There has been a LOT of buzz around NBC's new reality show The Baby Borrowers. The show bills itself as "a social experiment" in which five teenage couples take the "fast-track to adulthood by setting up a home, getting a job and becoming caring parents first to babies, toddlers, pre-teens and their pets, teenagers and senior citizens—all over the course of three weeks."
In this "social experiment," babies and toddlers are separated from their parents for three days and placed in the care of young and inexperienced strangers.
Yes, the parents are monitoring everything from a closed-circuit television nearby. Yes, there is a nanny on hand in case the parents by proxy have any concerns. Still, The Baby Borrowers flies in the face of everything we know about infant and toddler development.
Infants and toddlers need loving, attentive and stimulating care from a trusted caregiver. Early childhood is when kids learn to trust their parents, to feel secure in their world, and to feel confident exploring their environment. This is the foundation upon which self-esteem, self-sufficiency, and future healthy relationships are built. To simply thrust a baby in the hands of a stranger, for the purposes of entertainment no less, threatens to undermine that foundation.
The Star Tribune called the show "One of the most innovative forms of birth control," while the New York Times claims it is "The cleverest conceit of any reality show in a long time."
Our thinking is more in line with Zero to Three, an organization that support the healthy development and well-being of infants, toddlers and their families, who said in a statement, "Legitimate social experiments are not conducted on national television or on reality shows. 'Baby Borrowers' may have a catchy theme, but it exploits young children with potential harmful consequences. This is no social experiment. It is an extremely misguided endeavor that puts at risk our most vulnerable citizens, young children who need our love and protection."
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