Would IBU to get consistent advice? "Babies 'need solid food, not just breast milk'", headline from today's Times.

[clams]

The changing guidance really bugs me. So does this headline which might have been created to irritate MNers. The Times paywall bugs me too. AIBU?

The problem is to often hv and other professionals aren't flexible enough to see each child is different.

From what I can see this is basically saying that is is ok to wean from 4 months, which is what a lot of people do anyway as it is what they know is best for there child. Some children are ready sooner than others!

I've read the BMA article. It's not as clear cut as the headlines are saying.

Lots of mights and maybe's and - wait for it - more research needed.

It suggests that a number of breastfed babies may lack iron if fed excl until 6 months. It also says that you could get round this by improving the mother's iron levels and that we don't know if any bf babies in the UK have been affected by this because we don't measure iron levels routinely.

The allergy stuff is new and backed by some pretty big studies - possible increased risk under 3 months and over 6 months (note though that's over 6 months which could mean a range of ages), so that's something to think about.

Increased risk of coeliac disease - observational study from Denmark. Couldn't say without reading the study, but they seem to be saying when the guidelines in Denmark increased to 6 months then coeliac diagnosis increased, when they reduced it again to 4 months it fell again. You'd have to know how many people followed the guidelines of course.

Anyway, I suspect the guidelines may change back to 4-6 months. Which most people were doing anyway.

The problem is not really with the research or the guidelines, but with parents desire for definite answers and outcomes.

Life isn't like that unfortunately. We focus on the small % of things we think we can control (breastfeeding/diet/SAH/WOH etc.) and look for definitive answers on what to do in these ares when the effects are so small and/or complex that you aren't going to get one.

Many of the things we CAN control have much smaller effects than the things we can't control such as genetics, social class and poverty, where cause and effect is much clearer.