Raising a baby during pandemic

As a new parent, I was very excited and looking forward to doing a lot of fun things with my son. I had so many plans and was actively looking for all kinds of mommy and me classes. I’m sure a lot of fellow mamas must be doing the same. 

Pre-COVID:

Life was good. My son turned five months old in January 2020 right around the time COVID was spreading like fire in China. In the USA things were normal back then. I decided to enroll my son for a couple of mommy and me classes. We signed up for music lessons and swim classes. I wanted my son to see other babies of his age, interact with them, make friends and at the same time create a foundation for possible future hobbies. January and February went by as expected. We went for classes, my son was having a blast meeting new people and interacting with them. Most of March also went by as expected however the COVID cases were on a rise in the USA and there were stay at home orders in effect. 

Meanwhile, my husband and I were eagerly planning a trip to Paris for our fifth anniversary. Anyone who knows me well, knows how badly I want to go to Paris. It is my dream to go to Paris and make a painting of Eiffel tower. Hopefully, one day soon. Amen! My husband and I love to travel and the last time we had travelled was in November 2018, to Aruba – a little over a year. We both were looking forward to this trip. However, around the same time the reports of COVID cases in Europe were rising. Unfortunately, we had to drop the idea of traveling to Paris. We picked out a few more countries but COVID cases were rising and eventually all countries had put in travel restrictions. 

Second half of March- Today (August, 2020-week 4)

Stay at home orders were in effect somewhere towards the end of March 2020. The swim school was closed and the music lessons were now online. I made sure we attended each one of the online music lessons however my son seemed to show no interest in the online classes. I guess he was too young to understand the concept of online classes. After attending a few online classes we dropped out of it because my son was not participating as expected. My husband’s work was considered as an essential business and his new schedule made him work three days a week. I would be lying if I said I was not stressed out each time he stepped out of the house. I would and l still ask him so many times a day “are you wearing a mask?” Or “you carrying a hand sanitizer with you, correct?”. I have family and friends who were at locations which were COVID hotspots in the country and a lot of them overseas. It’s stressful and overwhelming. 

My son, who was very chatty with other babies at the classes, eventually started becoming a shy and socially awkward baby. At home, he is very chatty and happy however if he is now in the socially distant company of other kids or adults he does not interact. Instead he stands there with his mouth wide open and stares at them. This behavior is very concerning. I am sure we are not the only ones dealing with the behavior of our child. 

As a full time work from home parent I faced several hurdles trying to work while I kept my baby entertained. The biggest one was probably the screen time. I’m sure many other parents would find themselves in the same boat. While I worked, my son would sometimes watch the TV while playing. The screen time just kept going up, which was not something I had planned for or was intending to do. However I came up with a plan. Instead of having him watch random cartoons like Peppa Pig, I made him watch poems which taught counting or alphabets etc. which made the TV time into a fun learning session. 

Here a few other things we did to stay mentally and physically healthy during the quarantine:

1. We would get ready and go for a picnic in our backyard. Right before the lock down I shopped a slide, a swing and a rocking horse for my son. He was a little too small to use it back then but we didn’t know how the upcoming weeks or months would look like. My son loves the swing and over the course of time, he has learnt how to get on the slide and the rocking horse.

2. We got a small splash pool. My son loves water and the splash pool kept him entertained. When we fill up the splash pool, we bring out the bubbles too. Chasing bubbles is considered good for a muscle and brain development.

3. We went for a lot of walks around the neighborhood and the beautiful North Carolina  trails.We also went out for a lot of long drives.

4. Reading books became a part of our daily routine. I am glad I started doing that. My son loves it when we read to him. He loves looking through the different colorful pictures. Interactive, touch and feel books are great for babies. His favorite book is Moo, Baa, LaLaLa by Sandra Boynton.

5. Once every two weeks we would spend some time doing arts and crafts. I love to paint. It is a stress buster for me and makes me happy. I am trying to get my son to develop interest in arts and crafts. We have made several paintings together and each time it has been a great bonding experience. 

6. We also used the quarantine period for sleep training. Read more about our sleep training journey .

As of August 2020- Week 4, North Carolina remains in Safer At Home Phase 2 of lifting COVID-19 restrictions until at least Friday, Sept. 11. We are mostly staying indoors and taking precautions when we step out. The swim lessons have been back since July. We’ve been going for the lessons after checking with our doctor and making sure that the swim school was taking necessary precautions. I was able to find horse ridding lessons for babies. I have been taking my son out for those lessons and he seemed to love his first interaction with horses.

Past few months have been heart breaking seeing local businesses close, number of people around the world suffering and kids being stuck at home. It is hard and we are all in this together. I look forward for a vaccination to be out there sometime soon so we can travel again like we used to once upon a time. Looking forward to having life go back to normal soon.

Stay safe, wash your hands and stay 6 feet apart.