The baby show - was anyone there? Because.......

[Manictigger]

...I went to a mother and baby group yesterday and got chatting to the health visitor (she's the group breastfeeding expert) and she was saying how one of her colleagues went to the baby show at the weekend and listened to a talk by some woman who claimed to be able to get your baby to sleep through within 2 weeks. Colleague was absolutely horrified because said 'expert' (she can't remember her name) talked only about bottlefeeding and when someone actually asked what you do if you're bf she dismissed it with oh just give them a very large feed last thing at night or feed them some porridge. Anyway, colleague wanted to stand up and argue with her but felt too scared too because she would have had to use a microphone in front of a whole crowd of people etc. Both HVs are actually quite angry about it.

Anyway, was anyone there and did they see it, are people allowed to promote bottlefeeding indirectly in this way and who was the 'expert'? Apparently she's supposed to be getting her own C4 show soon. If it's SHMN... just someone say yes and we can all quietly retreat...

So while Sting was out crooning "The Russians love their Children too" this womaan was "taming" his. actually it sounds like what I would imagine a bad Eastern European orphanage regime to be like.

a name like Claire Verity. very, lap dance club.

20th October - I'm in. VVV, Tiktok, Misdee, Snaf, Jodie - see you there.

I'd like to leave a gap here, while you imagine the libellous things I'd like to say about this woman.

Ooh, that feels better.

Hello Hunker. I want to come too!

Oh, do!

Actually, I'm taking a positive out of this.

There's not been one post in support of her methods. Not even from the less lentilly ones among us

will be happy to make the trip to London for this.

YAY! The more the merrier.

Im sure there is a space for "fucknosed fartdonkey" in your libellous gap there hunker....

I will be there in spirit.

Can anything be done about this woman? I mean this quite seriously. Her advice is dangerous.

If people follow her advice about keeping the baby in a separate room from day 1, the rate of cot deaths is likely to increase.

It's not a matter of opinion.

Can she be challenged online somehow? Is she accountable to any professional body?

That's just the problem, welliemum - she's not accountable to anyone. She has no training, no qualifications, I can't imagine for a second she belongs to any professional body (the Royal College of Celebrity Dog-Trainers, perhaps? Even Barbara Woodhouse was never this harsh.)

She can dole out this appalling, dangerous crap with no comeback and the irony is she'll be able to influence many more people by dint of her 'celebrity' status than the odd badly-informed health professional ever would.

That is seriously scary.

but what the hell is THE BABY SHOW doing giving this woman a stage?
if i was a naive, nervous first time mum / mum to be i would think it was recommended/endorsed advice...

You can make a complaint or comment about Claire Verity's Channel 4 show, Bringing Up Baby here .

At the very least they should be caveating the show with a warning that her methods are dangerous.

sorry am rofl at "celebrity baby guru"

Am completely shocked by this woman's parenting 'advice'. Am also baffled as to why Ch4 would give her a TV series. I like CH4!

Anyway, I'm off to email them, suggesting they should at the very least put up government/WHO guidelines at the end of the show to counteract her dangerous advice.

'People are often shocked by Claire's techniques'

Yep, people who know a damn thing about bringing up babies are, that's for sure. Why would you use 'shock tactics' on a baby - why would you even joke about it? What is going on with someone who describes themself as 'Cruella de Vil' for babies? And what the fuck is going on in the heads of parents who employ Cruella to 'look after' their offspring?

Right, I'm going to have to leave this now. It's far too early in the morning to be getting this wound up.

Have

ed

so much I need to go and lie down.

All I can say is - fuck me.

Thanks nonickname i've lodged my complaint with CH4. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night (when up with my ds ). can't bare the thought of all those new born babies being denied night feeds and cuddles
do you think it's worth starting a new thread calling all Mners to complain to CH4 via your link if they are as horrified by her 'advice' as most of us seem to be?

I don't think I am very lentilly either. But there are lots of things I disagree with re that article.

How can you get a child to sleep through in 24 hours? Surely logic says it has to take at least 48 hours or presumably it was either a) a random fluke, or b) the child was already sleeping through.

The starting weaning at 17 weeks because all children are different also defies logic (not withstanding govt guidelines).

Also disagree with child sleeping in own room, not cuddling child, four hourly (mine virtually never went 4 hours as newborns) routines (again illogical re getting more milk into babies) etc.

I haven't read the whole thread, only the first and last few post, but I have read the article. How very, very sad that this women is recommending that you only cuddle your baby at feed time and bath time and that you put a baby on a strict feeding regime. Its completely barking and I feel for any vulnerable new Mum who actually listens to her advice. And as for learning her skills through watching animals - what animal puts her newborn offspring on its own in a different part of its habitat from day one. This has really made me mad this morning. And I shouldn't be here. I should be doing some work but really, this has really, really annoyed me this morning. And I feel so for all those babies that are getting deprived food and cuddles.

Sorry, rant over. Off to Channel 4, what are they thinking of? Then I really must get on with some work.

"I am saddened to see that channel 4 are giving air time to a childless child care 'guru', whose advice flouts WHO & government guidelines re weaning..she advocates weaning at 17 weeks, when 26 weeks is the recommended age..she also advocates no night feeds , four hourly feeds , and limited cuddles...as a mum of two and a doula, this goes against everything that i know as a mum myself and through my training....babies are not designed to sleep through at days old, they are not 'happy on their own', they need love, cuddles, feeding when they are hungry, not on a schedule, and mums need to be given the confidence to parent according to instinct and be baby led, rather than 'guru' and timetable led..."

NoNickname..thanks for the link, that is the complaint i just sent

I just posted the following (in between a soft stuff apace adventure with ds!)

I understand this programme is currently being made, featuring the child care 'expert' Claire Verity. Having read a summary of her methods and an interview in a national newspaper, I am extremely concerned that Ms Verity's 'advice' is to be presented on Channel 4.

I am 30, Ch4 is one of my favourite TV stations, and I regularly watch documentaries. My teenage pupils also enjoy Ch4, I therefore feel that the audience for Bringing up baby is likely to be fairly young. The age of the audience is particularly relevant because of the controversial and dangerous advice given by Ms Verity.

In particular; her dismissal of breastfeeding, advice to put babies in their own rooms from day one, to limit night-time feeds and wean onto solids at 17 weeks are all contrary to current government guidelines and medical advice.

I urge the programme makers to challenge Ms Verity on these and other aspects of her advice. At the very least, I feel the programme should include a presentation of the current guidelines and the reasons behind them.

Get complaining!

if all of us complain, at the very least they have to listen at might even pull / amend the programme

You know, some of my mosdt precious momenrs with dd and ds were in the middle of the night. I remember singing to dd as a tiny premmie newborn as I fed her in the night- I used to sing 'dancing Cheek to Cheek' from one of the old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films to her - 'heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak...' and it was so bonding for me to sing about how much I loved my baby! (I'm a bit emotional, me! )

And with ds I remember one night after he had started to sleep through, there was one night when he was whimpering and crying in bed, so I went in to see what was up, expecting him to be hungry / unwell etc but he just put his arms up for a cuddle and fell asleep in my arms, and I thought to myself "Bless him, he's just a baby and he just needs a cuddle"

So IMO those moments are so special and I wouldn't want not to have had them, even tho yes of course I was tired esp. when ds was feeding every 90 mins through the night (he was v. small). Even now if I hear 'Dancing Cheek to Cheek' I have this wonderful memory of dancing round the flat at 2 a.m. with dd as a tiny baby in may arms!

I think we should also write to Bounty - wtf are they doing sponsoring this woman to talk at shows?

Just started a thread with the links to sun article and Ch4 complaints email