Host: Can neighbors and family members provide good childcare?

Dr. Diana Zuckerman: Neighbors and family members can provide very good childcare but don't assume that just because they provide good care for their own children that they are going to provide good care for your children. So, that's why it's really important to see how those people are interacting with other people's children. You might find that they are much more patient with their own children than they are with other people's children. They are much more loving and affectionate and attentive perhaps with their own children than with other people's children. Of course, it's possible they are more attentive with other people's children so. It varies but it's okay for it to be somebody that you know and in fact, for the most part, that's a great idea, but don't assume that you know what kind of childcare person they are going to be just because you know what kind of mother they are.