Author of the bestselling baby care bible "The Baby Book" as well as a half-dozen other top-selling pregnancy and childcare manuals, Sears is known as the attachment parenting guru, a California pediatrician who appears most likely to succeed Dr. Spock as the parental go-to guy.

At least Sears appeared to be heading for anointment -- even giving himself the title "America's pediatrician" on his recently launched, full-service parenting Web site -- until recently.  These days Sears is under attack by some of his previously worshipful fans, as well as members of the international lactation science and pediatric communities.

Why? It turns out that Sears, known for his advocacy of what he calls the "Baby Bs" -- birth-bonding, breast-feeding, bed-sharing, baby-wearing and "belief in the signal value of an infant's cry" -- appears to have previously undisclosed financial ties to the infant-formula industry.

During the 1990s, Sears established himself as the most visible spokesperson for the cause of breast-feeding promotion in the United States. In his books, he strongly supports breast-feeding as the truly optimal choice for parents and babies, and he has made the case countless times through the years in major magazines and on television. (He is the medical advisor to Parenting magazine.)

Sears also has been a vocal critic of the tactics used by infant-formula companies to ingratiate themselves with pediatricians.  In "The Breastfeeding Book," as part of a three-page sidebar titled "For Professionals: How You Can Help," Sears wrote: "Beware of formula reps bearing gifts.  Be discerning about posters, pamphlets and educational materials from formula companies. Having the name of a formula manufacturer on information you hand your patients about breast-feeding conveys the message that bottle-feeding is the norm, as does having cans of formula around your office."

Because of his outspoken support of mother's milk and his apparent stand against infant-formula marketing, Sears has shared warm and longstanding ties to La Leche League International, a UNICEF-recognized nongovernmental organization that strongly opposes medical collusion with the pharmaceutical companies that sell formula. Sears serves on their prestigious professional advisory board and is a frequent speaker at their regional and international conferences. La Leche League's catalogues and libraries heavily promote what Sears' publisher has recently repackaged as "The Sears Parenting Library."

So loyal fans and followers of Sears (I include myself here. Full disclosure: He wrote the foreword to my book about attachment parenting) were shocked to find that his site featured prominent banner ads promoting infant formula. Perhaps more surprising was the fact that Sears actually hyperlinked directly to the Store Brand Infant Formula site within the body of his advice to bottle-feeding parents, saying, "That's why I tell my bottle-feeding mothers to consider Store Brand Formulas. They are approved by the FDA, recognized by Good Housekeeping, available at most national retailers under the store's own label, and they cost up to 40 percent less than the expensive national brands. The best source of information about store brand baby formulas is www.StoreBrandFormulas.com."

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