With more and more child psychologists and family therapists turning their hand to writing books on how to raise children, it is becoming increasingly difficult to recognise the gold from the dross on the basis of first impressions in the bookshops. Australian family therapist Steve Biddulph has already built a good reputation for himself with his earlier books, Manhood, Raising Boys and The Secret of Happy Children (to which this is the sequel). So, in many ways, another book from him is worthy of our attention.

His writing style is easy to read and quite instructive, with question-and-answer sections interspersed with advise on parenting and examples of how some children fared with different parenting styles. Firmly against old-style discipline methods which rely on slapping and yelling, Biddulph charts a course for parents based on respect for the child combined with their need for boundaries. The techniques here include getting children to stand and think about what they've done and then, according to the age of the child, talk about what happened. Such techniques may take some time to develop but, according to Biddulph, they teach the child important life skills. His concepts of "softlove" (the ability to be relaxed, warm and affectionate) and "firmlove" (the ability to be kind but firm with children) are ones that parents can quickly identify with, and the notion of children building up little pearls of happiness from their early life experiences is a truly endearing one. (And, yes, you may well have to confront how you were reared yourself before all this becomes easy).

However, when you get to chapter four, Biddulph drops the bombshell. In this chapter, entitled "Will Childcare Damage Your Child?", he pulls no punches about his belief that full-time childcare in creches is inappropriate for preschool children.

"Children who go into care at two or three months of age, and stay for seven or eight hours a day, are basically spending their childhood in care. What kind of person they become - how they are comforted, how they are disciplined, what values and attitudes they will take on - will be the composite of the input of a large number of people, with widely varying styles and values. "These children will certainly be adaptable! But will they be capable of intimacy? How will they integrate all these messages? "It is my belief that long day care of children under three, in an institutional setting like a creche, will result in those children having a seriously deprived childhood experience . . . .

"The problems and deficits will occur . . . especially in those areas relating to emotional stability, intimacy and trust, and learning to develop lifelong relaxation and a peaceful inner world," he continues.

"This damage will be masked by an apparent gain in superficial social skills which actually reflect the child's strategies for coping with this stressful environment. In the long term, these deficits will lead especially to problems in forming and keeping long-term relationships."

While it is refreshing to hear someone speak so coherently on what they believe is best for children, his views may send many full-time working parents into a tailspin. With the increasing demands of the economy for labour (and family constraints of high mortgages), many parents don't seem to have a choice other than to work full-time and have their children minded full-time outside the home.

However, rather than reacting with rage, perhaps we should consider Biddulph's views just before we, in this country, launch ourselves into a creche-culture. Maybe we do need to reflect more on the quality of group childcare (as pointed out in last week's E&L cover story, headlined "Who cares for kids?") and look at how it will affect our children.

If the economy is in such a need for labour, surely we, as individuals within that labour force, can begin to make stronger demands for more flexible working hours, genuine parental leave and shorter working weeks. Long working days don't always lead to better productivity and they certainly impinge on family life hugely. Once you've digested Biddulph's thoughts on the childcare issue, you may then be ready to hear him out on the differing focus needed when you are rearing sons and daughters in today's world. Although his parenting standards are high and not always attainable, there are certainly good ideals, which even when watered down I too believe will lead to happier and more self-confident children.

More Secrets of Happy Children by Steve Biddulph (Thorsons, £8.99 in UK)