The Baby Borrowers (U.S. TV series)

The Baby Borrowers
It's not TV, it's birth control.
Created by	Ashley Potterton Richard McKerrow
Starring	Various
Narrated by	Craig Zimmerman
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producer(s)	Richard McKerrow Tom Shelly Kevin Harris
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Love Productions
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	June 25 – August 6, 2008
Chronology
Related shows	The Baby Borrowers (UK)
External links
Website

The Baby Borrowers is an American version of the The Baby Borrowers reality television show based on the British television series of the same name originally aired in 2007. The show features five couples aged between 18 and 20 who either believe that being parents is easy, or are divided upon the issue. They start off attempting to look after a baby for three days, before moving onto toddlers, pre-teens, teenagers and finally an elderly person.

The show is produced by Love Productions, the same company that produces the original British version.

On March 13, 2009, it was confirmed that the series had been canceled and would not be returning for a second season.

Each week a teenage couple aged 18–20 will set up a home and become parents beginning with a baby, then a toddler, pre-teens, teenagers, and finally elderly adults over the course of one month. The couples will participate in pre-natal classes prior to the arrival of the baby, every three days the couples will advance to the next stage. Some couples may have an only child while some may have the responsibility of taking care of siblings. There are no eliminations or prizes (with the exception of experience).

Married couples volunteered to participate in the experiment by letting the teenage couple "borrow" their child. They would deliver the child to their home, offer advice about how to respond in certain situations and gave a manual with instructions (i.e. child likes/dislikes, favorite food or toys, when to feed them, etc.) The couples cared for the child (or children) away from their parents for 3 days. The parents stayed across the street in a home and were able to monitor their child and the couple on surveillance video that was set up all around the home. If at any time they felt they were needed or wanted to help, they were able to step in. A professional nanny also stayed with the couple and their child and monitored them. The nanny was only allowed to "shadow" to ensure the safety of the child and could only come forth in the event of an emergency. Once the age turned to the teenagers, there was no more parent or nanny monitoring.

The Baby Borrowers was first announced on March 12, 2007 as a mid-season replacement with a six episode commitment. Originally the show was scheduled to air on Monday nights at 8:00 PM ET/PT beginning February 18, 2008 but on January 28, 2008 NBC announced The Baby Borrowers would be pushed back and aired at a later date. On March 5, 2008 NBC announced The Baby Borrowers would air on Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM ET/PT beginning June 25, 2008 as part of the network's All-American Summer. The Show also airs on Women's Entertainment Channel on Thursdays at 9 pm central.