Does mum know best about raising her baby?

It was a hard decision to make - and one faced by thousands of new mums every year.

So Julia is furious about a new study that claims young children brought up in creches and nurseries do better than those who stay at home with mum.

Research from one of the biggest studies ever undertaken apparently proved that three-year-olds placed in creches and nurseries had higher intelligence, greater language skills and were better socially adjusted than those brought up by their mothers.

Julia, 37, protested: "No-one will ever love or look after your child as much as a mum, especially someone who's paid to do it, and it's unreasonable to expect them to.

"It's just a shame looking after your kids is not seen as a more valued job.

"It's a total turnaround from the previous generation of mothers when you were expected to stay at home. Now you're expected to go back to work." Her daughter Kate leads an active and busy life. She goes to Tumble Tots several mornings a week, swims twice, enjoys music and ballet classes, invites her friends round and has the benefit of a full-time mum.

So it's hard to see how this arrangement can be faulted. Certainly the American findings have been treated cynically by British experts who have found the opposite.

The problem with the research is that it's hard to generalise. A single mum on benefits with three kids may find it harder to manage than Julia and day care here may be more beneficial.

Either way the research is bound to infuriate those who exert themselves every day, bringing up their kids to the best of their ability.

Julia is only too aware of the stigma attached to bringing up her own child.

"People are so rude to me. 'You must be so bored. How do you occupy your mind?' are just a few of the questions she has experienced. "People look at you as mentally deficient or unable to hold down a career. It's annoying having to justify your decision all the time, as well." She added: "It's very hard work being a full-time mum but I see it as a challenge, rather than a burden. Lots of mothers can't handle it and would rather pay a professional.

"Others are scared of losing their careers completely if they take several years off, or return because of social pressure. Why isn't looking after your own kids a good enough job?"

"Of course it's good that women have a choice and some can't afford not to work.

"I can see that the depressed mum at home will not be great for the child's mental state.

"Getting out and about is the key. It takes a lot of organisation and is very physical, but it should be a positive experience for both you and your child.

"Research like this is seized on by the Government because they are trying to get mothers back to work and off benefits. But your average mother in Oxford is in a different category."

Julia said she may go back to work locally when Kate goes to school, but only part-time. At the moment Kate goes to nursery a few mornings a week but as Julia points out, no working mum could work round that if it's only for a few hours. "You can't even get round Sainsbury's in that time," she said.

But she knows she is in the minority. "Everyone I know with kids has gone back to work in some capacity. I'm the only one left."

Julia agrees that a good nanny or part-time nursery is a good compromise and perhaps offers the best of both worlds.

Kate Launder, 31, is the manager at Turbo Ted's off Botley Road, Oxford. The nursery looks after up to 60 children aged three months to five years old, with the help of 16 staff.

Kate said: "I would never want to offend any mother staying at home with the kids. I think it depends on the mother and the nursery.

"I'm a mum so I know the advantages of one-on-one care but there are disadvantages, too."

She added: "If kids have been at home until they're three we notice the differences. They have more problems integrating, for example. They are not used to sharing or joining in. "The kids here become independent, interact with one another and have daily activities that any mum would be hard-pushed to provide, like painting and water play, sand and gluing, group singing and story-telling as well as playing and recreation time. But they are still in a routine.

"We maintain as much contact as possible with them and give them cuddles, love and attention. We work hard to meet the child's needs."

Kate said that an unhappy mother at home was not as beneficial to a child as a fulfilled mum who dropped them off at nursery and then spent quality time at home with them in the evenings and at weekends. It's not quantity but quality of time that counts.

But, she added: "It really does depend on the circumstances and, of course, everyone has different opinions.

"Perhaps part-time work is the best of both worlds. The child gets one-on-one attention with mum and the activities and socialising we can provide here. But part-time kids take longer to settle in because it's not constant."

Of course not everyone can afford Turbo Ted's. It's roughly £30 per child per day, decreasing as the child gets older.

But, as Kate pointed out, all nurseries and creches are checked for standards.

Part of a mum's lot is to worry, so whether they work or stay at home they will always be concerned about their decisionwhat's best for their child. But what's best for them is obviously a major factor in the child's progress and happiness. * The research was produced by Dr Alison Clarke-Stewart, a psychologist from the University of California, and her team of 13 academic colleagues

* It studied 1,200 children, from one month old until

they were seven. The

results showed that children who attended nursery for more than 30 hours

each week were, by the

age of three, better at language comprehension than their counterparts raised at home. The nursery pupils also had the highest scores in mental development tasks at the age of two and in school readiness and verbal comprehension by the age of three

* The first two years are believed to be when neural connections linked to learning language and cognition are formed

* In Britain more than 1.5m women with children under five are in employment; a third of them work full-time

* The number of children attending nurseries in Britain has more than trebled in the past ten years with more than 6,000 nurseries offering 187,000 places, plus 600,000 playgroup places for pre-school children

* Who Needs Parents by Patricia Morgan weighs up the pros and cons, is priced £9 and available from Blackwells

Story date: Friday 12 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.