The following document “Babies in Lockdown; listening to parents to build back better” published in August 2020 is available to download. It was created by Best Beginnings, Home-Start and Parent & Infant Foundation. 

Executive Summary

Background to the survey

Best Beginnings, Home-Start UK and the Parent-Infant Foundation, all leading

organisations advocating for parents and babies, commissioned Critical Research to work with them to gain insights into the impact COVID-19 is having on babies and their parents of all backgrounds from across the UK.

The online survey was live between 29th April and 3rd June 2020.

They were supported by young parents and influencers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in the development, testing and promotion of the survey in their endeavour to capture and represent the experiences of parents of all ages and backgrounds.

Introduction

Lockdown has been disruptive and challenging

for everyone. Our survey reveals the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and subsequent measures

on those pregnant, giving birth or at home with a baby or toddler. For generations, no other group of parents has had to navigate pregnancy, birth and beyond under such extraordinary circumstances.

The evidence is unequivocal that the first 1,001 days of a child’s life, from pregnancy to age two, lay the foundations for a happy and healthy life. The support and wellbeing of babies during this time is strongly linked to better outcomes later in life, including educational achievement, progress at work and physical and mental health.1

We know that 2,000 babies are born in the UK every day, which means that over 200,000 babies were born when lockdown was at its most restrictive, between 23rd March and 4th July. Our survey suggests that the impact of COVID-19 on these babies could be severe and may be long-lasting.

You can read the full article and download your copy by clicking on the button below.