anyone else getting anti BLW propaganda from HV?

[HerHonesty]

ok, so having weighed 9 month old dd in at 9kg, 50th percentile after being born on the 4th, she says that "the problem with BLW is that they dont get used to spoons and so wont be able to eat with cutlery when they are older"

what a load of cr*p.

i then tell her not to worry because DD is partial to a bit of yoghurt on a spoon every now and then...

then she says you should be giving her something on a spoon every meal..

quite frankly if they dont have anything supportive to say they should just shut it.

anyone else had similar reactions from HV...

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Yes, quite similar. So I just stopped telling her what I was doing.

But to be honest, by 9 months I had stopped seeing the hv who was the font of all crap knowledge. She told us our DD was failing to thrive, but did not tell us she was measuring a breastfed baby against a bottle feeding chart. Our Dr cleared that one up. She told us we could not wean early even though dd was 'failing to thrive', said there was trouble with my milk, and said I had to 'make' dd take a bottle, despite the fact that there was no way on this earth DD would take a bottle! So, basically saying, that she should starve?

With baby led weaning, I only ever mentioned it once, she scoffed and called it a fad. Said babies needed to learn to use spoons.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

Oh sorry, btw, DD can use spoon, knife, fork perfectly well at 3. She did a combination of spoon or fingers, depending on what we were eating at the time (although now she is partial to picking things up with her fingers still, but hey she is only 3!)

[NorkilyChallenged]

Um, DD1 (totally blw, no spoon feeding from me) was using cutlery (well a spoon and fork) from really young, about 18 months probably. We gave her cutlery at mealtimes from about a year old.

DD2 is heading that way though less interested and she was spoon-fed more than her sister was.

I think it's ridiculous. Like saying that by crawling a child will never learn to walk.... they only feed with their hands until they can use cutlery and I don't see how watching you use cutlery to feed yourself is any difference to watching you do lots of other things that they learn. You spoon-feeding them doesn't really do anything to help them use cutlery THEMSELVES does it?

[cyteen]

what an idiot! Thankfully none of the HVs I ever mentioned it to seemed to have the slightest idea what I was talking about, and since DS is a chunky lad they never bothered interrogating me.

Ask her when you should introduce a pen, otherwise your baby may never learn to write

Oh btw, DS learned how to use a loaded spoon at about 8 months. He's now 11mo and seems to be going through a baby-led spoonfeeding patch whenever we give him runny food, but is also learning how to dip the spoon in the food. I've never tried to teach him any of this (wouldn't have a clue where to start), he's happy working it out for himself.

[shonaspurtle]

Yes. The trouble with not giving a baby a biro is that they won't be able to write when they're older.

[shonaspurtle]

lol xpost cyteen

[HerHonesty]

my favourite is when dd tries to lick the table...

actually she will take a spoon but by the time it gets to her moutht there is nothing left on it. but she still licks it with this really proud look on her face. its very cute...

ha ha will try out the biro gag next time.

[NorkilyChallenged]

The biro thing is funny, I will have to remember it. But actually what the hv is saying (to use the biro analogy) is that you need to hold the biro for her and write for her and by doing that, SHE will learn how to write. It's ridiculous. Spoon-feeding a child doesn't TEACH them to spoon feed themselves, I don't see how it can?!

In any kind of weaning method, the time comes when you give them cutlery and let them figure it out. BLW doesn't mean No Spoons, no more than traditional puree weaning should mean you will still be spoon-feeding them when they're in secondary school.

Your hv is being ridiculous, imo.

[BertieBotts]

LOL I don't understand this. You should look deeply offended and imply that she thinks your baby is stupid. Who needs to LEARN to be spoon-fed?? It's not exactly a life skill! I can understand needing to learn to use cutlery, but spoon-fed babies and finger food-weaned babies probably start using cutlery themselves at about the same time anyway.

[MamaGoblin]

The thing is, even if this were true (it isn't, obviously) - why on earth does it concern your HV? It's not a health issue, it's more one of table manners if it's anything!

DS is 17 months and eating with a spoon very nicely when he wants to, but I have no problems with him using his hands.