Weaning age changed back to 4 months?

[LavenderMist]

I missed the HV weaning session but apparently the other mums were told that the guidelines were about to change back to 4 months again. This doesn't affect me, as due to DP having Type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease, and wanting to do BLW we plan to ex bf to 6 months anyway. But is this true? Have any HV on here heard this? And why?

Did the HV really say that or did she say that you couldn't start any sooner than 4 months?

Ring your HV and find out what she actually said is my advice.

Does it really matter what the current advice is - shouldn't you just do what's best for you and your lo? Babies and their development hasn't changed over the years, just the recommendations ....

Good point, hunkermunker. We have another HV session tomorrow, will ask then.

Thefunkypea, it matters to me because I want to do what's best based on the best available evidence and I want other parents to have the same opportunity. As I see it, the recommendations change when new evidence or research updates and improves our understanding of human physiology. So if there's new information out there to suggest that 4 months is the optimum weaning age then I would like to know about it and I may then change my mind about when to wean.

LM, I doubt there's anything like that out there. Honestly. Be interested to hear what your HV says though. How has she been so far about current guidelines?

Not sure -only met her once! I have been mostly ignoring HVs except for our PN group sessions, which are rather wishy-washy. So far I have managed to miss most of them

likely is that there is no new evidence out there but like the drinking and pregnancy guidelines there may be a new interpretation of the same evidence.

evidence base shows early weaning (before 4 months) to be harmful and no evidence of any positive benefit before 26 weeks.
any of the recent guidelines (4-6 months), 6 months, not before 17 weeks are actually all consistent with this

Thanks witchandchips, that makes sense. I won't stress too much if DS seems to want food earlier than 6m.

yep, witchandchips, and in fact that's the good thing about BLW LavenderMist. it seems to me if a baby is externally capable of picking up a bit of carrot at 5 months, then it follows (to my untutored mind) that it will likely be okay internally too. in fact the weaning age was 4 months when Gill Rapley did her wee bit of research (although the kids did by and large eat the food at 6).

I was pushed into weaning at 4 months by pediatrician and motherin law. I am stuck in the pits of old eastern Germany, where they are stuck in a DDR time warp. I should NEVER have listened to their advice, as starting so early caused me more work and hassle than ever.

Again there are exceptions, but most babies are not really very active until around 6-7 months. My baby has only just started rolling over from tummy to back (6 months old). On her back she rolls onto her side, but she is not sitting up yet or trying to crawl so her appetitie is minimum. Looking back, at four months, my baby was doing nothing really in terms of movement and we were battling with drink amounts then. If they do not move about much, where is their appetite supposed to come from? I think it depends, if your baby is guzzling bottles galore down and always seems hungry and is active and developmentally advanced, then maybe there would be a benefit, but if there is a fight with drinking amounts best to wait and also if allergies are present in the family. I really wish I had waited. Also many babies still have the tongue thrust reflex up until 6 months (which I think my one had ), which makes feeding from a spoon as good as impossible.

Oh and the portion sizes are a joke. I made up a portion of baby rice (packaged from supermarket) and said to my hubbie "my God, thats just about as much as I would eat!". and my husband replied "God, where is all that supposed to go?"
When my baby then only took 3 teaspoons, I ate the rest and was full It was the standard portion size with about 130ml water and 5 dessert spoons of the powder. The scary thought is that from 7 or 8 months the size goes up!?

My advice.. wait.. until baby seems really hungry..

I have seen other people saying that their hv's have said the weaning age is changing back to 4 months as well (but didnt really believe it tbh!!)