i myself watched the tv programme "my fake baby" and im happy to say that i enjoyed it im really pleased that there are people out there that are willing to make these babies (dolls) ( if i could do it i would) for people that are unable to have a baby of there own for what ever reason i have had 13 miscarriages and had promises off family members and friends that they would have a baby for me but pulled out so i can speak from my own pesonal views on the matter and i hope there will be many more made at the end of the day there are going to be people out thera that disagree with this but they would'nt if they themselves could'nt have a family of there own if i could afford one of them babies then i would surley buy one but i have only pictures if one day i was able to have a baby of my own by what ever means then i still wouldnt change my mind on these truly amazing dolls thankyou for reading this

yasmin, blackpool, england

after having a baby that was born at term but did not open his eyes or breathe- i find it disgusting and crazily shocking that people want that!!!! They want babies that dont cry, breathe or live- they do remind me of what a baby looks like in death - i found this documenatry quite disturbing.

hayley , glasgow,

i think that with the dolls it is most definately not right to treat them like a real baby and parade them around/etc. i like them, though, because i am a sucker for baby pictures/etc and just love babies in general. i mean, i like dolls, as long as they arent really creepy or anything, which a lot tend to be. but if it really affects your life enough that you spend 300 bucks on clothes for it? then oyu need to go see a doctor

tiffany, albuquerque, NM

They are dolls, they should be treated like that!!!!!! not paraded in a pram, held / treated lika a baby. let me say that im going to apeal to the govement to get these "fake babies " banned

sydell brigden , hull,

Adam from London said:

"This surgery is another example of our society taking the easy way out. How about you get off your bum, exercise a bit and control what you eat instead of expecting the rest of society to fix your problems for you?"

How, exactly, is the so-called 'rest of society' fixing someone when they have gastric bypass? If I'm not mistaken, it's the surgeon who does the physical fixing combined with a concerted effort on the part of the patient. No one else. My mother had a gastric bypass surgery and it changed her life. She tried every diet in the book throughout my entire life and it only left her heavier and less healthy in the end. She tried exercising but losing that kind of weight is not nearly as easy or simple as you make it sound. I watched her struggle and I watched her heal. Although I don't believe gastric bypass should be the first or only option explored, I'm glad it's available to those in need and don't think it merely provides an "easy way out" at all.

Elizabeth, Edinburgh,

I agree with Sara, I understand why some people would have them, although i do not agree with taking them out and parading them round infront of people. I also agree with what is being said about the fact that in documentaries people are just shown the extremes, not the realities as such.

I myself cannot have children and am contemplating getting a reborn, although i will not be parading it round for the world to see. I think something like that is private and it should not be shoved in people's faces

Abi, Dorset,

They are NOT babies! They are dolls.
I have sympathy for those whose collect these dolls and admit to it being just that ... a collectors hobby ... this programme did unfortunately cast a stereotype on all Reborn owners. However, the women featured in this programme were sad deluded unhinged individuals and that is exactly who sensationalist programmes will focus on. Who wants to watch documentaries about 'normal' people?

Libbi from Swindon. Thank you for making me laugh today.

Mark, Shepperton, Surrey

I understand what some people are saying about this programme but I think its nice. I am 26 and can not have children, my partner left me because he wants a big family. All my friends are pregnant or have babies and i really want to have children. After seeing the programme i am consider getting a reborn, not to take out in a pram or car, just something to look at and hold accasionally. Its is hamless as it does not affect anyone else.

Sara, Leeds, Yorkshire

Has anyone considered how incredibly irresponsible some of the 'mums' are on this programme? Whilst busily filling their lives with a rubberised substitute being paraded around happily in their people carrier, do they consider for a second what happens if their car is hit?
Strikes me that when the firefighter's family are told they no longer have a son, daddy etc because he died trying to rescue a 'reborn' it would take a lot more than £500 and a trip to the manufacturer to fill the gap.
Shocking, senseless and downright irresponsible. Get real, now, before a real person is hurt.

Matt , Isle of Wight,

I am sorry but the whole concept is just wrong! Creepy doesn't quite cover it - even the name is eeky. Some people have too much time (and money) on their hands. There are lots of real babies you could connect with. Voluntary agencies are always looking for mature females to act as a support and mentor to new or young mothers. There is also adopt-a-nan schemes - there are lots of real children out there crying of for real tenderness showered on them and these women do seem to have that capacity. I suggest that they could find a much more fulfilling avenue of satisfying their desire without creeping their husbands out with mortuary specimens masquerading as babies.

