Daily rhythms of young children in the 24/7 economy : A comparison of children in day care and day and night care

Abstract

The study explored temporal variation in children’s moods and compared children in regular day care with those in day and night care in Finland. To examine variation in children’s experiences, a mobile diary was used. The participants comprised 32 young children and their parents and day care personnel. Adults evaluated children’s moods three times daily over 1 week. A clear weekday–weekend rhythm was found among children in day care, who displayed more negative moods, due to frequent hurried mornings. Children in day and night care had more irregular mood rhythms. Boys were evaluated as displaying more negative moods than girls.