Bringing Up Baby - U gonna watch ? (Healthwarning)

[Guard]

Lots of chat about this last week - at the risk of being controversial I'd like to ask the question should we watch. On the one hand horrible (how could anyone let their newborn have cameras all over their house...) on the other hand interesting to see all these diverse ideas.
And just in case - here is the healthwarning as this is a genuine question for me ? Do we watch reality TV like this (and hence encourage it) or do we vote with our feet ?

Oh for heavan's sake.

Claire Verity was interviewed on Victoria Derbyshire's Radio 5 live phone in this morning. The producer of "Bringing up Baby" was on there too. It was made quite clear that CV is part of a television programme, for the purposes of which she is following the Truby-King method of child care. The other two child care mentors featured in the programme are also following a specific child care method.

The programme makers consulted an eminent paediatrician before airing the programme who advised them that he did not consider that the programme gave rise to concerns about issues of child cruelty/neglect etc.

In case you hadn't noticed the children's parents are also featured in the programme.

To those of you who are complaining to the NSPCC about this prgramme, or considering making a complaint to the NSPCC, I'd suggest that your time would be better employed fund raising for the NSPCC to help children who really are the victims of abuse and neglect.

That really is something worth getting yourselves exercised over - this is most certainly not.

so, kkk,
when 2 sets of parents (irrespective of whether or not they are taking advice from a loon) leave 3 newborns o/s for, being conservative, 30 mins , possibly everyday from day one, out of earshot and vision, that is not something taht the NSPCC to be concerned about?

KKK, that same programme also revealed that FSID had consulted the same paediatrician and he had also agreed with THEM, re their advice which CV directly contradicts. So I don't think this "eminent paediatrician" that Daisy Goodwin is waving around like a Get out of jail free card is all she hoped he'd be.

Do people in RL actually pay a cow like Claire Verity to 'advise' them on how to treat their newborns like a pet rock?

WTF?

My dad saw this over the net, and he couldn't believe it. He thought it was made up - but then, he was one of those co-sleeping babies who was bf'd till the age of 2 and carried in a sling on his mother's back whilst she worked.

kkk, the eminent paediatrician is just pain wrong, based on research evidence and frankly common basic humanity.
a baby needs to be held and touched and loved, or its development will be harmed.

as to the rest of your post, I am not entirely sure what your point is?
that it is OK to leave babies screaming in distress, because it is on television?
that it is OK because the babies' parents consented?
that parents don't abuse or neglect their children?
that it is OK if parents abuse or neglect their children?

If you google said 'eminent paediatrician' you'll know why they used him - he is more of an eminent fence sitter, he used to get trotted out to make mild comments about research etc and he appears never to have disagreed with anyone in his life
Lisa X

kkk. good to know that it's All Okay cos it's happening on tv.

actually I think it is quite sweet that someone is actually reassured by the rather frantic PR campaign c4 currently have underway
I thought everyone in the country was hardened and cynical and wouldn't believe a word that came out of an expert's mouth, a doctor in particular
good to know there are still some trusting people in the world

Any new mothers or mothers to be could be following this series looking for guidance on how best to raise their new babies. I think it is somehthing to be concerned about if some of those new mothers think TK's way is the best way or even an accpetable way. It is down right abandonment of the baby. No cuddling, no contact when feeding, leaving out in the cold, leaving in room alone screaming!!!!In my eyes this method goes against all a mothers natural instinct. The mothers in the programme are even struggling with it seeming extremely uncomfortable and upset.

KKK - I do understand what you are trying to say but CV has made it quite clear in the programme that she advocates many of TK's philosophy in her own work as a maternity nurse. For example when she was baby sitting for the parent's of the twins. There was something norma bates psychoish about the pleasure she took in leaving the babies to cry

why thankyou.

I'm confused kkk......so abuse doesn't happen because a children's parents are there? Oh - and it must be ok because it was a way that was advocated in the 1950s? Interesting debating points......... You can not get away from the fact that it is recommended NOW - in the 2000s - that babies are kept in the same room as their parents to prevent cot death. A TV programme advocating - for whatever reason- that babies be placed by themselves in a room for up to three hours at a time as an entertainment/experiment (thus ignoring this advice)is at worst abusive and at best negligent.

What I meant was that in the making of the programme the parents would have the absolute and ultimate right to step in and say enough is enough, if they felt it was reaching such a point or they were asked to do something which felt fundamentally and morally wrong.

Surely editoral control of the programme makers would not take precedence over their rights as parents of the children featured in the programme whom they had the utmost concern for.

