A new mum says her lockdown baby has spouted her first word - and it's so on point with 2020.
Leanne Howlett, 34, gave birth just months before coronavirus swept the globe and spent a lot of lockdown in isolation with her baby daughter Miley.
The tot, who was just five-months-old in March 2020, missed out on all the usual delights of a baby's first year, including play dates, park visits and mixing with friends and family.
As a result when she was learning to talk Miley didn't say mummy, daddy, dog, or any of the other popular first words - but instead said 'mask' - as in face mask.
Speaking to the BBC, Leanne said: "My baby's first word was mask.
"Overnight, home appointments dropped away. She is not at all sociable - she didn't see anyone but us until she was nearly one."
Leanne says that when restrictions eased and Miley finally did get to socialise, every adult was wearing facemasks, which she thinks had an impact on the youngster's first words.
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