This study examined parenting styles reported by middle-class families of 105 preschoolers between 3 and 5 years of age who had experienced varying amounts of full-time infant child care. Children had experienced one of the following conditions: (1) full-time nonparental care beginning before 9 months of age; (2) full-time nonparental care beginning after 9 months of age; and (3) no full-time nonparental care prior to 36 months of age. The preschoolers were observed in socioemotional interactions with peers and teachers, and mothers and teachers provided extensive ratings of the children's emotional social interactions. Maternal child rearing and discipline techniques were assessed for five parenting dimensions: parental nurturance, consistency, amount of parental control, type of control, and responsiveness to child input. Results revealed similarities in parenting practices and attitudes of all three groups. However, mothers of the early full-time infant care group were more likely to use reasoning and reminding their children about rules than were mothers whose children did not begin full-time care until 36 months of age. (MM)