Bringing Up Baby is a four-part British television documentary series which compares three different childcare methods for babies: the Truby King method, the Benjamin Spock approach, and the Continuum concept. Each method was advocated and administered by a nanny for two families each. The series was controversial when it aired on Channel 4 in 2007, particularly due to the actions recommended by Truby King advocate Claire Verity, and questions over Verity's qualifications.
The six families bring their seven babies home from hospital and, with the help of their mentors, can now put the methods to the test. We see the families get started, but almost immediately a question arises that goes to the heart of the childcare debate - should a baby fit in with its parents' lives or the other way round?
The crucial first two-week period. Some of the big issues of childcare are addressed: where a baby should sleep, the needs of a routine with the desire to bond with your baby, and the emotive subject of breast versus bottle. Our mentors have some strong opinions on each issue, but which approach is working best for our families so far?
The babies have reached the two week mark and this episode follows them over the course of the next month. How will the parents deal with the demands of colic? Which method is best for dads? Then there's the thorny issue of breastfeeding in public, which our mentors battle out in customary style. And which family is the first to achieve that holy grail for new parents: a baby who sleeps through the night?
As the experiment draws to a close, this programme charts the highs and lows of the methods. Which regimes are allowing our families to get some balance back - whether it's in their sex lives or their social lives? Did the families feel that they have chosen the right approach? Which, if any, will come out on top?
