Bringing up Baby's mentors used old fashioned methods

The charity will bring together experts to advise producers on how to make sure children are safe when making shows.

It comes after a Channel 4 series included advice to parents to ignore a baby's cries and children on a BBC show were left with inexperienced teenagers.

The NSPCC said it feared the rise in reality parenting TV was "harmful".

The society highlighted the recent Channel 4 series Bringing Up Baby, which used child rearing methods from the 50s, 60s, and 70s advocated by three mentors.

During the programme, which aired last year, one of the mentors advised parents to ignore the cries of their infant and resist cuddling them.

The programme generated 752 complaints from viewers but was later cleared of wrongdoing by media watchdog Ofcom.

We are increasingly worried that babies and young children are being put in unsuitable and potentially harmful experimental situations for entertainment purposes Dame Mary Marsh, NSPCC

At the time, Channel 4 said it took children's welfare "very seriously" and the programme had been made in accordance with Ofcom's broadcasting code.

However, the NSPCC says it wants future programme makers to assure the public that the safety of the child is taken into consideration.

The charity said it intends to write to professional nursing and medical associations to help set up the expert advisory group.

Dame Mary Marsh, director and chief executive of the NSPCC, said: "The group would advise on the latest developments in childcare advice and psychology ensuring that children's rights and developmental needs are the utmost priority at all times.

"We need responsible broadcasting that is not at the expense of children's wellbeing."

She added: "We are increasingly worried that babies and young children are being put in unsuitable and potentially harmful experimental situations for entertainment purposes."

The society also raised concerns over a second series of The Baby Borrowers on BBC Three.

In the first series of the show, babies and young children are shown as being left with inexperienced teenagers, the society said.

However, the programme makers insist it is a unique social experiment to see how prepared teenagers really are for parenting.