Quality of mom’s time, not quantity, most important in early infant development
Working mothers in the United States can relax. Their kids might still get into Harvard. A study from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found no differences in children’s social and intellectual development during the first three years of life between those whose mothers spent a lot of time with them in infancy and those whose mothers spent less time because they worked outside the home. The results were published in the March/April 2005 issue of the journal Child Development.
The findings are significant because more than half of American infants have mothers who are employed at least part-time during their child’s first year of life. Many psychologists and parents worry that the time mothers spend away from their babies when at work detracts from mothers’ ability to be sensitive to their babies’ needs and to provide cognitive stimulation to their children.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 25 Mar 2005
