At my child care center, parents often talked about the theory that their infants and toddlers would often get bugs and minor illnesses, but all of those illnesses should keep their kids healthier in grade school. Now they have new research to back up this idea.

Researchers found that children who were in child care centers before the age of 2 ½ had more colds and other minor infections and fewer respiratory and ear infections later in elementary school than children cared for at home, the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine reported this month.

There are several ways in which being exposed to common viruses during the early years of a child's life may lead to fewer infections later on during elementary school. One possible reason is that young children who are in large child care settings (>6 kids) get an opportunity to be exposed to many different types of infections, which is a normal process of developing young children's immune systems so that they can fight infections later. – “New Information About Group Child Care and Infection Rates,” Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 12/10

Now, this is not an endorsement of child care centers over stay-at-home parents or nannies. But, it might help mom and dad feel better the fourth time they stay home with a sick toddler in a year.

(Thanks to The Juggle for highlighting this research.)

Cell phones, pregnancy and children’s misbehavior: Another study hit the media waves today that may create the next furor in the parenting world: “Study links cell phones to child misbehavior.”

The research has “evidence that when pregnant women use them (cell phones) regularly, their children are more likely to have behavioral problems,” Reuters reports via MSNBC.com.

Now, before parents get too alarmed, the study did not find this cell phone use caused misbehavior in children.

"It is just something that needs to be pursued," the study’s lead author, University of California Los Angeles epidemiologist Dr. Leeka Kheifets, said in an interview with Reuters.

Check out the full story.