Can day care stunt brain growth?

The cortico-limbic lobe.

I’d never heard of this little piece of a child’s brain until a recent mothering seminar when a speaker described how critical this portion of brain matter is. The lobe is the center for “all things human,” she said. It regulates emotion, self-control and sense of self.

And the scariest part of this tiny little piece of gray matter? It grows according to the maternal stimulation it receives and stops growing when a kid is about 6 years old.

So if your kids doesn’t get enough maternal eye contact, touching, kissing and bonding before that age, too bad — time’s up.

Yikes. That seems pretty harsh.

So I rushed home and did some research on this all-important part of the brain I had never heard about before.

According to a UCLA professor, mothers in constant contact with their babies actually help form the baby’s brain and determine the emotional well-being and sense of self for the rest of the baby’s life.

What’s more, he adds, is that a substitute caregiver cannot do the same. Day-care workers, baby sitters and even grandparents can’t give kids the same brain growth and emotional stability a mother can.

Does that mean kids in day care are out of luck? And what about kids whose parents have died?

That’s a pretty bleak picture, and I’m not sure I buy it. No doubt moms are a critical piece of a child’s development, but I don’t think it’s fair (or accurate) to say a kid in day care has a higher chance of being a sociopath.

What do you think? Does putting your kid in day care jeopardize long-term emotional well-being? Just how critical is that mommy/baby bonding time?