What’s best for baby?

I AM shocked that Jenni Murray is advocating for up to 50 hours of free child care per week (Mail) for women to develop their careers, earn money and pay into the tax system.

There was no mention at all about the rights of the child and the effect on their development of spending very long hours at a nursery.

I have worked in the early-years sector for all my career, latterly as an adviser. Some nurseries are very good, but others are not. On many

occasions I found toddlers sitting on their own in a big room crying, the staff too busy to comfort them.

As Jenni says, nursery education is valuable for young children, but for their brain and emotional development they need to spend a lot of time with their parents.

A child needs individual care and attention, which is not always available in a busy nursery with children competing for attention from staff. ANN CHRISFIELD, Saltdean, E. Sussex.