Grundsätze und Gegensätze

The article examines the thought styles of the pediatric disciplines of the former Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany), the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and reunified Germany on extra-familial daycare for children under 3 years of age. Based on Ludwik Fleck’s theoretical considerations, a content-analytical evaluation of 48 pediatric textbooks illustrates that traditional pediatric skepticism persisted for decades in the FRG, while crèche care was increasingly connoted positively in the GDR. Both pediatric disciplines supported the (welfare) state regulations of early childhood to varying degrees with these thought styles. The marginalization of East German pediatrics with the fall of the Berlin Wall led to a latency phase in the 1990s, in which West German pediatrics seemingly prevailed. However, a fundamental re-evaluation of crèche care took place after the turn of the millennium, accompanied by changes in welfare state regulations of early childhood. The skeptical pediatric thought style on extra-familial daycare disappeared abruptly and was replaced by positive attributions. This development marks a break in the pediatric thought style in the reunified Germany compared to the FRG and even the early GDR.