Caregiving is requisite to wholesome child development from the beginning of life. A cross-sectional microgenetic analysis of six caregiving practices across the child's 1st year (0-12 months) in 42,539 families from nationally representative samples in 38 low- and middle-income countries is reported. Rates of caregiving varied tremendously within…

Replies to the commentary by McCartney and Black (PS 523 017) on an article by Bradley and Caldwell (PS 523 016), both reported in this issue. Argues that scientifically useful descriptions of caregiving environments can be attained using a systematic, objective approach to classifying acts and conditions of the environment while recognizing that…

Presents a two-tiered approach to classifying the acts and conditions of caregiving, based on the conception of caregiving as a regulator of human behavior and development. The first tier deals with the structural and functional aspects of caregiving inputs, and the second tier deals with the dynamic aspects of caregiving inputs. (TJQ)