A recent survey has found that half of American parents said the COVID-19 pandemic will permanently affect the way they parent.
The survey of 2,000 American parents with children up to age 3 looked at what that means for respondents and the other changes to come with these last seven months.
Parents surveyed are more likely to stress the importance of hygiene (53 percent), and they’re more likely to highlight the need for doing chores and keeping the house clean (47 percent).
Commissioned by Gerber and conducted by OnePoll, the survey looked not only at how parenting has changed during the pandemic but also at how children are helping provide parents with a much-needed sense of routine, according to SWNS.
Seventy-four percent of respondents said having a young child has given them more of a routine during the pandemic than they otherwise would have had.
And that’s especially important, as some respondents are struggling to even remember what day of the week it is. A quarter of respondents (24 percent) feel their sense of time has been permanently warped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parents are therefore turning to their children to help give them a sense of routine: bedtime (58 percent), their child’s naptime (52 percent), and snack time/mealtime (47 percent) were the most likely to help give parents surveyed a routine and a sense of stability.
Their child’s bath time (40 percent) and a nursing or feeding schedule (25 percent) also helped give parents a sense of routine.
The pandemic has also given parents more time to eat more meals together as a family (48 percent) as well as spend more time with their child (73 percent) and bond more with them (58 percent).
Additionally, some parents have had the opportunity to witness milestones — like first feedings of new foods, first real smiles and first words — that they may have otherwise missed.
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