I read your article with great interest and agreed with your comments 100%! I also watched the programme and hope that those parents who opted for Claire Verity's ideas, saw the sense, when the cameras were not rolloing, to go and attend their infants. How can someone who has never had children stipulate these theories? These days there are so many books written that demonstrate how important it is both emotionally and psychologically it for young children from birth, to have a secure and LOVING environment. One only needs to follow Prof. Winston's 'Millenium Child' to understand the importance of emotional well being. Claire Verity's ideas do not, in my opinion establish this. What must be going through the mind of any syblings in the family nevermind the parents? I can neither agree with the producer that all was well. Post war parents have in the past said themselves that emotional ties were very different. Babies need to be loved and nutured.

Ian Vincent, Plymouth, Devon

With regard to the Bringing Up Baby programme, I found the Truby King method barbaric.

I cannot understand how anyone could carry a baby for nine months, and feel all of the implicit expectations of joy, wonder etc. and then be able to abandon the child for four hours at a time in an alien environment. - i.e. the garden. That any baby should be left outside, alone, with no contact from the parents for (what is in both the parent's and baby's eyes) such a long period is cruel and pointless. Surely the whole point of parenthood is to love and care for our children from birth onwards - abandoment and selfishness are not even on the radar. The very act of having children (for most) signifies that we are mature enough to accept the biggest responsibilities of our lives, and to that end we must do all that we can to fulfill the role that we have created. We all like a glass of wine in the evening - but to straightjacket a child into a cot after 4 hours in the cold is not on.

Chris Jones, Felixstowe, UK

I was astonished at the Gina Ford Guru especially when she admitted being a total bitch. This woman has NO children at all and yet she thinks its ok to advise others based on a book written in the 50's. To me it seemed very cruel to leave a baby crying. When the time is right move baby into its own room I myself did this when my son's reached 9 months it felt RIGHT at that time. I also carried them around in a sling whilst I carried out housework. I never ever left them to cry as seen in the programme I felt so sorry for that new Mum and her baby. Great programme though! I wil be watching next week

Michele, Reading, Berkshire

Further to the feature about different methods for bringing up babies(Times thurs 20th). I think both proponents quoted regarding fussy eaters were wrong. If you have a toddler who is a fussy eater it is because you have created this problem.
If the rest of the family eat a balanced and healthy diet and this is what is presented to the infant from the start they will come to share this. Present the child with what everyone else eats. NO CHOICES. If the child doesn't eat the meal or only some of it DO NOT press the food upon it and above all do not allow meal times to become a contest of wills. Remove the food and throw it away, give it to the cat/dog etc. Continue in this way throughout childhood and the child will learn from those around him/her who are eating well and enjoying their food. Don't worry, if Jonny does't eat sprouts/broccoli whatever, he isn't going to die from it. Has anyone heard of a toddler starving themselves to death? Children are programmed to survive!

susan davis, stroud, UK

I am a 23 year old mother of a 17month-old and i have now seen the pilot of the bringing up baby show on channel 4. I found the programme interesting and agreed with parts of each method but not to the extremes to which they were carried out. Fresh air is good for everyone but its not safe to leave a child outside for hours unsupervised, what if someone were to casually walk off with the child and the parent wouldn't notice as they had shut the door on them.
'Controlled crying' of such a small baby also seems completely wrong, nobody would tell an adult that they could only eat 4hourly or they that had to sleep between certain hours even if they were wet or hungery.
The way that i have brought up my son tends to lean more towards the Dr Spock method because that is what suited us. He is a very happy and contented baby who is ahead in his development and i feel that this is because he has his needs met, not had to adapt to suit mine.

R Picknett, Salisbury, UK

I have been a neonatal nurse for the last 37 years,a maternity nurse for six months and I am mother of four. I believe it is important to listen to the baby. Babies respond to love and affection. Babies are born to be loved.To encourge bonding Kangaroo care is encouraged in hospital and following babies discharge home. Bonding is the most important thing for happy contented baby, parents and siblings. Leaving a baby to cry is cruel. All babies are individuals with their own needs. A gentle routine is all that is needed. Babies should be fed when they want to feed. Cudddled to ensure they feel loved. Babies will always find their own clock. Most babies sleep through the night by three months.

Taking babies out for a daily walk is healthy for both parents and baby.

If a book is to be followed it is advisable the baby reads the book. This ensures he knows what is expected of him.

Frances baker, Stowmarket, Suffolk

Is it just me or does anyone else think that the babies subjected to Claire Verity's method look distinctly miserable on all the photos?

Jane Carroll, Hertford,

Sorry - but the practice of feeding your newborn baby when he or she is hungry, sleeping with them and spending a lot of time holding them isn't a 'fashion' - it's the way the vast majority of babies around the world have been parented since the dawn of time by parents from the African bundu to urban New York, when those parents are acting on instinct and common sense to optimise their baby's chance of thriving at the breast. Clock watching and leaving babies to sleep for hours and hours in a room on their own is a recipe for breastfeeding failure. I can only hope that the parents who've signed up to this experiment are making a fully informed choice - that someone has sat them down and explained to them that the majority of breastfeeding experts and child psychologists feel these methods are damaging to breastfeeding and to children's emotional welfare in both the long and short term.

Wendy Hinds, London,