I give you clear warning, this place is goiing to go NUTS when Channel Four airs Bringing Up Baby on the 25th Sept... Claire Verity!!!

[Aitch]

seriously. i'm watching it now for work and it is terribly upsetting. Claire Verity says 'i'm a bitch, i'm mean to them but it works', no touching, no eye contact, lots of talking about 'baby', presumably because she can't be arsed remembering the name... oh it's AWFUL.

have complained, so still

God! So mad I can't spell.

MINUTES.

that's a non-point, NAO. it's on television for people to watch. people who are thinking of having babies. and judging by the Daily mail piece linked to halfway down the thread, the mother of the twins has declared CV a godsend and says the routines worked. so i think it's worrying, really.

I misse dthe program - does she really suggest leaving a new-born for 12 hours? without feeding?

no comments about personal hygiene or rockets please.

Blimey, I've just watched the programme and I'm quite horrified .

I'm 36 weeks into first pregnancy and I haven't read any books on how to bring up a baby. I was sort of planning to wing it. Seeing scary 1950s strict routine lady has totally freaked me out. Just had a chat with mum (who was into Spock) and she's reassured me a bit.

Is it just me or did anyone else feel really sorry for the lady trying the continuum method who was really struggling with breast feeding? She just looked so fragile and sad and tired

It may be edited and cut but from what CV herself has written it is a fair representation of her methods. And in some ways it is irrelevant as to whether it has been edited to make it appear a certain way - the message to parents is that this is an 'approved' (by a nutter) way of treating a baby.

Even if the whole thing is staged and as soon as the cameras stopped rolling, the Mum rushed upstairs, the programme is still suggesting that CV's method is OK. Which it clearly isn;t.

what's the link to complain to?

NAO, you could've had cameras in my house 24/7 after I had the DSs and you wouldn't have been able to edit something that looked as appalling as what I've witnessed tonight with CV's treatment of the babies and the parents.

I've not just seen this programme, I've read other things in CV's OWN WORDS about her methods and from people who've used her.

Please credit me with slightly more intelligence than a kneejerk hysterical reaction.

Point taken about FSIDS, however, on the flip side the continuum parenting recommends sleeping in the same bed. The NHS guidelines for new mothers suggest that it is best to have them in the same room, but not in your bed. If you were soundly asleep do you think you would hear if the baby wasn't breathing? Its so quiet that its unlikely, so the room I would say for me personally would be irrelevant. Its more cruel regarding leaving it outdoors for hours, crying for hours with no comfort and no cuddles/ eye contact IMHO.

I actually felt my nipples tingle when listening to that poor baby crying.

I haven't breast fed for almost 6 years but my primal instinct made me want to nurture that little one in the absence of it's mother.

pesha, that thinking still exists, rather unbelievably. when dd was getting heel tests done i was told by the midwife that young babies couldn't feel pain. 'why is she crying, then?' i asked.

its not my idea of child rearing

she is hardly Idi Amin

i think folk on here sometimes lack perspective on what is afterall an entertainment program on television

Missbumpy, I agree- she reminded me of me the first few days after ds was born (well OK, first few weeks). I think she'll be alright though, but she could have done with some better advice I think.

tori32, the advice about sleeping in the same room is so that baby will hear you breathe and be "motivated to breathe" so to speak, not vice versa.

Good link here from social baby campaign against Claire Verity - socialbaby.blogspot.com/2007/05/stop-claire-verity.html

can someone give me a link to ofcom?

Newborn babies shouldn't be made to be subjects of "entertainment" programmes though.

Did they volunteer to go through this?

NAO - i think you can credit some of us television viewers with having some discernment re editing and cutting of hours of footage to make a show. This one is cetainly generating alot of attention - so if that was the intention behind the programme - they have succeeded. what seems to be of concern and the reason for complaints is that some of the methods shown could in fact be dnagerous and go against evidence based research.

tori32, i've seen the second programme, the continuum woman takes a bit of a beating about the co-sleeping. in the sense that CV makes out that 'loads' of babies die every year because of it and then can't back that up with any actual data.