But now that Bringing Up Baby, the divisive Channel 4 programme on parenting, is coming to an end, what method should new parents adopt?

For Sue Jameson, lactation consultant and tutor with Cuidiu, the Irish Childbirth Trust, the answer is clear: none of them. "Those childcare books are only fit for the mother to prop her feet up on and that's what I say to new mothers, " she told the Sunday Tribune. "Why should a new mum believe them when she's never met the author in her life?"

In Bringing Up Baby, six families have undertaken to bring up their babies according to three influential methods . . . 'Truby King' from the 1950s, 'Dr Spock' from the 1960s and the 'Continuum Concept' from the 1970s. The 'Truby King' method . . . rigorous routine, minimal cuddling between mother and baby, and several hours in the garden each day . . . has come under such fire from parents' groups that the programme's mentor, Claire Verity, was last week banned from a baby show in the UK. It is this method that Irish man Colin and his wife Rani have struggled to employ with their newborn twins Sam and Maya.

However, most Irish experts believe that these methods should not be employed on newborn babies. "Really it depends on the parents themselves and the baby's personality, " said Nuala Martin, director of the Choicecare Nanny Agency in Galway. "New parents should go with their instincts and they should never be dictated to."

As well as 'Truby King', Bringing Up Baby has showcased the 'Dr Spock' method, which encourages parents to be flexible, and the 'Continuum Concept', which is based on the childrearing techniques of an Amazonian tribe and encourages mothers to carry their baby around in a sling all day and breastfeed them on demand.

New mothers today are also bombarded with a rake of other technique manuals, such as The Baby Whisperer and How To Enjoy Year One.

"Whole sections in bookshops are devoted to parenting and advice, which is no use to new parents, " said Jameson. "Offering advice is too much like telling a new mother what to do.

At Cuidiu, we never give advice, only information, which empowers the parents to find out what is on offer and choose what suits them best."

The increasing pressure on new parents, including more new mothers returning to work, has led to a rise in the demand for maternity nurses, according to Carol Flynn, director of Nanny Solutions in Dublin. Maternity nurses come and sleep in the baby's room for one to six nights a week to help get them into a routine and to allow new parents an unbroken night's sleep. "In the last four years, we have seen a 50% increase in demand for maternity nurses in Dublin, " she said.

"They arrive around 9 or 10pm and stay until 8am the next morning. They help the mother with bathing and breastfeeding and help get the baby into a routine."

Teresa Boardman, a top maternity nanny with Nanny Solutions, gives intensive courses to parents having trouble getting their older babies to sleep through the night. "There is so much advice out there now that new parents are certainly more confused, " she said. "The best thing to do is to take a little bit of everything and look at your child as an individual. No baby is ever the same, not even siblings, and parents need to discover for themselves what is working and what isn't. It's not always easy, but it's much better than sticking rigidly to a routine that isn't working for anyone."

Sue Jameson agrees. "A baby that is left to cry like some strident methods advise becomes accustomed to not having its needs met. It's then perceived to be a good baby, but what effect does that have on the baby and the mother? It's far better for new parents to find their own way that keeps everyone happy."