Day Care: Good or Bad?

The more hours your child spends in day care, the more likely the child will act aggressively in social situations according to a 7/17/03 study by Dr. Chang from Harvard Medical School. However, a parent's sensitivity to the child's needs could override any effects of day care. Shy kids were also found to have higher cortisol levels, a type of stress hormone, during group day care. The increase in stress hormone levels was not measured in shy kids at home. A new parent can still take home some important lessons from these studies:

Spend more time focusing on your child when you are home. In this study, the sensitivity of a parent to their child's needs affected a child's social behavior more than the number of hours spent at day care.

Individualize your parenting. Talk to the day-care staff about ways to help your child get used to a new environment slowly, with your help or other familiar people.

Compare day-care centers. Ask for their philosophy about teaching social skills and conflict resolution. Do the children and workers have a sense of community?

Interestingly, the study does not address how these stress hormones affect health. If you can't shield your child from stress then insure that they can properly adapt.

The Bottom Line

What we're learning is that while stress (physical, chemical, emotional) is part of every day life whether young or old. That stress affects the function of the body by way of the nervous system and then the endocrine system and, ultimately, every body system. Stress can break us down and cause illness but only when our resistance to stress is low. Regular chiropractic care keeps your resistance to stress at peak levels.