Our contact with Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health

Harvey Marcovitc (see below) is the paediatric expert on Bringing Up Baby, who, Channel 4 state, has seen all four programmes and sees nothing wrong (see below).

If you wish to contact the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health you can here

I am writing to express my deep concern about the content of Channel 4's Bringing Up Baby and the involvement of Harvey Marcovitch. He appears to be the only expert advising the programme, about whom, the publicity states (amongst other details)... From its foundation until 2006, he was a Council member and external relations adviser of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health. He was editor of Archives of Disease in Childhood for 10 years and is now syndication editor for BMJ Publishing Group.

Part of the programme gives credance to the methods of Truby King, which has proven deeply distressing and shocking to all of us who promote a greater understanding of infant mental health and well being. The programme flies in the face of current thinking and is raising comment from (as well as ourselves), AIMH, Amicus/CPHVA, NCT, FSID and a growing number of individuals and organisations concerned with protecting infants and their carers.

What is most concerning is that Channel 4 states, and I quote Hamish Mykura; "We sought advice from a very highly qualified paediatrician, who saw the programmes and the routines being followed, and who is familiar with all the research on association between longer term health and well being and childcare methods. His advice was that there was nothing in the programmes that would cause any ill effects to the babies, either short or longer term".

This is clearly not the case, as I am sure you are aware. Advising parents (against their better judgement) to leave newborn infants to cry and stating that there is absolutely no reason to pick up a baby - leave it alone, don't touch it, in 2007 is neglectful and should be condemned, not condoned by your representative, Harvey Marcovitc.

We are preparing a position statement and would appreciate your official response that we can include.

Clive Dorman, The Children's Project
020 8546 8750
E clive@childrensproject.co.uk