I want to write a complaint letter about our HV's weaning advice. Can you help me?

[Hopefully]

Was in the HV clinic getting DS weighed today, and just couldn't believe what I was hearing. I'm not a manic lentil weaving BLWer, and actually don't particularly imagine I'll do BLW unless DS turns his nose up at a spoon, but this is just ridiculous.

The girl in front of me was really distressed as her baby won't take anything off a spoon, but will happily take food from her plate at eat it. She asked HV if it was ok to do that with veggies and appropriate food, and HV said, "no, that's really dangerous. he'll choke and could die."

She also asked HV's advice on avoiding dairy as almost everyone in her family has excema and/or cow's milk intolerance. Her child also had red raw excema until she gave up dairy (she still BFs) HV's advice? "Well, it's probably not that. Why don't you just give him some dairy and see what happens?" I kid you not.

The girl had also mentioned that she started weaning at 23 weeks, baby is now 26 weeks, and HV said he should really be on 3 full meals a day by 26 weeks. I managed to quickly suggest googling BLW as she passed me on the way out (couldn't really give any more advice as I've never even looked into it myself, but have read about it on here enough to know that it's perfectly safe and probably right for her baby).

I don't normally get het up about things like this, but this poor girl was obviously quite distressed, and was made to feel even worse for offering her (obviously thriving, sitting up on the changing mat) baby a bit of brocolli!

Added to that, HV asked me if DS was on solids yet, and when I said no (he is 22 weeks), she again repeated the advice to start soon so he is on 3 meals a day by 26 weeks.

She was quite a young HV, so presumably had trained vaguely recently, so I'm not sure why she was so out of date with her info.
Anyway, does anyone have any good information on BLW they can link to, so I can print it out and include it when I write? I'm not going to suggest that they should recommend it in all cases, but I want to argue that they should at least inform HVs that it is a safe option, and they don't need to dissuade mothers from doing it.

And I wasn't being totally nosy, she was stood right in front of me, which is how I heard the whole conversation!

Are HVs actually on a mission to deliberately undermine DoH advice?

Go for it Hopefully - who will you send it to? I suggest PCT, and local Children's Trust, but am sure others will have good suggestions.

could point the HV in the direction of this leaflet produced by the Food Standards Agency which says finger foods are find from 6 months, and ask why she disagrees with government advice?

I wouldn't necessarily go for the BLW stuff per se in your letter (and I say this as a VERY enthusiastic BLW-er), as there isn't lots of research about it to back your argument up. What you should cite is the NHS's OWN guidance saying that babies should have finger foods from 6 months: here and here (page 8 in particular)

If I were you I would open by saying you wish to draw their attention to the advice given in X clinic on X day by X HV, set down the conversation as you heard it (with the mother's state of mind) and the conversation you had yourself. Enclose the leaflet above plus anything else you can find by the DOH supporting 6 month weaning and/or BLW. Ask them to explain how the HV advice relates to the published advice enclosed and then ask them what they are going to do in the future to ensure both this and all HVs are not only taught the current information but are also monitored to ensure they are delivering the right information. I would also be tempted to ask if they could commision a study on how satisfied parents are with HV support and HV information.

Remember to ask for a response in a certain timescale and possibly cc it to your local MP.

If you are feeling brave also cc it to the clinc where the HV was giving this advice

This even..

Bombard her with NHS advice (I agree, I'd probably not mention BLW per se.)

Finger foods from 6mo is standard advice and in the weaning leaflet - my HVs ask everyone if they are offering it and start lecturing mums if they aren't! i get the impression that if people wait until 6mo to wean then if they are doing purees they don't offer finger foods straight away (take time to build up to it) so HVs are very very keen to tell them to get on with it.

If you did want to mention BLW then the best thing would be to reference Gill Rapley who has studied it and written a book about it, as she is a health visitor and is something to do with UNICEF's baby friendly initiative. Google her to find out more than my brain can remember!

Agree, use NHS own advice. HVs should be giving out consistent information in line with the recommendations of the organisation by whom they are employed, which she clearly was not!

Thanks for the tips - I'll frame it as why is she going against NHS advice I think, sounds a bit more 'official'. I reckon I'll write to PCT and the clinic itself (although I like the idea of MP as well!)

It really is insane - it just seems incredible that HVs are truly giving out incorrect advice. They've always been fine with me, but a number of women in my baby group weaned up to 6 weeks early on advice from the same clinic (one woman got really stressed as her poor little baby kept getting hysterical and pushing the food out/throwing up, and was finally convinced to abandon it for a few weeks by some women at the group).

Go for it Hopefully - this HV sounds really uninformed.

Could I just ask - I hope/ don't think this is a hijack - if everyone on here feels that when we overhear (and I mean overhear, like the OP, not eavesdrop) really crap advice like this HV's, we sort of have a responsibility to say something? I am constantly torn between being appalled when I hear terrible advice like this, especially when it pertains to feeding babies, and wanting to say something - and sometimes I actually do - and feeling like I should MYOB because the conversation didn't involve me and wondering if I should or not and would it confuse the already confused parent even more...

Sorry, I was just wondering, really not trying to hijack, tell me if this would be worth posting as a separate thread.

This definitely needs complaining about. I would echo all the advice you've had above. As a HV myself I find the advice you overheard shockingly bad and there is absolutely NO excuse for it.

No HV should be saying "3 meals a day by 26 weeks" anymore.

Jacksmama - its an interesting point - at my 8 month check I hear someone get blatantly wrong bf advice - and I was itching to say something but didnt of course. It would be wrong to interfere when we dont know the whole story but god its sooo difficult.

But yes I would complain about the hv - that 3 meals by 26 weeks is ridiculous - how could you possibly do that if you were only just starting out.

Presumably she thinks finger foods can only be processed stuff like ricecakes and breadsticks as well. Barmy.

Oh my word, health visitors and weaning!

Mine told me to wean DD at 22 weeks and when I told her I wanted to hold off til 26 weeks because I have bad asthma she told me the best way to prevent asthma is with a healthy and varied diet and to wean her asap onto one!