Mums' work affects kids

THE children of mothers who work full-time before the youngsters are nine-months-old have poorer mental and verbal development at the age of three than those with stay-at-home mothers.

Researchers who measured the cognitive and verbal development of children at various ages found lower scores for three-year-olds whose mothers worked 30 hours per week or more before the child was nine-months-old.

But Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, one of researchers, cautions mothers not to panic about the findings.