Abstract
This study investigates conditions surrounding infants' crying at day nurseries, and aims to examine the quality of daycare. In the day nurseries, 570 babies were observed. For each subject, the state of each period of crying, as well as its cause and the adult's techniques used to calm the child, were recorded during one day by his/her nursery teacher. The results show: 1. As a whole, the frequency of crying was highest in the morning and then declined; 2. The causes of crying were interpreted by the adults as mostly physical, though social causes increased with age in months; 3. Crying interpreted as having a physical origin was nevertheless dealt with by applying social techniques like holding; 4. The duration and the strength of a baby's crying were related significantly to the length of professional experience of his/her practitioner.
