Is this new advice??

[weblette]

First visit from HV today, ds3 is 2 weeks old and exclusively bf. He's taken to it very well, putting on 12oz in his first 10 days. We seem to be doing something of a weight exchange

All going very well until she says out of nowhere "Well you should introduce a bottle of cooled boiled water at 8 weeks to make sure he'll take a bottle" Er why??? I've no intention of giving him a bottle at any time - when he does have ebm it'll be from a cup so we don't do the bottle thing at all, as I did with ds2. He was bf for a year very successfully and never touched a bottle.

Is this something new that's being recommended? I know lots of the advice has changed since I had the last one 4 years ago.

I didn't dare mention how we co-sleep for at least the first six months....

It is crap advice.

And I don't think its 'new' as in a change in policy, just her opinion.

never heard that, it sounds like her opinion rather than evidence based.

it is absolutely not necessary. if you are not wanting to bottle feed, then there is no point introducing a bottle of anything, just in case.

also, babies have tiny tummies, why fill it with water, when all they need is breast milk, as their food and drink.....

weblette, nothing to add except a big fat echo of what the others have said, plus a big fat raspberry to your HV

Next time, ask her what her advice is based on and what she thinks of the guidance to bf excl to 6 mths for the best health outcomes....

I'm with Lulumama, I was actually told it could be dangerous to give water to a small baby, it fills their stomach, gives them fluids with no nutrition.

Weird comment to make, as you said he doesn't need a bottle, mine went from breast to sippy cup, and she was fine with that.

I gave her EBM on 2 occasions (I even remember where and when ), and the odd time I'd go to the movies I'd have some BM in the fridge, but she was quite happy to wait for me to get home...

Sounds like v old advice rather than new to me - both my mum and MIL were pretty obsessed with the whole boiled water thing (they both bf 25+ yrs ago)

And DS had a bottle of EBM if he woke up during one of my very rare evenings out - probably only 3 or 4 times. He then went onto a cup no probs...

I'd a feeling she was talking out of her proverbial. Thanks for reassuring me! Think I'll be keeping hv contact to a minimum with this one...