Oooooooh, what to do? Do i post this on Breast and bottle feeding or on Weaning? because Annabel Karmel's been telling The Standard that after 4 months breastmilk is not enough to keep babies healthy...

[Aitch]

here

yowza!

"babies need iron in their diet from six months once their mother's supply of iron has run out."

Huh?

Surely if the mother's supply has run out its her that needs extra nutrition, not the baby! She quite clearly has no idea what she is on about

lordy lord lord

thank god for sensible women on here, I do love you all

OMFG! and I am still howling at listening to that clip on Radio 4 where she said that while swallowing is instinctive, babies have to be taught how to chew which is why weaning fucking purees was necessary.

sorry, can you tell I have just seen this thread?

She actually said, and I quote:

" babies need iron in their diet from six months once their mother's supply of iron has run out"?

words fail to me. how can this woman be so, erm, wrong after all this time in infant feeding issues?

I am SO heartened that there are so many of us on MN who understand the issues.

Really impressed - go to any other parenting forum and it's just full of "don't say anything upsetting, I did x, y or z and mine are fine, La, la, la" posts.

Not quite all parenting forums are like that - I know of one that is at least as horrified about the AK nonsense as MN

hysterical. I have a scar from dd which shoes she knew how to chew at four mths...

Hang on

Not read the whole thread, but has it been pointed out that in one of AK's posts on her forums she says she breastfed her three children, in the other it says she breastfed her four children!

Jacanne, which one?

AK had a child who sadly died at about 3mo, so probably that explains the discrepancy there.

hunker, I agree...more and more people are getting it, but there is still a 'say nothing in case someone who did something different feels criticised' ethos in some corners of mumsnet.

Bad netiquette to bring one thread to another, I know, but this has happened to me today on mumsnet.

AK is highly annoying. She says to be flexible, but then treats all babies' iron stores as if they all totally emptied on exactly the same day and that all babies have to start with fruit 'n' veg. Her notion that fruit and veg be started at 5 mths so meat etc can be started at 6 is bonkers. If you want to/your baby needs to start solids at 6 with a bit of meat, then of course you can do so....

Oh, yes, there's definitely still a "say nothing" brigade on MN. I argue the toss with them every time I see it Didn't see today's - will have a look later. Hey, Tiktok, I was on LBC today - they were talking about maternity report out today re hospital standards and I rang to say it wasn't just birth, it was postnatal care, esp bf support.

what an idiot, words really do fail me.

babies need to learn how to chew??

she has no children, bf 3, bf 4?!?!

i'm in

That's sad, hunker, thanks for clearing that up.

I agree, AK obv doesn't realise at all that if you start at 6 months you don't have to start with veg and fruit. ds2 was eating steak and chips at 6 months old

Well I did something different, back then we all did- ds1 is 8 now and 4 months was the advice. This one will be 6 months before it is given anything other than BM (or formula but only if I ahve problems with the gluten and dairy free diet I have to follow to BF a baby with high ASD risk).

I don't see why anyone who did as they were advised at the time should feel offended- what more can you do?

And if you didn't do as you were advised..... wtf not?

surely if they need to learn how to chew, purees are not going to help with that

BLW would be the best way to encourage chewing surely !?

HM, it's www.iwantmymum.com. It's a very pro-breastfeeding site(your blog has been linked to already ), almost there for that purpose and set up as a reaction to some of the misinformation on sites like Babycentre. You know, the "its okay to give them baby rusk in a bottle from 2 months, I did it and my children are fine" type comments. It's very closely moderated but mainly to ensure that nobody is given any incorrect information on BF and weaning.

Jacanne, ah, yes - wonderful site! I haven't posted there, but I occasionally read posts (and saw my blog had been linked to - marvellous!) - I should've said "most other parenting forums"

Then I wouldn't argue with that - there do seem to be a lot of sites where to even mention the word BF results in accusations of anti-formula feeling and "smugness". It is refreshing that, on the whole, MN isn't like that

The essential fatty acids comment is really annoying. If the mum has plenty it is always in her milk. Once you wean or start with a non supplemented formula you have to make sure that these are in your child's diet. Why is BF and to some extent following the 6 month guidelines regarded as such a chore? In many ways it's the easy choice.

I really would like to thank EVERYONE on this forum - I was on a few before but was never that impressed!

Without this forum I would not have known as much as I do about BLW and for me this concept has been revolutionary...sorry if that sounds a bit dramatic...but I fed dd1 jars etc as I thought that this was the way to go. With dd2 I thought I was doing well making my own and pureeing! But the I got the encouragement here to keep with BLW and am so glad!

DD2 is 11 months and eats everything in sight...there is nothing that she will not try - as opposed to dd1 who is still a fussy eater at 8!!

So, a BIG thank you from me (and dd2) and I can now happily and with total conviction throw AK's book in the bin!!

And WTF are all those meters on the bottom and massive photos on every post?

[whines] Do we HAVE to make an ememy out of Annabel Karmel now?? I thought she was a friend to Mumsnetters.. she's been on here for live chat hasn't she??

Do we always have to come across as so fierce and formidable? Can't one of you (politely)write to HER and wait for HER to respond?

jennster
Welcome to Tickers

SJ, I have done. She ignored me. I've also emailed a radio show she was on, politely, and she spouted absurd stuff about choking.

She is being disingenuous - she has an empire built on mush and to admit that weaning after six months onto table scraps, and NOT having to spend endless hours slaving over a hot blender would be to pull the rug out from under herself, financially.

I can see why she won't do it - but, as I say, she's being disingenuous and, I believe, her "advice" isn't founded on evidence-based research, it doesn't have babies' best interests at heart and I am sick of baby "experts" talking at length about things, ignorantly.