If the thought of sleepless nights and stretchmarks makes you think twice about motherhood, then do not despair, writes Cate Wilson. You will soon be able to have a virtual baby instead.The cyber youngsters are programmed to make the same demands as a new baby - so nappy changes, feeds in the middle of the night and constant crying are just some of the delights awaiting the virtual parent.

Although not available in Oxfordshire until next month, two products have already proved popular in America. One is a realistic plastic baby with a computer chip buried in its body which demands care and attention from its "mother" and is designed to make teenagers think twice about getting pregnant. It has proved a hit in America, and some health authorities in Britain are planning to use it in an attempt to curb the rate of teenage pregnancies.

The other, Babyz, which was launched last month by Mindscape Entertainment, is a CD Rom which you load on your personal computer. For £19 you get an image of a nine-month-old baby, which is then nurtured until the age of 15 months.

Your on-screen infant is unique to you and will get bigger, grow hair and develop its first teeth - depending on your nurturing skills. It will recognise your voice, learn to speak if you talk or read to it, play and eat. Its development progresses at the rate you choose, rather than in real time, so you have the bonus of seeing your child develop at a faster rate than it would naturally.

In the politically correct 90s, it is not just a matter of handing over your cash and receiving a baby in return. There are adoption papers to be signed, which require the parent to promise to love and care for the infant and never to smack it and a name to be decided on for the birth certificate.

The programme also includes a virtual house, so that you can tuck your baby into his or her cot at bedtime, warm its milk on the kitchen stove and even dress it in its favourite nursery outfit. The parents look after the baby by the use of voice recognition and the keyboard.

A simple touch of the cursor key allows you to tickle the baby when it is distressed.

But it is not all about cute cuddles and smiles - as any new parent will tell you. Any changes to your baby's feeding patterns will be greeted by screams and tantrums.

Your baby is also not immune to childhood illnesses and your CD ROM programme comes complete with a well-stocked medicine cabinet.

Bret Berry, vice president of product development for Mindscape Entertainment, says: "Although the product is a fun one, it also has a serious message for couples and teenagers. Looking after a child is hard work. It gives a good idea of the demands babies put on a parent, though the real thing is, of course, much more challenging.

"One of the things we find is that it gives teenagers the chance to see just how demanding having a baby would be for them. From that point of view it can be quite an educational toy."

But if education is the motive behind buying a virtual baby then parents may do better to look at a RealCare Baby instead.

The realistic-looking plastic baby, designed by retired Nasa rocket scientist Rick Jurmain, is an educational toy aimed at giving youngsters a realistic insight into the responsibilities of parenting. It has not been launched in this country yet but is available by mail order for £240.

Unlike the on-line child, the RealCare baby is an educational doll which has a computer chip buried in its body. The doll is available in both sexes and a number of ethnic groups. It can even be programmed to be cranky, normal or easy.

There is even a drug-affected baby, which has a smaller body and the delayed responses of a child exposed to drugs in the womb.

The only way to stop the RealCare baby crying is to insert a plastic key into its back - as if feeding it - and hold it there for 10-25 minutes until it makes a cooing noise.

The key is attached to the nominated carer by a wrist band to try to stop parents cheating. But it can be removed and given to a responsible baby-sitter. The doll's head flops about just like a real baby's and must be supported properly. It also needs to be fed, either by a bottle or by a breastfeeding device, and winded after feeding. The baby will also need to be rocked to calm it and will have to be changed regularly. The computer chip inside the baby records each time the carer has failed to do a task properly and will log it in its memory so that the parent can be assessed.

Carole Bowen, a community nurse manager at the Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust, intends to use the dolls in a sex education programme for secondary schools in the Middlesbrough area. The trust has ordered ten dolls from America for use next term. The pupils, aged 11 to 16, will take it in turn to have the dolls overnight so that they can get a feel for parenthood.

She says: "The dolls will make it much easier for us to demonstrate to children how tiring and demanding new babies are.

"Many teenage girls believe having a baby is like having a toy you can play with. By the time they realise what a huge responsibility it is it's too late to turn the clock back. "We need to stress to young teenagers that having a baby will limit their freedom. The doll illustrates this perfectly as the carer needs to organise a babysitter if they are away.

"These dolls have been very successful in America, not only with teenage girls but also with boys as well. The great thing about the babies is that they are fun as well - what better way is there to get children interested in a serious issue?"

Story date: Thursday 02 December

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.