So what do the health visitors actually say these days about weaning?

[MrsPhilipGlenister]

I skimmed some of Hunker's thread.

Exactly what advice do health visitors and other professionals give these days? Do they make it properly clear to parents that early weaning is damaging? I think if someone told me that weaning pre-six months could give my baby a stoma at 12 months, then alhtough I don't know what a stoma is I wouldn't take the risk. So is it the case that the HVs etc don't make the msg sufficiently clear?

MrsPG - the whole advice thing about weaning is a total mess. HVs are massively variable in what they know and what they say. They have all received information about current guidance, but training and support is not always available, and many seem not to have read the information (or they have, but they have misunderstood it).

Thanks tiktok.

Suspect that is the answer to hunker's question then!

I think people rely too much on HV's they are community workers and imo it is your responsibility to check out information and found out what the guidelines are. They are not the be all and end all and rule books of child weaning and rearing, I found the birth to 5 year book a great starting point and from there in used the internet and library. My HV was better in giving practical advice regarding ideas about overcoming some problems and never told me to wean, or increase milk etc or anything.

My HV was very definite wrt ds - wait till 6 months and not before. Was going to anyway. Of course with dd the guidelines were different - and so was told 4months.