Maternity expert causes anger
A childcare expert who currently appears on a Channel 4 documentary, 'Bringing up Baby' has been asked to stay away from a baby conference in London.
Claire Verity, who charges £1000 a day to clients who include the rich and famous, was due to appear at The Baby Show in Earls Court in two weeks to discuss her child rearing methods. Tommee Tippee, the baby equipment manufacturer had invited her onto their stand to talk, but have since revoked their invitation after a deluge of emails from angry mums.
A spokeswoman for the company said: "We have asked Claire not to come to our stand due to the controversy surrounding her at the moment. Unfortunately her opponents have made things very difficult and we have decided that for her sake as much as anything she should not attend."
In the documentary 'Bringing up baby', Verity mentored couples using the Truby King Method of childrearing which includes controversial ideas such as leaving babies outside on their own for three hours a day and limiting the amount of time you cuddle your baby.
The method which has sparked the most reaction is Verity's insistence that she puts newborn babies to sleep in their own rooms from day one. However, The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSIDS) issued a warning to Channel 4 that it was putting babies lives at risk. This is due to research that makes it very clear that leaving a baby to sleep in a separate room from it's parents puts it at more danger from cot death. Current government and FSIDS guidelines state that parents should sleep with their babies in cots in their room for the first six months.
In a recent interview with The Times, Verity, who has no children of her own, accused members of the National Childbirth Trust of trying to silence her.
"I've been hung, drawn and quartered by the National Childbirth Trust. They accuse me of being a bully: I think they are the bullies. I just loathe them."
Verity believes that her strict routines allow mothers to "regain control of their situation" and claims she can get babies sleeping through the night in three months.
Channel 4 said that it stood by its programme and that Miss Verity had numourous followers. They also pointed out that the programme was about comparing child rearing from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and that the couples in the series have continued to use Verity's methods after filming had stopped.
Thanks to The Times, 04/09/07
Do you agree with Claire Verity's methods? Did you put your baby to sleep in it's own room from day one? If you feel strongly about this subject, post a comment up on our Chat Forum.
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Last Modified: 04/10/2007
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i missed this last night. I wonder if it's repeated? they are all dreadful!
Did you not see the programme last night where the parents following the continuum theory were letting their 2 year olds play with knives and cut up cucumbers!! Ok, they knew how to use them but for once I agreed with Claire Verity that if the child slipped with a knife in his hand it could be terrible. think I prefer my methods of child-rearing rather than any of the methods on the programme!
I do find some of Claire Verity's methods barbaric, altough she also does talk some sense. I find the hippy women pretty mad too - I definately couldnt of coped with my daughter strapped to me 24/7 for the first 6 months - I would of gone absolutely mad!
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