The Day Care Dilemma

Over the years, there has been a shift in the role that mothers typically play in a child’s life. Currently, one in four children is cared for by a grandparent or relative. One in six children is cared for by a father. One in five children is cared for by a non-relative such as a babysitter or a family day care (i.e., a day care operated out of an individual’s home). In addition, there has been an increase in the use of day care centers in the United States. For instance, one in four children attends a child care center or preschool. Although no negative effects of day care have been found for toddlers and preschoolers, the research is mixed when it comes to infants, which may be partly why companies in countries such as Canada and Sweden offer year-long maternity leave.

For toddlers and preschoolers, day care can have a number of benefits. If the quality of care is high, day care can promote cognitive and social development in children. Research has shown benefits such as increased curiosity, better concentration, and improved on-task behavior across all income groups who attend day care. Children in day care have also been found to be more socially competent and independent. However, the debate still continues regarding day care for children under one year of age.

Two blog postings ago, I wrote about attachment during infancy. Attachment research has demonstrated that infants are able to discriminate between or among primary caregivers, and they can become attached to more than one caregiver. An attachment to a babysitter or day care provider will not prevent an infant from forming a secure attachment to his or her mother and/or father. However, a caveat does exist as some studies have shown that if an infant is separated from his or her mother for more than 20 hours a week, the attachment process can be disrupted.

Some studies have also shown that infants who begin day care before the age of two may be more aggressive, less responsive to adults, less socialized and less mature than children who did not attend day care and had a secure attachment with a primary caregiver. Usually when parents who have duties outside of their home decide to leave their infants in full-time day care it is after a few months of their child’s birth, when maternity or paternity leave has expired. During the child’s waking hours, he or she will have little contact with his or her parents which interferes with the attachment process. Because attachment is not as firmly established before the age of two, the interference is more traumatic and longer lasting than with an older child who is separated from his or her parents for extended periods of time.

Thus, the question of whether day care is harmful to infants is a difficult one to answer because a number of factors need to be considered such as the quality, type of care, timing, age of child and quantity of care. Many infants who attended day care are well-adjusted and have secure attachments, and “quality of time spent” is a likely contributor. If your infant does attend day care, it is recommended that the amount of time spent with your child is of high quality. Numerous studies have shown that the quantity of time spent with a child is not nearly as important as the quality of time spent.

For tips on finding high quality day care during infancy, please visit:

http://www.suite101.com/content/finding-daycare-for-infants-a50999