And please don't delude yourself your 'hobby' as you may choose to call is is FREAKY. Like urban vampires. Fishermen are many things; boring, smelly perhaps but they are NOT freaks.

Sally, London,

I've just watched the repeat of this programme on more 4 and found it CREEPY. I felt sorry for the womens partners and other family members. The worst person was Sue how much money has she spent over the years. But I would have like to have known more about each persons background and if they have ever sought councilling.

Catherine, Glasgow, Scotland

So what if people like to dress up and treat reborns like real babies? There's too much prejudice in this world. For some women, these dolls provide comfort. Reborn collectors/creators aren't all self-obsessed, selfish, thoughtless people as so many of you are making out. It's a hobby, something they enjoy. It's unfortunate so many people fail to think and research before considering people's feelings.

I had 2 reborns a few years ago, when I was in my early teens. Cheap ones, no more than £100 for each, the quality was low. I have always loved babies, and before my brother and sister came along 18 months ago, reborns gave me comfort, and something to concentrate on through a very difficult personal time. I was judged for pushing a buggy around but I didn't care, it gave me something to focus on and ultimately helped further my childcare career. (Hard to believe given that people would automatically label me a self-obsessed freak for owning one and taking it out with me!).

Laura H, Cambs,

I think that Channel 4 should be ashamed of themselves. 'My Fake Baby' was sensationalist and deceiving. They chose to show only the extreme side of reborning. I am a mum of 2 beautiful girls and I collect reborns. I can't have any more children and as my girls are growing so fast I sometimes miss the feel of a little baby. I DO NOT take the DOLLS out in prams. I take my real daughters out! Sometimes I have been known to snuggle on the couch when my girls are asleep, cuddling one of my dolls and just remembering my girls that small. I pity the women portrayed in the Channel 4 Documentary as they have been left wide open to ridicule by a television programme. I truly think an enquiry should be held as to why the producers chose to mock instead of portray reborning as a hobby, no weirder than any other hobbies. Train-spotters, spoon- collectors, fishermen etc
At the end of the day, these women and all women who collect dolls, reborn or otherwise are doing no harm to anyone.

Sheila, North Lincs,

i watched both programmes so i begin with half ton mum. alough i felt bad for thr mum i felt worse for the kids. she was really huge and ive never seen some one so big !!!
it was the reality of how things are and although i am glad i saw it im also deeply worried about how people can get that big, to me its all about choices...........
now to "my fake baby" this programme was really awful!!!not to mention the women making/buying the DOLLS yes DOLLS it was a sick perversion.the women who made them in the uk had children already, she couldnt have any more she made them. which in its self i can only just get my head around. as any DOLL they were not put in a box and simply stored away they were in cribs !!!! influencing the inigma that they are infact real, they even had someting mimiking a heart beat the women who bought a doll to replace her grandson
because he moved abroad, thats just plain weird as he was eight.this is wrong and these women need help.......

sydell brigden , hull, east riding

People are so taken in with TV programmes, they think it all represents the truth without even thinking it might be all twisted and sensationalised. The people who are sick are the ones who believe everything they see on a documentory.
These dolls are realistic baby dolls and whats disturbing is that some people think babies look grotesque.
I didn't watch but I do sculpt babies aswell as sculpting other artforms...so is art sick?
To me, people who are obsessional about football are weird but I don't think they should stop it if it makes them happy!

J Dunn, Gloucester, Gloucestershire

Too sick to be true.
Sue is not a ordinary collector: she needs help!!! No doubt she as a mental disorder.

And so does non-plastic-Harry's granny.

The only one who seemed "normal" was Mary, the nice lady.

The whole thing reminds me of FRANKENSTEIN!

Sara, Lisbon, Portugal

Arn was so right - 'it looks like something on a mortuary slab'. Real babies are warm and responsive. Dead babies are cold and wax like. Watching the women stroking the limbs of these 'babies' reminded me of the way my daughter felt after she died.

