Hunker would like to know - are you seeing a health visitor or other healthcare professional about your baby in the near future?

[hunkermunker]

For more on why, please see here

Thank you very much. Have also posted in breast/bottle feeding.

not a hv but get professional magazine which has many articles aimed at health visitors. DOH advice and WHO advice guidelines continue to state that babies should be exclusively breast/ bottle fed (preferably breast) for first 6 months. not aware of any ongoing doh debate over this at present. However there has been some recent research which suggests that late introduction of cows milk is linked to increased risk for eczema and recurrent wheeze and delaying cows milk and other food products was associated with increased risk of atopy (pediatrics 2008 122(1)). (sorry not good with links) anyway this is is an ongoing study in the netherlands The authors suggest further debate is needed and the guidelines haven't changed so wouldn't worry at present. hope this helps.

FJ, your DD is NOT 8 months old [whimper] No way! She was born a month ago, tops [life flashes past]

I would like you to ask your HV if the weaning age is changing back to 4 months, but if you know that they're firmly on the "wean at 4m, it never did mine any harm" bus, post that too - because I think it will interest the DoH to learn that their guidelines are so roundly ignored!

no fj's baby was only born a month ago.

My DTs are 23 weeks old. When I asked HV three weeks ago what the advice was she said 'they say 6 months' and I said 'what about a bit of fruit and veg' and she said 'they say 6 months'. That was before I read all the stuff on MN and realised how important it was to wait. It would have been good of the HV to explain in detail why they say 6 months.

Last week a different HV asked 'have you started on solids yet?' (they were 22 weeks old). I said 'no', she said 'well, that's OK if you don't want to yet'

But she didn't say they are changing the advice back to 4 months.

I am getting a 'weaning visit' from HV on Tuesday, I am happy to ask any questions you want me to.

Went for 4 month weigh in yesterday and asked my HV. We already talked about the 6 month recomendations when DS was 2 months old. HV very anti Bounty/baby food companies, and said she'd phoned them to ask why they haven't changed their labels and was told it was because of EU regulations! I said I'd heard that the guidelines might be going back to 4 months, she said that was rubbish and quizzed me about where I'd heard that, when I said Mumsnet she said she was surprised because she thought it was a respectable site, there was a queue of people waiting so no time to defend Mumsnet

oh don't, I am pretty sure that ds is actually only a week old, but oddly tall...

ok i am seeing my hv for a telling off today (I also need medicine) so I will ask her.

aitch it has come to my attention that in my absence you need to have gestated and produced another baby . Congratulations on that one

franny made one too. and expat's got one on the way.

you started a run on babies. BUY! BUY!

I asked my HV this morning and she says no way its still 6 months....

The HVs in our area, which is a fairly deprived area of London, are very much on collective message about exclusive breastfeeding and 6 month weaning, always shouting from the rooftops about how babies don't need anything else. They have a 'weaning seminar' one afternoon a month for parents of babies coming up to 4-6 month age group where they pretty much talk about finger foods from the start and have a dietician that talks about giving nutricious homecooked meals. To be honest I thought 6 months was norm everywhere these days until I started going on internet forums.

When I asked my HV yesterday why foods are labelled 4-6 months she got heated up about the 'greedy' food manufacturers not wanting to loose billions in profits etc etc.

mustincrease - I've had the same experience as you. I've only heard about people getting bad advice by reading Mumsnet. I live in a not very well off area, go to lots of Sure Start/Childrens centre baby groups and everyone seems to know about the waiting till 6 months rule.

I must start an "early weaners are loons" thread because you're all far too sensible!

Seriously though - there are loads of posters who swear blind their HV says it's 4m - surely they're not making it up?!

i am hunker 0 she is a rare breed - a lovely, very realistic and supportive hv

linkwill look at your p

my hv told me to wean early and I did. It must have been about 16 weeks or something. I felt really, really very guilty about it because I came to late to mn to know that it was the wrong advice. This was 3 years ago.

I wish I had known about mumsnet then.

Damn, missed this thread! I had a very rare slot with the HV today (normally just get him weighed) to ask about unrelated thing. She's slightly loon-esque (once told me that pureed carrot was more 'calorie dense' than boobjuice!) but has always been pretty straight on weaning at 'about' 6 months ('about' meaning c. 24 weeks on, not 4 months!). Other HV that I saw once (think I dreamt her up) glowed all over when I said we were going to try BLW. Wonder what they've done with her...

WHERE are all the MNers with lunatic HVs?!

not here, i'm afraid - asked mine today if she'd heard they were changing and she very firmly said no

GP very good, supportive of me still BF and BLW, said no 6 months it is.

My friend and I have DC's 3 days apart.

Her HV has told her that as her DD is a very hungry baby that she should start weaning early. She did at 15 weeks. When I asked my HV about it, I was told that the current guidelines are 6 months but as DS is my baby, it is my choice to go from 4 months. She didn't recommend it though, but at the same time, didn't actively encourage it.

My DS is a very hungry baby too having a large birth weight but is doing just fine on the milk although I would be lying if I said the thought of introducing food at this stage had not crossed my mind.

I am seeing my HV on Monday and I will try to remember to ask.

To add though that when DD was 6mo I took her to get weighed and was 'told off' by my HV as I hadn't started weaning her yet. HV said that I had missed the window of oppourtunity to waen and that DD will never eat solids
Bloody good job I have MN and knew better.

Also I aksed her about BLW and she told me it was dangerous and if I do it I would be putting my DD at risk.
At ricsk of what she didn't specify as I was out of there sharpish.

Sorry forgot to add that DD is nearly 11mo now.

I think I must have the world's best HV. Mine said and I quote:

"Oh they change the recommendations now and then, most people go for six months, some try for four but it's silly really, everyone knows it takes till at least 12 months before food becomes nutritionally as important as milk so don't worry about it, I've never met an adult who is still supping only breastmilk!"

just a thought - after reading some of the Bounty weaning threads - I wonder if some people ignore the guidelines, decide to start weaning early, then say the HV told them to do it.

If HVs really are giving out such bad advice its surprising that no-one has named names and made official complaints to Primary Care Trusts.

LOL Dustytv - 'your baby will never eat solids'!!!

Went to a weaning "class" today. Our 14 week home visits have been cancelled due to lack of staff, so mums are being called in to these weaning and developement groups. I asked about the 4 month weaning and HV said that it's still 6 months.
Apparently if baby starts getting hungrier before 6 months you should offer more milk first, even if it means 2 hourly feeds. If you can hold off introducing solids until at least 20 weeks, then that's ok, but try to wait until 6 months.
Does that help you Hunker?

Thank you more, folks.

Can those of you who've reported HV experiences post them on the blog, please? Just a C&P of what you've put here would be ace. Makes it easier for me to send back to the DoH.

Thank you!

It's heartening to see there are so many good HVs!

And Drucella, I reckon it's often used as a "my HV told me to" cop-out...