By Sky News SkyNews - Monday, January 14 09:18 am
Babies and young children who appear on reality TV shows are being put in harmful situations for the sake of entertainment, a children's charity has warned.
The NSPCC is bringing together a body of experts to advise production companies on how to look after young participants in their programmes.
Of particular concern to the NSPCC was Channel 4's Bringing Up Baby, which the charity claimed promoted "outdated and potentially harmful" methods of baby care.
Families following parenting advice from the 1950s were told to limit the amount the amount of time they cuddled their babies and give feeds according to a strict schedule.
The children's charity also expressed concern over a new series of BBC3's The Baby Borrowers, in which infants are left with inexperienced teenagers.
Dame Mary Marsh, director and chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "The Baby Borrowers...appears to take little account of a baby's need for consistent love, warmth and communication from their parents.
"We are increasingly worried that babies and young children are being put in unsuitable and potentially harmful experimental situations for entertainment purposes."
The NSPCC said it intends to write to professional nursing and medical associations this week to help set up the expert advisory group.
