#Pandemicbaby Hashtag Goes Viral on TikTok

June 29, 2021

Pandemic babies, which are children that were born a little before or after March 2020, have been a recent talk on TikTok. The talk surrounds how pandemic babies have been affected development-wise, as they might not have been as introduced to the world outside of their homes the way other babies before the pandemic might have been. From this, many have recorded their children’s first time at stores after being alive but only being introduced into controlled spaces like homes instead of busy stores like Target.

#PandemicBaby

The hashtag #pandemicbaby has grown immensely popular on TikTok with many videos and 217.5 million views. These different videos highlight different responses from babies who have grown up in the Covid-19 era reacting to the world slowly opening up again. Some of the babies act in a neutral way, looking around and slowly recognizing their new environment. Other babies react very happily, where one mother reports “you would have thought we were at Disneyland.

One mother posted that her baby thinks everything is hand sanitizer, showing her child walking to different items like an ice cream toy or baby gate and mimicking using it as a hand sanitizer station and washing their hands. Another TikToker posted that she took her pandemic baby that she babysits to the park for the second time in her life and she would point at other children and call them “dog.”

LMAO! I believe it. My Niece is a pandemic baby and my Good Sis hates the outside and other people. Her Brother doesn't help the situation because he screams at people who get too close to her. And me? I encourage the foolishness.

— You Used the One Twice, Joy! (@HerSoulWrites) June 27, 2021

Though most of the videos are humorous in how children are being impacted by the pandemic and then learning how to cope, many are worried about the development of their children. With many children being limited with who they interact with, some are concerned that their socialization later in life will be affected. Others worry about the impact of health anxiety as well, as some videos show children wiping down tables or asking for hand sanitizer for their birthday. One parent wrote that their pandemic baby was terrified of other people that were not living with them, including grandparents. With the lack of research on how the isolation or masks will affect growing children, many are concerned. However, others have noticed how malleable and adaptable children are and how this might slow their development down a little but all in all will adjust.