Sadie, Gloucester,

I am a mother.
I am also the owner of a Reborn Berenguer babygirl doll as well as other dolls.
I kit out my reborn from local charity shops.
I am a stable, law abiding, happily married person.
I also like to read romance.
"OH MY GOD, THATS IT THEN, NOT ONLY AM I A WOMAN WHO LIKES DOLLS BUT I READ SOPPY ROMANCE NOVELS TOO"
What is the world coming to when women can no longer be feminine and why shouldn't adult's 'play' !!!
No wonder there's so much divorce nowadays with so many cold hearted, narrow minded excuses for women out there and you men who think this is wierd, take note the next time you are 'playing' with your model train's, car's, boat's, plane's but then again, you haven't even got the gut's to admit that you enjoy playing, you have to use your son's or grandson's as an excuse.
Here's a quote from Robert Tonner, renowned Fashion Designer & Fashion/Baby Doll Artist.
' Believe in the Power of Play '
I don't take my doll out but I might just start !!!
M Jones, Yks

M Jones, Sheffield,

I came across the programme by accident flicking channels as you do. Imagine my horror to see Sue and recognise her as a girl I used to be at school with. I watched for the next hour glued. I felt sad for her. Indulged as an only child I do remember that she used to have a big collection of watches and still does. On the show she was wearing a gold watch and gold jewellery. She is also featured in "Closer" magazine this week and I couldnt help but notice she is wearing a silver watch and silver jewellery. Clearly, she has an obsession for collecting things. I think it is known as OCD !!!

Peter, Erith ,

hiya i think u r mad u twist ppls words.

cecelia, st.annes, lancashire

i think these babys are so cute!!!! i reali want one i want a little boy reali badly i think there just so gawguss and i want to no how much they are and were i could get one and i think there is nuhtin wronge with any one having one of these babys as i think there cute and if they want to spend so much money on then then let them its there money

libbi, swindon , england

aww there so cute my mum really wants one but she needs to no how much they are and so does my mums friend , they both want girls
with brown eyes and hair
please could you write back to me
thanks

amy aston, st annes, lancashire

Not only do I feel these women are truly disturbed and in need of some help, I also find them very selfish.

Sue spent just under £300 on clothes for a doll, spent money to travel half way across the world to pick it up and other expenses. Yet in this world we have so many living children needing help. If like me you don't personally want children underfoot then sponsor them and make their difficult lives just that much easier. £300 provides 20months sponsorship for one of my children!

Christine could spend the doll money actually taking herself off to visit her Harry!

Abhi, Watford,

For those of you who accuse these women of being mentally ill...I have a question. Exactly who are they hurting? I thought Sue was at least very honest when she said she didn't want 'real' babies because they make noise and mess etc...better she buys her dolls than bring a child into the world that she didn't want 100%. Too many women have babies with out appreciating the emotional and financial consquences. It's hard work, bloody hard work...

No one was being hurt here, one woman was meeting her maternal needs, one was using them as a grieving tool (yes the child wasn't actually dead, but clearly she was in grief at his absence). You know what? I rejoice at the differences we all have, what a boring world it would be if we were all the same!

Sue, West Mids,

I found the whole programme fascinating - and also very sick. These women are mad.

Having a hobby collecting something is one thing and I suppose fairly normal - although having a house full of dolls which look like dead babies is not normal.

But why on earth would anyone want to take these ugly things out for a walk and feed them and change them etc. That is the type of thing my 8 year old niece would do - not a grown woman.

I am glad the grandmother's husband did not accept the wierd fantasty of immortalising baby Harry. She made us think that he was dead the way she talked about him in the past tense. very odd.

And taking the frilly pram all the way to USA - that woman clearly needs help!

Also the car seat in the grandmother's car was clearly not suitable for a newborn!!

Lou, Hawkesbury, Glos

I was disgusted to say the least at these women and being 8.5 months pregnant myself feel i should buy cuffs to chain my baby to her pram!

In my opinion, I can understand it from a collectors POV but words cannot describe how irresponsible these people are!

Scenario 1 - doesn't it make baby swapping a lot easier.

Scenario 2 - The really bad car accident.
Would the emergency services come to the screaming 3 yr old that has signs of distress or the unresponsive 'newborn' in the back of the other car which, might i add, a Britax First Class car seat is sposed to be backwards facing until at least 9 months with a newborn insert and not all scrunched up like the 2 week old clay model was. I wonder if there sales will go down now?

