Spring Babies Less Intelligent?

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

10 May 2007 05:16 AM

I am reading the current headlines in the baby world with much interest as all of my children were born in the spring. From March to June our family is full of birthdays. Apparently, there is a marked difference in IQ between those born in let's say. . .January vs. those babies born in the spring.

At first, I thought this had to be some kind of half done research project that merely suggested the possibility of less intelligent spring babies. . .but not so. The recently published study, done by Indiana University School of Medicine, studied 1.5 million babies. If you know nothing of statistics--let me assure you that 1.5 million provides plenty of data to draw a valid conclusion.

And the conclusion is clear. Statistically speaking babies conceived in the summer aren't as smart as those that are conceived in the winter months. Now here is where I have to pause.. . .and add a side note. Whenever I write a blog about statistics and share something from a study, I inevitably get a PM or a comment telling me how wrong I am because so and so's child was born in the spring and they are perfectly intelligent (or whatever the discussion may be). We are fiercely protective of our own children aren't we?

Whenever you read a statistical statement--it doesn't mean it is true every time. In fact, I've written quite a bit about my own son who is gifted--and born in the spring. What it does mean is that if you look at a whole bunch of people, there is a statistical trend that can be seen.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's look at some reasons why spring babies may be less intelligent. Doctors believe that the only explanation for this trend is that spring babies are conceived in the summer when pesticide use is at its highest. Mothers exposed to the pesticides during the first few months of their pregnancy when the fragile fetal brain is developing is thought to be the cause of this trend.

It stands to reason that while you're pregnant, you should avoid being near pesticides. However, it seems that the damage is occurring before you may even realize you're pregnant.

I should also note that there are numerous contributing factors to academic success. Genetics is one of them, and in my opinion, a small factor at that. Reading to your baby, spending quality time interacting with him and limiting television are all, in my opinion, substantially more important in the grand scheme of things.

Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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Andrea Hermitt (5512) 10 May 2007 05:31 AM

I read and tried to ingore that article. Just like the ones that say African Americans are less intellingent, I gather a researcher had nothing valuable to do.

Valorie Delp (49340) 10 May 2007 05:58 AM

LOL I did too but it keeps coming up in my google alerts. I think the pesticide reasoning does make sense though. But like I said, there are certainly a whole slew of things to how a child's intelligence develops besides just exposure to environmental factors in utero. I've never read anything that said African American's were less intelligent?! Please tell me that's not a real article????!!!! (LOL I have read that twins are most likely to occur in Nigeria were the moms eat yams!)

Heather Long (16954) 10 May 2007 07:01 AM

Okay, this is like when they changed the standards on the SAT and I suddenly became a whole lot less smart. I want a writ of habeus corpus, darnit!

Julie Gentry (5915) 11 May 2007 01:02 PM

How interesting! We have four in our family with IQs over 168 (the highest the Stanford-Binet measured). They are March, June, August, September. Mine is shy of genius ;-) and I'm an April baby. Statistics aren't determiners, but the patterns are definitely interesting.

Valorie Delp (49340) 11 May 2007 03:49 PM

Exactly Julie! Thanks for the comments ladies!