The COVID-19 pandemic opens new adaptations to habits for parents of children under five years of age (toddlers) around the world, including Indonesia. Parents are required to balance work, homework and socializing with the environment. Social and physical restriction policies for health provide opportunities to spend time together and increase the relationship between parents and children more intensively so as to develop more ideal parenting in the family environment. The question is, are all parents able to make good use of interaction time and use opportunities during the Pandemic?

To find out this matter, a telephone survey was carried out by SurveyMETER in one of the districts in Nganjuk Regency, East Java Province. The telephone survey was conducted on 16 June - 20 July 2020 with the support from the Knowledge Sector Initiative, to all households with children under five in the sub-district. This telephone survey was conducted using baseline data from the Integrated Survey of Stunting Management based on Individual and Household Data which was previously conducted by SurveyMETER in the period November 2018 - March 2019.

The telephone survey successfully interviewed 1302 households with toddlers (ages 6 - 45 months). The total number of respondents was 1294 caregivers, of whom 95% were biological mothers of under-five. Of the total 1321 toddlers who were sampled, 51% were girls and 49% boys. Besides being seen from the demographic, gender and age side of the care for toddlers, it is also examined from the diversity of household economic conditions during the pandemic and the level of anxiety of caregivers. The economic, health and social conditions of parents or caregivers during the pandemic certainly have contributed. How also can the portrait of the interaction between parents (mother and father) with toddlers as well as the educational media available at home during the pandemic can illustrate this? Details of the study results in the form of a Research Brief can be downloaded here.