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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

Going to start weaning 4mth old this week..........................

221 replies

Flumpybumpy · 08/01/2007 09:50

Spoke to my HV as DS is feeding very well with formula. He is putting on weight well and very happy. Sleeps through etc etc....
He is taking a real interest in food and started waking for night feeds etc classic signs that they want more.
My friend is horrified that I am not waiting until he is 6mths, like the guidelines say.
Told HV, she said that weaning is not recommneded until the baby is 6mths however, I am his Mum and she is only there to offer advice, I should do whatever I feel is right for my baby and seek her advice if I need help.
I weaned DD at 4mths with no problems at all, and have to say I find this 'you mustn't do this / that' attitude a bit much.
I know they are only going by new guidelines etc... but my HV does have apoint, all babies are different and only their Mothers know them well to enough to make informed decisions. Maybe we all need to trust our instincts more and use the 'professionals' for support and advice rather than a rulebook.
FB x
P.S. not too sure about BLW though

OP posts:

kiskidee · 13/01/2007 00:49

....and just because that there is now scientific evidence that contradicts what you have done or your mum did, does not mean that you are being 'got at' or should feel paranoid about being a parent, or doubt your instincts.

just weigh up the evidence against your experience and sometimes, your instincts are wrong or right. That is life.

hercules1 · 13/01/2007 00:54

Thankyou, welliemum

The signs are not pulling up etc. I think they've already been stated on this thread several times.

bigbird2003 · 13/01/2007 00:54

If that was aimed at me....I don't feel got at nor do I worry I got anything wrong.

I was/am a confident parent but I worry for the more unconfident parent (and work with these people and have seen perfectly good parents breakdown over comments made by others and I am left to try and put the family back together)

hercules1 · 13/01/2007 00:55

What's the answer then? Withold information and research?

kiskidee · 13/01/2007 01:03

big bird, the UK gov't has access to these guidelines all along and at the same time as all the countries in the world. WHO and UNICEF makes recommendations to gov'ts but has no power to implement them. As someone may have said earlier (or in another thread) the UK gov't only seems to have implemented the guidelines 3 yrs ago i think when it also increase statutory maternity pay to 6 months - after all, parents find the whole weaning thing emotive and want to be the first people to introduce foods to their children.

this is a pdf document that was developed not so long ago by the doh for N Ireland. and here is a similar one for England and Wales but many many hv's etc. don't seem to know it exists or if they know, think they know better and keep recommending the old guidelines to parents. It is up to hv's to keep their knowledge current but for whatever reasons, only seem to read labels on Hienz baby food bottles.

LadyOfTheFlowers · 13/01/2007 01:04

haven't read any of the posts yet only the title and:
'oh my good golly, already?!'

hercules1 · 13/01/2007 01:05

I have an image of a hv in uniform in boots reading the labels of teh baby food jars and making notes.

LadyOfTheFlowers · 13/01/2007 01:05

oh i see.
what else does he do apart from wake in the night?

kiskidee · 13/01/2007 01:09

six months is from due date and is six calendar months

the signs for weaning are best layed out by this link . it also goes into myths and other FAQs

bigbird2003 · 13/01/2007 01:10

I'll agree with everyone who say most HVs aren't up to much! (occasionally you'll find a gem but not very often)

Another question, now that HV's are being phased out and baby clinics are closing.....where do new parents go to get information or voice concerns?

kiskidee · 13/01/2007 01:13

nothing is aimed at you bb. it is just that whenever one of these threads get going, people jump in with anecdotal evidence of what Auntie Grace did with her little Simon at 4 weeks and he is a strapping lad now, etc. etc. and they are going to do the same becuase ds is a big baby and has started to wake at night or guzzles a lot of milk etc, etc.

bigbird2003 · 13/01/2007 01:26

I wasn't giving anecdotal evidence as in 'do it the old way' I was just pointing how things have changed in such a short time

I am wary to guidlines as I was stuck in the middle of back to bed campaign as I said. My daughter wanted to sleep on her back but guidlines said no way.....4 months later..it all changed. Most people don't have guidlines changing in the middle of parenting the same child

I am in the process of changing/bettering my career through study and the history of everything child related is very interesting

BTW just realising how bloody minded no2 child was....it was always her pushing the lines lol

kiskidee · 13/01/2007 01:32

i didn't say you were.

i've been on mn a while and this 'always' gets dragged up on weaning threads.

when i say 'people' i mean 'people' it is not a euphemism for 'you'. i ain't that polite.

welliemum · 13/01/2007 01:36

I dunno, to me it doesn't make any difference how long advice has been hanging around, or how quickly it changes - surely the only thing that matters is the quality of the advice.

bigbird2003 · 13/01/2007 02:17

That's my point though.....all advice at the time is the right advice....until they give new advice

The back to sleep campaign (I know I keep harping on) My daughter hated sleeping on her front, so much so she learnt to roll over at 9.5 weeks old. I was told I must never let her sleep on her back and I had to keep flipping her back on to her tummy. When she was 4 months old, Anne Diamond sadly had her son die of SIDs, he was born 4 days after daughter. She did research and discovered Australia had found a link to SIDs with tummy sleeping and overnight the advice changed

I don't for one minute think the docs or HV's thought they were dolling out the wrong advice. They told me what they knew but it has left me very wary.

I'd never tell someone not to follow professional advice or follow my lead as that is not my place but if I were to have another child I'd use some of my experience in rearing it, using all relevant information and mixing it with my knowledge. As parents I think we have that right

kiskidee · 13/01/2007 02:22

and nobody said you didn't which is why it is advice not law.

Twinklemegan · 13/01/2007 17:33

"Another question, now that HV's are being phased out and baby clinics are closing.....where do new parents go to get information or voice concerns?"

Is that true? I had no idea. I agree that most HVs don't seem to be up to much (although I've generally found mine quite good), but new mums need some source of support surely.

DizzyBint · 13/01/2007 18:06

i hadn't heard baby clinics and HVs were getting phased out either. where have you heard that bigbird? although i'm sure i speak for many who would agree that they'd never go see an HV or go to the baby clinic for advice...

bigbird2003 · 13/01/2007 19:43

I may have put my foot in it there

Health visitors are to be replaced by baby nurses eventually and many regular clinics will be closing

Not a good thing

DizzyBint · 13/01/2007 21:44

what's a baby nurse then? hopefully they will be more expert than HVs if all they deal with is babies.

Twinklemegan · 13/01/2007 21:48

Do you have insider information then bigbird?

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