Guardian | Being youngest in class is risk to mental health

Being youngest in class is risk to mental health

If Bump appears tomorrow (s)he will be the youngest in their class at school. If not, they'll be one of the oldest in their class. Thus far, despite our encouragement of Bump to appear now that they have reached full term, we have tried not to get too hung up about the exact date (s)he is born as it is almost certainly beyond our control (as our recent experience has shown).

But now that it seems almost certain that an August birthday is off the cards and September is on, I thought I'd look at what difference it really makes.

The only recent research I have found on the subject is this piece from last year which seems to show that being the youngest in class is potentially disadvantageous.

In contrast, I also found anecdotal evidence that the oldest children in the class can become stressed because they are bored and under-stimulated.

Having said all that, the exact age is far from the only influence on development. All we can do is try to bear it in mind and handle it when the time comes.