Please enlighten me, regarding WHO exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months" what "milk" are you then supposed to give them after that?

[lilymolly]

I know its a stupid ish question as I know bm is best etc etc but dont you think its should be followed by

"introduciton of solids combined with breastfeeding is then best until 1 year of age"

my ds is coming up 20 weeks and I plan to feed him bm until he is one, but when I look at the government advice, its a bit misleading dont you think?

It does not really encourage breastfeeding behond 6 months does it?

Are we supposed/guided to add formula from 6 months plus?

Just a bit of a random thought for a rainy friday morning.

I have also been woken every 2 hours last night so apologies if this does not make any sense at all

It is followed by that as far as WHO are concerned! WHO say bmilk up until 2 for definite and possibly longer but there's no science to back up bmilk past 2y so WHO can't recommend it IYSWIM.

Breastmilk.

I think it could be clearer. Exclusive may technically be the correct word to use, but it does get interpreted as 'breastfeed till 6 months'.

what do you give them to drink with meals etc after 6 months?

breastmilk

WHO recommends

breast milk only for first 6 months

breast milk + complementary food after 6 months.

breastfeeding can continue till 2 yrs or beyond alongside food.

We give our daughter water with meals. In what way do you think does the guideline mean other types of milk? Once solids are being introduced there is no exclusive breastfeeding anymore, solids should be introduced around 6 month, I don't see any room for misunderstanding there?

I think what I am trying to say is, that the guidelines seem to stop at 6 months.

And because you are not supposed to give cows milk until after 1, it really only leave formula does'nt it? (obv apart from breastmilk)

Foxytocin- thanks for the follow up advice- is that adopted by UK government though? as I have never seen any guidance on feeding further than six months.

Dont get me wrong- there is no confusion on what I am going to do (breastmilk plus solids) but the point I was trying to make was that it does not really encourage breastfeeding behone 6 months

2 years or beyond. I phrase it 'at least two years'.

????

WHO and UK guidance is bf alongside solids. UK guidance has no upper limit - it's pretty clear on this, so where do you find this 'one year' thing, lillymolly

The infant feeding statement is clear (I have just checked it). Bf continues, no upper given, after solids are introduced. No 'one year' no 'two years', nothing. And it is explict that 6 mths does not mean the end of bf.

Who's saying different?

Here it says

"The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life and can continue to benefit your baby along with solid foods for many months after."

Not very elegantly worded. But not really misleading I wouldn't have said?

The idea that 6 months is some kind of upper limit does seem really prevalent IME, not sure why though.

breastmilk alone under 6 mnths
breastmilk in conjunction with solids thereafter
no upper end limit
just keep going with solids and breastfeeding until child naturally weans generally around time they start primary but some are sooner, and some a little later

dont worry all stop eventuallly :-)

www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Children/Maternity/Maternalandinfantnutrition/DH_099224

Another official source of guidance:

"Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months of an infant's life. Six months is the recommended age for the introduction of solid foods for infants. Breastfeeding (and/or breastmilk substitutes, if used) should continue beyond the first six months along with appropriate types and amounts of solid foods. Mothers who do not follow these recommendations should be supported to optimise their infants' nutrition."

sorry I asked

you are all kind of missing the point

I have 2 children and think I am a reasonably educated and informed individual, and the only guidance (without actually researching myself) I have ever seen/heard from the government is:

"exclusive bf until 6 months"

All I was trying to say was, surely it could be phrased a little better to include encouraging breastfeeding for a longer period of time and to include guidance from 6 months onwards.

tictok

The one year thing came into my head, because cows milk can be introduced in the diet from 1 year.

I have never ever suggested on this thread that bf should stop at 1 year old.

just re read my OP!! and I does sound like I meant the government should tell us to stop at one! now I have re read that I did'nt mean it like it reads

as you were

< I really need to catch up on some sleep>

I knew what you meant, lilymolly. I think

I dont think anyone was being snippy with you - just that you are saying the guidance seems to stop at 6 mths and you understandably suggest that it shouldn't.

Well, as we've shown here, it doesn't stop at 6 mths.

There are several sources of information and guidance and none say to stop at 6 mths...it's just a question of reading after the first few words

It's not the government advice or WHO advice that's the problem here, it's where we see it. I mostly read it on the packaging of baby food and formula milk, and on leaflets in the weaning Bounty pack I was given recently. I think the baby food companies have been very successful at putting this idea in our heads that it's somehow normal to stop at 6 months. There's a current formula ad that says how great breastmilk is, but then "it's time to move on" to their product.

titok thanks x feeling a bit sensitive

elkiedee you have hit the nail on the head, yet phrased it so much better than I!

This is on the Food Standards Agency website and is pretty misleading. Quote:

"At about one year old, when a baby has been weaned from the breast or bottle, a switch to full-fat cows' milk can be made.

Children under two years old need full-fat milk because it gives them the extra calories and vitamin A that a younger child needs."

Also, here is the mention of 12 months, again not in line with anything I've seen from DH. Quote:

"Breast milk
This is the best drink for babies in the first few months and, ideally, up to a year old and beyond."

The 2007 edition (latest available online) of the DH publication "Birth to five" also has a few gems, such as:

"Keep to your baby?s usual breast milk
or infant formula milk. Give milk at
waking and bedtime." under a section that seems to be about babies aged 6-9 months. Also, later on it says "Continue to breastfeed or give
infant formula as your baby?s main
drink until your baby is one year
old. They contain important
nutrients", though it does go on to say "You can go on breastfeeding your
baby alongside giving solid food for
as long as you want to. If both you
and your baby enjoy it, there?s no
reason to stop. A bedtime breastfeed
can make a good end to the day."

The section on your toddlers diet from 12 months talks about cows milk, but doesn't mention breastmilk at all (pg 74).

A lot of this is actually out of line with official Govt policy of exclusive bf to 6 months and continue as long as you want to after that. Anyone fancy a Mumsnet email campaign ?

Birth to five

They don't mean cut off the bf at six months and switch to another milk. They mean that at six months you can start on solids as well as bfeeding. But yes, it could be rephrased.

If you want to, introduce a little water to give baby a chance to start using a sippy cup, maybe keep this for the car when baby is sitting in the carseat, or for trips out shopping etc if it's hot to keep fluid levels up.

They mean exclusive breastfeeding ie breastfeeding with no other food or drink, but I agree it is often interpreted as exclusive breastfeeding meaning giving no formula until 6 months.

I thought most NHS advice seemed to be "Breastfeed for the first year" - our HVs in this area, when not giving terrible weaning advice say "We like you to breastfeed for at least a year, and then however long you want to after that".

hanaflower, that's pretty much what I said/think.