awesome, Terrifying Takeover of Evolution

Walter Isaacson and Ezra Klein discuss the implications of humanity's awesome, terrifying takeover of evolution.

By 'The Ezra Klein Show'

Abbey Lossing

Are Spring Sports Safe for Kids?

Youth sports are ramping up in many parts of the country. But without a vaccine for children, we still need to avoid spreading the coronavirus.

By Jenny Marder

Tiny Victories

Parenting can be a grind. Let's celebrate the tiny victories.

Finally put our 5-year-old and 2.5-year-old boys' love of running inside to good use. Their mission: run items from around the house to their proper homes as fast as possible. The "super speed runners" picked up all their toys in minutes AND got some energy out! — Ashley Barber, Houston

If you want a chance to get your Tiny Victory published, find us on Instagram @NYTparenting and use the hashtag #tinyvictories; email us; or enter your Tiny Victory at the bottom of this page. Include your full name and location. Tiny Victories may be edited for clarity and style. Your name, location and comments may be published, but your contact information will not. By submitting to us, you agree that you have read, understand and accept the Reader Submission Terms in relation to all of the content and other information you send to us.