Anything that gets rid of these monster 4x4 prams is a good idea. Talk about taking the kitchen sink with you for a trip to woolies.

Watch this space as next week we will get "how slings turn your baby into a cider swigging smack head"

It goes without saying eye contact and touching your newborn/infant/toddler can only be a good thing. Also both my children were in a rear facing pram and I talked constantly to them about anything and everything on our walks out and about thus enforcing the all important eye contact. They are now healthy adults. I work in education and deal with children who have not had this most basic natural experience (one of many things they have missed out on) and their mental health has suffered and manifests itself in behavioural problems and other very disturbing traits. Hats off to the Scottish Exec for being bold enough to raise it's head above the parapet once again.

"Attachment parenting" & "bonding" -- who talks like that seriously?
Talk about a nightmare of the soul.

...the government's panel of psychiatrists..." I knew it, their all lunatics.

"Now, she says both her children are bright, happy and well-bonded." That's not what super glue is for missus!!!!

Most attachment parents would wince at the Baby Bjorn carrier pictured above as it is not the type of sling referred to in the article or the type of sling attachment parents would use.

The baby carrier in the picture is the kind bought by most new parents (probably because they are easily available in the shops) and discarded as useless after a few weeks because they are not comfortable to wear, do not promote good posture for the baby, do not promote close body contact and can't be used for very long mostly because the majority of parents don't put them on correctly and dangle their babies around their knees. (In fact, much like the lady in the picture above.)

Traditional slings (wraps, pouches, ring slings, MTs) hold a baby in numerous ways (cradle, tummy, back, hip and kangaroo) from birth up to 35lbs and are very comfortable to wear.

Fore more information on why babywearing is good for parents and babies and how to choose/buy a proper sling visit

http://www.thebabywearer.com/
http://www.bigmamaslings.co.uk/

Digory may like to note that (with the exception of the entirely unsuitable brand illustrated), the certain weight in question is really quite high.

I occasionally carried my eldest up to the age of 4 in a ringsling for surprisingly long distances when he was tired.

And like all parenting practises, it's very easy to pass it on to your children:
http://www.easyweb.co.uk/the-wonder-years

Sounds like #3 is in concert with the propmotors who will be paid well in promoting fears using babies as props to encourage the many fears we are paying fo hook line and sinker.

People need to talk more about what is legitan=mizing tax dollars flowing to domestic terrorists who shamelessly ptromotew their wares.

Everything from global warming to smoking bans and bicycle helments infomercials merged into the news so deceptably we can no longer even see them. to sell us products and taxes as our ransom for giving in to the terrorists.

Reason if it had a say here, would speak clearly;

Support of " Second Hand Smoke" [ETS]"??? What mental midget could even consider the burning of leaves to be a major harm worthy of the fear it inspires? How much does it cost to create such a reality should be the more pressing issue and what logic allows Tax dollars to flow into the pockets of fear mongers?

More appropriately appraised as domestic terrorists.

Hitler himself originally coined the term “Second Hand Smoke”. Today risk theory consensus is most significantly found among those who equate risk to smell. Wouldn't they make a fine investigative team?

If it didn't work out, they could always get jobs as dimwitted politicians.

We truly have nothing to fear but fear it self, bank on it. That is of course if your terror taxes leave any thing for yourself worthy of a trip to the bank.

Chairman Gordon #11

"Makes you wonder how the human race ever survived this long, eh?"

I'm not quite sure what point you are trying to make here but cultures all over the world have been wearing their babies for thousands of years, not treating them like luggage and wheeling them about at ground level.

It's amazes me how much parents in the west have lost touch with natural/attachment parenting methods in the last 50 years. We have five kids and find it much more practical to carry our babies and have our hands free to do other things.

It might also help bonding if the caregiver was to talk to the baby instead of their cell phone !

#15: It could be doing better...