The choice of an alternative care for the infant is not an easy task for parents and it involves the analysis of several factors. It is even harder when this choice has to be made in the first months of the baby's life. This article aims to discuss the factors which have influence in choosing an alternative care (i.e., relatives, baby sitter, and day care) for the infant, and the advantages and disadvantages mentioned by parents for the different ways of care. The factors involved in the decision process for the parents are: the financial and social status of the family, the social support received in taking care of the child, and the ethnic group. Research shows that a proper alternative care not only relaxes and reassures parents as well as contributes to the development of the infant and keeps the quality of the parent-child bond.
daycare; daycare center; social support; infant