Practice Babies

"Once upon a time, infants were quietly removed from orphanages and delivered to the home economics programs at elite U.S. colleges, where young women were eager to learn the science of mothering. These infants became “practice babies,” living in “practice apartments,” where a gaggle of young “practice mothers” took turns caring for them. After a year or two of such rearing, the babies would be returned to orphanages, where they apparently were in great demand; adoptive parents were eager to take home an infant that had been cared for with the latest “scientific” childcare methods."

Although these practice babies were handled by eight students over a semester it surely was no worse than the orphanages where  they would also have had multiple caregivers. Unfortunately no follow up studies were done on the social and emotional effects this type of care might have had on the infants.

Wonderland - Via Boing Boing
Thanks Bruce.