Scenario 3 - The housefire
'OH MY GOD, MY BABIES ARE IN THERE!!' goodbye fireman who's just doing his job

I find nothing sweet about these women and think they really need help still playing with dolls at such a 'mature' age.

Kayleigh, Cornwall,

My Fake Baby creeped me out...I felt uneasy watching these women with their freakish baby substitutes. I wonder how the Grandson felt about being told he had been replaced with a new plastic version? Given that she had a real live grandson that she could see and talk to on webcam, why did she even feel the need for a substitute?

Moreover, I wonder why on earth she agreed to talk to the cameras and why her husband didn't stop her. I would be very worried about the reaction of people in the street after this is aired. This made for very uncomfortable (though compelling) viewing!

Incidently , I have asked my boyfriend to buy me Jimmy Choos as a substitute, as I am probably one of those women who have unfortunately missed the boat when it comes to having children. At least this makes me just shallow and, thankfully, I won't need a matching white coat.

Lou, London,

When watching Half Ton Mum, did anyone else conclude that if the woman couldn't get up to feed herself then someone was bringing her food? If that was the case then surely they had were able to control the amount of food she was given? All a gastric bypass does is limit the amount of food that can be eaten/absorbed. Surely the people providing her food could have restricted this in the first place? This surgery is another example of our society taking the easy way out. How about you get off your bum, exercise a bit and control what you eat instead of expecting the rest of society to fix your problems for you?

Adam, London, UK

It would be very easy to pour scorn on the 'mothers' featured in My Fake Baby, but I think that misses the point. Their back stories, what we heard of them - grandson taken to New Zealand - feeling invisible without a baby - indicate some sort of emotional distress that surely require professional attention. How sad it is then, that these women in need of such help are left to create a fantasy world, that one can't imagine is psychologically sustainable or at all healthy.

The documentary, good as it was, left some unanswered questions, such as how do the fake mothers cope after 10 delusional years of looking after a doll? I suppose we shall have to wait for that.

Above all, this was a very sad story of gratification answering emotional needs. In that situation I hope that I would have people around me with the skills and abilities to guide me toward genuine, rewarding and long-term solutions to my problem.

James Owen, Nottinghamshire, UK

i agree with everything negative that has been said. i lost my own baby daughter when she was 10 months old and i think it would be an insult to her memory to "replace" her with a plastic doll. i particularly agree with the comment that arn the husband was a voice of sense - the dolls did look like dead children - grotesque beyond words. the woman who really fascinated me in a sick way was the barbie doll older lady - she doesnt seem to live in the real world at all - and her mother and husband seem to be in cahoots with her. i would love to know where she got all the cash to spend on her dolls her airfares and the clothes from harrods. it was all beyond creepy. just one more thing i t hoaught the the girl Jaime who made the dolls was so pretty and seemed so normal - but it just cant be right....siobhan ireland

siobhan cowan, tipperary, ireland

I suggest you check your facts, before you make your sweeping comments. I am the lady who had the "room full of reborns". Wrong! I have been collecting dolls for approximately 30 years, and have got about 120. I own a Bed and Breakfast, and my collection is spread all over my large house. I only have about 10 reborns, the rest made up of porcelain, one of a kind, silicones and the few reborns. I do not coo over them, they are first and foremost dolls, this is no more than people collecting stamps, porcelain, silver, etc. Perhaps we need a few programmes about men fishing for approximately l2 hours a day on the river outside my property in all weathers, and then putting the catch back at the end of the day. Now that to my mind is sad.This old biddy is not that balmy, I have just had my collection valued, and the value has increased 6 fold, so I think my investment speaks for itself. The most I have paid for any one doll is £500, the majority being from £100-£200. Mary Flint, Norfolk

Mary Flint, Hilgay, Norfolk, United Kingdaom

I sat down to watch "My Fake Baby" last night, thinking that there might be something mildly amusing about what sounded like an, admittedly, strange hobby, but one that was ultimatley (so I thought before watching it) harming nobody. How wrong I was. I was disgusted at the fact that the people responsible for creating these grotesque dolls had not yet been locked up, & that the women who were purchasing them could not manage to seem completley sane for even five minutes of the programme. Whilst having remarked something along the lines of knowing full well that these dolls were not real human beings, Sue then insisted that her husband called the foul model children "babies" rather than "dolls". The extent to which these women cared for ultimatley a plastic toy absolutley frightened me. I agree with the husband; the horrendous little things looked like some poor child who had been dragged out of a mortuary. These people (especially the Grandmother) need psychiatric help.