Frankly, I can't understand the mentality of anyone who would want such an invasion of their privacy at such a delicate time and important time for them and their child. The whole thing is bonkers if you ask me.

The other point I was trying to make is that it's in the best interests of the programme makers, and ultimately Channel 4 to turn Claire Verity into an absolute "Hand that Rocks the Cradle" pantomime figure. I've no doubt she may advocate some of the Truby-King methods but she said she is no way as draconian in her real life work as the programme portrays and demands) her to be.

I actually seriously doubt CV's integrity if she is prepared to compromise her professional reputation by appearing in this programme but, equally, I'm at a loss as to what motivated these parents to take part in this programme too.

For example, the parents who went off and left their twins while they had a night out could see the way things were going (the mother had already been in tears by that stage). So shouldn't they be equally open to question?

I haven't watched BUB so can't comment on that. But I would say that with regard to the parents, a lot of new parents allow themselves to be talked into doing things they don't feel is right but do anyway because someone they perceive as being more experienced is telling them that it's the right way to do things and is best for their baby/child. It is only later and with more experience themselves that they feel outraged at the 'advice' they were given and wish they had stuck to what they felt was right in the first place.

hm...thing is, if you don't watch it you don't know what it is about, therefore shouldn't build an opinion about it....so difficult really...which is possibly why they do reality TV....because it will even draw people in that are against it, I suppose

sheepgirl...indeed...the look of pleasure at the screaming twins really made my blood run cold....she honestly believes that Baby's are manipulative beings out of spite or something...rather then that they are tiny creatures that are completely instictive in their behaviour...

Juuule, but tha parents, or especially one mom, really was having a hard time with it all, as obviously CV's ethod went agaisnt everything she knew, and I am pretty sure it was that bork (or is it borg) of a husband that made her go through with it....
as parents they would have, indeed, had the right to pull out at any time.

oh no i find the whole idea utterly repulsive. and beyond why you'd put your newborn child through such an artificial experience in their first moments of life, why on earth would you do it to yourself??

i could barely sit, think or speak after my daughter was born. i think the idea of the ordeal being broadcast on tv would have tipped me over the edge.

Thought you might find this link interesting. www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=482838&in_page_id=1879

So clearly all the parents who featured in this experiment feel their parenting approaches were right for them...even TK's method. Mother of twins I feel from the article clearly wanted the babies to fall in line with her old life asap.

link didn't work, but I found the article anyway....will link to it again, maybe it works now!
link

argh at Rani and her husband....is all I can say poor Kids

I actually felt sorry for Rani last week on TV but from the article she comes across as cold hearted and emotionless as CV herself.

(Why Why Why do couples have children and just want their lives to carry on the same as before? I've never understood it )

My dh and I find the programs fascinating but we don't think there is enough given to putting the methods into context.

In the 1950's wives mostly stayed at home, had family close by to relieve and watch children. They didn?t have the mod cons that we have today top make life easier -washing machines, tumble dryers etc. They had to make each meal from scratch and walk more to buy food in the first place. The war had only just ended and, I think?, there was still rationing. With all that I can see why the method was appealing, the object was to bring up healthy, surviving children who could be independent so as to let the mother run the house. Now I personally don?t agree with the 3 hrs in the garden by themselves and calling the 'it' but I can see how routine would have worked for the '50's household.

Each generation reacts to the previous so the next method to be 'new' and 'exciting' had to be different so them the 60's method was born. I don?t understand the lady who advocates it opinion on b/f as I thought this would be right up her street -is this just her opinion or is it stated in the book that you shouldn?t reveal yourself in public b/f? Fgs in the free loving 60's?? My mother had the shortest skirts you'd ever seen!

The continuum method again, great but let?s put it into context. The baby is carried around for the 1st 6 months of life. Okay, I can tell you my back wouldn?t have had that! But then in the tribe the carrying would have been shared to give the mother/father a break which we certainly can't do in our society. We drive -how does that fit in with the constant contact? The impression I got from the tribal method was that is was just that, your child was bought up by the tribe. In this day and age when we don?t even know our neighbour let alone live near our family ?how is this method supposed to work?

I feel these methods are all interesting but I do know that my husband and I followed our own instinct and whilst I know we didn?t get it all right, we cared, cuddled, loved our ds1 which when we listened to our instincts we didn?t need a method...

Muppetgirl hear hear!!! When you are able to be objective it allows people to be rational. We follow our instincts too. However I do have to say I am horrified by that woman and found last weeks programme very distressing. The people who are practising the 1950s methods will never get that time back.I also find it really bizarre that people are prepared to do this "show" with their precious newborns for entertainment. Surely its against the newborns human rights