Are you about to have a January 2021 baby, mama?
The beauty of having a winter baby (and I have one, so I know), is that you have plenty of excuses to snuggle up and just stay close to home for those first, few precious weeks.
But the benefits don't even end there, mamas. As it turns out, being born in January has all sorts of benefits – with science saying having this birth month will give kids a bit of a leg-up from day one, in anything from academics to sports and even beyond.
Curious as to why having a baby born at the start of the year is so great? Here is what science has to say:
1. Winter babies are better adjusted and good-natured
What season we are born in can actually go on to affect our mood for life. According to
a study presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology recently, it was suggested that the month in which we were born can, in fact, have an important effect on our mood.
Apparently, babies born in the middle of winter are more good-natured and tend to be less irritable, compared to summer babies, who tend to grow up to be more prone to mood swings.
2. They do better at sports
Many studies have shown that there are more January-born people involved in higher-level sports than those born at any other time of the year. According to an Australian study, 33%
more January babies than “expected” in the Australian Football League. This is what study co-author Adrian Barnett from Queensland University had to say about his team's findings: “If you were born in January, you have almost 12 months’ growth ahead of your classmates born late in the year.”
3. They end up with higher-paying jobs
Turns out being born in the depth of winter in January doesn't just make you better at sports, it can also have a significant effect on your academic performances too.
Researchers in the US found that
January babies are more likely to be general practitioners—as well as debt collectors—than people born at other times of the year.
