Claire Verity
Encyclopedia
Claire Verity is a British baby care
professional who specialises in the Truby King
method. Her clients have included Jerry Hall
and Sting. She featured as a mentor
in the 2007 Channel 4
documentary series, Bringing Up Baby (which compared the 1950s Truby King method with the 1960s Benjamin Spock
and the 1970s Continuum concept
).
Her methods, such as advocating Truby King's tenets of minimal cuddling at bedtime and no eye contact
with the baby while preparing the baby for bed, have generated controversy in the media and Blogosphere
. Advice that has attracted controversy includes:
Some critics have called into dispute her professional qualifications and her self-described title of "maternity nurse".. In terms of complaints about her 2007 television programme with regards to her qualifications, an official OFCOM investigation concluded that "there is no evidence to suggest that a maternity nurse must have a qualification or belong to any professional body. While some maternity nurses may have a medical background, others do not but are experienced nannies or carers. Therefore, in our view, the description can refer to someone who is 'experienced' in post-birth care both for the baby and the mother"
Childcare
Child care means caring for and supervising child/children usually from 0–13 years of age. In the United States child care is increasingly referred to as early childhood education due to the understanding of the impact of early experiences of the developing child...
professional who specialises in the Truby King
Truby King
thumb|Sir Frederic Truby KingSir Frederic Truby King CMG , generally known as Truby King, was a New Zealand health reformer and Director of Child Welfare. He is best known as the founder of the Plunket Society....
method. Her clients have included Jerry Hall
Jerry Hall
Jerry Faye Hall is an American model and actress, also known for her long-term relationship with Mick Jagger, with whom she had four children.-Early life:...
and Sting. She featured as a mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
in the 2007 Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary series, Bringing Up Baby (which compared the 1950s Truby King method with the 1960s Benjamin Spock
Benjamin Spock
Benjamin McLane Spock was an American pediatrician whose book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946, is one of the biggest best-sellers of all time. Its message to mothers is that "you know more than you think you do."Spock was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis to try to understand...
and the 1970s Continuum concept
Continuum concept
The continuum concept is an idea relating to human development proposed by Jean Liedloff in her 1975 book The Continuum Concept. According to Liedloff, in order to achieve optimal physical, mental and emotional development, human beings—especially babies—require the kind of experience to which...
).
Her methods, such as advocating Truby King's tenets of minimal cuddling at bedtime and no eye contact
Eye contact
Eye contact is a meeting of the eyes between two individuals.In human beings, eye contact is a form of nonverbal communication and is thought to have a large influence on social behavior. Coined in the early to mid-1960s, the term has come in the West to often define the act as a meaningful and...
with the baby while preparing the baby for bed, have generated controversy in the media and Blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
. Advice that has attracted controversy includes:
- Four-hourly feeding of newborns. This is felt by some parents and child care professionals to cause distress for infants and problems for mothers in establishing breastfeeding. Other parents and child care professionals confirm that establishing scheduled feedings have been beneficial to both parents and the babies.
- Early weaning. WHO and UNICEF currently recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, citing studies that conclude that weight gain is not diminished by waiting until 6 months to introduce solid food. Claire Verity suggests that the researchers may not have accounted for the weight of babies,. In the British Medical Journal (BMJ), critics of the current WHO guidelines confirm that the 6-month recommendation is probably best in most parts of the world but suggest that in areas where water quality is good and birth control is widely available, solids can be safely introduced anytime after 17 weeks .
- Leaving babies to cry and limiting contact. Some critics feel that this method creates psychological problems in childhood and later in life, in particular with confidence, with adjustment, and in coping with stress.
- Placing babies in their own room from birth. Infants that sleep in the same room as their parent in their own separate bed have been found to have a decreased risk of SIDS. However, studies have also shown that cosleeping can increase the risk of SIDS, especially if either parent smokes.
Some critics have called into dispute her professional qualifications and her self-described title of "maternity nurse".. In terms of complaints about her 2007 television programme with regards to her qualifications, an official OFCOM investigation concluded that "there is no evidence to suggest that a maternity nurse must have a qualification or belong to any professional body. While some maternity nurses may have a medical background, others do not but are experienced nannies or carers. Therefore, in our view, the description can refer to someone who is 'experienced' in post-birth care both for the baby and the mother"