Why doesn't the WHO have guidelines for when to wean?

[banana87]

I have just searched their website and google...if it's there it's not easy to find.

I ask because someone on my FB is going on about not being able to wait until 4 months to wean her baby and people are saying they put baby rice in their babies bottles at 6 weeks!!! .

I admit to giving DD baby rice at 4 months, but that was on the advice of a pead due to her lack of weight gain, and the fact that she WAS ready. But 6 weeks???

Anyway, I am trying to find a link from WHO (said friend is in US so UK gov't recommendations wouldn't do)....or does each country have their own set of recommendations?

That is truely shocking banana. I can't find the WHO guidelines either. There is some info here but the link to the WHO page isn't working.

As for putting cereal in bottles, just no. It is a choking hazard, it fills up babies tummy with cereal which has a low nutrition content and may lead to the baby not getting enough calories and nutrition to grow and develop properly. There is some more info here.

I come from a poor city where ff and early weaning are the norm. One of my cousins was ff and weaned at 6 weeks. He has cronic asthma and had a heart attack at 27, may not be linked to early feeding but it probably is.

Have you posted in the feeding section, just thought you may get a better response and hope you manage to change her mind.

Have you got the information you need now banana and has she changed her mind?

No not yet. Need to re post this on a more popular part of the board...

www.who.int/.../nutrition/publications/infantfeeding/optimal_duration_of_exc_bfeeding_review_eng.pdf - try this.

WHO websites are always a mess, in my experience. But if you know the name and subject matter of the topic/report you can usually find it by googling.