Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect
05:04

A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect

Published on: September 22, 2023

Non-parental care in the first 18 months in Singapore and its implications for child development

Kristy Jia Jin Lee1, Wei-Jun Jean Yeung1,2

  • 1Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore.

Child Development
|June 2, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Infant non-parental child care arrangements positively predicted preschool achievement. However, early and extensive non-parental care was linked to increased child problem behaviors, mediated by parenting challenges.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Care Research
  • Early Childhood Education

Background:

  • Child care arrangements significantly influence early child development.
  • Understanding the long-term effects of infant care is crucial for developmental trajectories.
  • Parenting practices are key mediators in child development outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the predictive relationship between infant child care arrangements and preschool outcomes.
  • To examine the impact of non-parental care timing and duration on child achievement and behavior.
  • To explore the mediating role of parenting in the link between child care and problem behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized two-wave, nationally representative data from Singapore.
  • Included 2,580 children and their parents, with children's mean age of 4.90 years at Wave 1.
  • Employed latent change score models to analyze developmental trajectories.

Main Results:

  • A history of non-parental infant care predicted higher preschool achievement.
  • Non-parental care was associated with increased problem behavior, mediated by parenting aggravation and punitive parenting.
  • Late entry into and long hours of non-parental infant care were identified as risk factors for problem behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Early non-parental child care can foster academic achievement but may increase behavioral issues.
  • Parenting aggravation and punitive parenting mediate the negative behavioral effects of certain child care arrangements.
  • Findings offer critical insights for parents, child care providers, and policymakers regarding optimal infant care strategies.

Keywords:
achievementchild developmentinfancynon-parental careproblem behavior

More Related Videos

Non-Nutritive Suck Parameters Measurements Using a Custom Pressure Transducer System06:19

Non-Nutritive Suck Parameters Measurements Using a Custom Pressure Transducer System

Published on: April 19, 2024

Home-Based EEG Hyperscanning for Infant-Caregiver Social Interactions08:08

Home-Based EEG Hyperscanning for Infant-Caregiver Social Interactions

Published on: May 31, 2024

Related Concept Videos

Parental Care00:55

Parental Care

Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
Attachment01:20

Attachment

Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that physical...
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings01:29

Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings

Other adult family members and siblings play a crucial role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. While parents or primary caregivers are often the central figures in early attachment and socialization, other adults in a child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can significantly influence developmental outcomes. These influences depend on each adult’s personality and may help compensate when a primary caregiver is emotionally distant or inconsistent. For...