Nursery World - Health & Nutrition

The pandemic has increased parental stress, and this is often passed onto their children, who have had much less contact with health visitors. Meredith Jones Russell reports

Restrictions brought in during the pandemic have had a knock-on effect for families

The reduction in social contact outside the home as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic added significant stressors for many families as parents were unable to access the services, support and social networks that are crucial in children’s earliest years.

More than half of parents (52 per cent) said they did not cope well in the first year of the pandemic, according to 2021 report Home is Where We Start From by charity Home-Start, with slightly more (57 per cent) voicing concerns about their wellbeing or mental health. The period has taken a significant toll on many families, and the pressures show no sign of abating as the cost-of-living crisis and changes to support services made in response to the pandemic persist.

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