Can I ask the experts what are the problems apart from allergy issues that current research has decided stem from weaning before six months?
I am interested as we have a massively long history of allergy problems, but none of the current generation of babies has started to thrive until solids introduced, although during this generation the advice has gone from 8 week weaning to 6 months - and the allergy profiles are exactly the same.
With ds I was advised by the HV to withhold solids until 7 months, although in the next breath she told me how important it was to have him on a varied diet by 6 months, and that I should leave three days between the introduction of new foods. The fact that this doesn't add up didn't seem to worry her at all..... sometimes I feel I am dealing with people with no logic whatsoever.
When he was referred to the paediatrician consultant (failing to thrive, not putting on more than an oz or two per week if that, despite feeding being closely monitored - we went into hospital for observation of feeding to check it was all going OK), we were told to start him on solids at 13 weeks (tiny portions of baby rice at first). When I came back and told the HV she flipped out, and told me I would damage ds if I went forward, but couldn't come up with any reasons other than vague hints about allergies, which frankly he hasn't a dog's chance of avoiding given the family history.
Within the first week of rice he put on 14oz and has never looked back, noiw back up to 75tgh centile despite dropping to 0.4th at one stage.
I asked the paediatrician, who said that the WHO guidelines are just that, guidelines, and that there will be the odd babe who needs different treatment. I thought this sounded pretty sensible but the HV is STILL freaking at me about my following their advice and blames every tiny blip from a spot to teething troubles on this.
I would really like to pick the brains of the mumsnet experts to find out what the problems of early weaning REALLY are as loopy HV never gives me any hard facts except to say the paediatrician is wrong and I have probably irretrievably damaged my child - not helpful!
PS we have a nice HV too who just says He seems fine, you probably did the right thing but the other one is making me neurotic!