If the anesthetic given to the baby is a local anesthetic and no side effects occur, there will be no effect on intelligence. If the baby receives general anesthesia, the effect will be minimal if it is only once or twice and for a relatively short period of time. It is now accepted worldwide that if a child under three years of age receives three or more general anesthetics for a short period of time and the duration of general anesthesia is longer than three hours, there is a certain chance that the child’s mental development will be affected, but this effect does not occur 100% of the time.