Response to ??Nurturing Social Visual Development in the NICU?

We recently published the letter “Nurturing Social Visual Development in the NICU” in the Journal of Perinatology proposing developmental considerations of universal mask policies implemented in response to COVID-19. We are writing this as a response to that article and discussions with multidisciplinary teams as well as growing experience counseling and supporting families during this dynamic time. In this article we will review visual components of social development in light of “whole child”. Although we reference NICUs in both our previous letter and this one, these principals are important for all infants and young children facing prolonged hospitalizations.