Worried About Your Toddler Right Now? Take a Deep Breath

As Ashlyn Atigre prepared to take her healthy son to the pediatrician for his 3-year-old well visit recently, a nagging concern was on her mind.

“I want to talk about the social impact of the pandemic with the doctor,” said the Tampa, Florida, mother. “I’m an introvert but clearly need people. And I’m seeing his shyness increase and wondering if it’s Covid, if I’m just seeing my genes or if it’s because he’s almost three and at a new (stage) in life.”

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While these worries are valid, they’re unlikely to bear longtime consequences on normally developing toddlers, said Amy Learmonth, a professor of psychology at William Paterson University of New Jersey.”Toddlers’ whole goal in life is to keep their caregiver close, which is why they do so many of the unattractive things they do,” Learmonth said. “So in some ways, the necessities of the pandemic have given them exactly what they want.”

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