Tash J, Merseyside, England

This programme made a point of showing the extreme side of the reborn world, not all collectors are as extreme as this and only the minority would take their reborn out in a pram and treat them like babies or spend a fortune on their outfits. Many collectors see these reborns as a peice of art..a 3D image...I am both a collector and a reborner and I can assure you I do not require psychiatric help..lol..please look further into this subject before slating people as CH4 produced a programme designed to shock people. And Jaime (the reborner in the programme) does not ask people why they want a reborn because she doesnt like to pry..she is not hard nosed at all and it is not about making money..not all reborners make money from their art..they do it for the love of it. Go and check out the many reborn forums and find out the real story behind this art before passing judgement. I have 4 kids at home so no empty nest syndrome...just a love of this art form.

caira smith, Perth, scotland

We watched Fake Baby and frankly, it can only be described as car crash television. Are those women absolutely round the bend???? I have seen some wierdo's on TV documentaries in my time, but that beat the lot by a country mile. Frankly, it made us realise how normal we are!! The money that was being invested by these people in this freak show astounded me! Did Sue, I wonder, book a seat on the return flight for her 'baby' as well as for her and her mother? Or would she have boxed it back up and stuck it in the cargo hold??
As for the Grandmother, she clearly misses her Grandson, but I thought the boy had died for the first 40 mins!
I also seriously question the men behind these women - I simply couldn't live with a women who insisted on spending thousands of pounds on filling the house with dolls that looked like dead bodies and then thought it was 'normal' to take them out for a walk!!
The only person that spoke any sense in the whole hour was Harry himself - well done that man!!

Jon, Basingstoke, Hampshire

My Fake baby seems to be getting a hard knock. I agree some of it may be wierd. But people do have strange hobbies.

But the reality is some women who have these dolls do so because they grieve!

Having a stillborn baby can be heart wrenching and you long to hold a baby. You go through hours of labour to hold a perfect little bundle that is left in a mortuary. You have to arrange for death certficates and make funeral arangements. People either cross the road to avoid speaking or make a comment of never mind you can have another one. For some women that can never happen - (hysterectomy)

Having one of these dolls can ease the heartache.

Doing what every new parent should be able to do: dress, change, feed or cuddle a newborn can create comfort in a distressing time.

Have a thought for all mums who are trying to ovecome a very tragic trauma!

Bernadette, Boston, United Kingdom

I tried to watch 'My Fake Baby' with an open mind, seeing it as a harmless hobby that these women had, but I couldn't get away from the idea that these women need some sort of psychiatric treatment. There was something inherently creepy about the whole thing, when watching the Grandmother I thought Harry had died, not merely emigrated. She seemed to think that as she had looked after him he somehow belonged to her, as sad a situation as the dolls. As for the woman with the prams and designer baby wear, words fail me.

Dave Jones, Skelmersdale, UK

i watched my fake babt last night i liked it very much. its made me want one. i have a son but cant have any more. i'd love to see them being made.

libbie, leighton buzzard, bedfordshire

at first i also was agust when it came to the fake baby but as i watched with a heavy heart at the women who spent nearly £300 on an outfit for a doll when in this world of children needing parents what a waste of that womens energy then when she saw the crack in the skull i realised why she didnt have children thay wouldnt be perfect and then i thanked god it could of a real baby what would she have done then i wounder and the grandmother well as i have just become a grandmother myself and i too was my daughters birthing partner along with my son inlaw the bond with my new grandson is like no other i have with anyone else and she also prepared herself for taking her grandson into her home in case her daughter died so she to me is suffering the loss of what would have been a second chance at motherhood

denise milward, nothwich cheshire, england

I'm sat watching this horrendous programe on "my fake baby".
How wrong is this! It has sickend me to the core.
Personally i just find the whole thing stupid. What a weired, sick and sad fantasy world theses people live in.
With the risk of repeating myself, i have found this programe shocking and sickening.

Sophie, somerset,