With regard to the DVD, it is an instructional tool for professionals that is made available for the public to purchase at a lower cost IF THEY WANT TO, BLW is common sense and the DVD nonessential.

Why is it ok for Annabel Karmel (et al) to sell recipe books, kitchen equipment and ready made meals, making how many 100 million? Yet Gill Rapley has a DVD (not on a new release, this press explosion is not created by her to encourage sales) and openly talks about BLW and people recoil in horror! £25 for a single product that is only publicised within her profession is hardly a money spinner! I have weaning books that cost nearly as much as the DVD!

I have not seen the DVD, I feed my baby what I eat and have saved untold £100's. One day children will have to eat with their family, if a family eats badly they would eventually eat badly and it has nothing to do with BLW.

Claire, Birmingham,

My oldest child is now 32 and was exclusively breastfed until he was 6 months old. The information that breastmilk was good enough was certainly around all those years ago and was confirmed by his healthy and consistent growth. He was followed by four siblings, now aged 30,27 and 22 (twins) none of whom had anything other than breastmilk for over 6 months and all of whom grew well and stayed healthy.
La Leche League has been supporting mums for over 50 years and their thoughts on giving solids are that breastmilk is the only food necessary until the baby shows sign of needing other foods, about the middle of the first year after birth. Much less prescriptive than the 6 months currently recommended and certainly borne out by the evidence of thousands of mothers and babies throughout the world.
Throughout history (and in many other parts of the world still) it was mothers who decided when babies should receive solids and how and mostlty spoon feeding was not on the agenda.

Sarah Gill, Nottingham, England

It is ridiculous to suggest that most mothers cannot breastfeed for the full six months. It is the first few weeks that are the major problem, once past this breastfeeding can continue for many months, if not years.
BLW is not a new phenomenon. It is something I began with my eldest child 18 years ago. However the main difference between BLW and what this article advocates is that BLW is exactly that BABY LED! BLW proposes that the baby is offered foods it can hold and eat itself. A baby of four months cannot reach for and feed itself with any foods. A baby of six months can sit mostly unaided and reach for foods from its own plate and enjoy the taste, texture and fun of feeding itself. Therefore the ideal for baby would be to breastfeed for six months as nature intends before introducing finger foods which the baby can enjoy ay leisure.
I am a mother of 7, aged 10 months to 18 years, all BLW, and all with a healthy attitude and enjoyment of food. Who's the expert???

Rebecca Shaw, Skelmersdale, Lancashire

First, there is the unending pressure to breast-feed and the seemingly unrealistic goal of keeping it up for six months.

Why should there not be pressure to breastfeed, there is pressure to give up smoking and not drink too much as they are bad for our health. With studies showing that breastfed babies have less allergies and less illness and mums that breastfeed are at a lesser risk of certain cancers and of developing osteoporosis the evidence points to bottle feeding being bad for babies. With the right advice and support it is not difficult to breastfeed exclusively for six months. The problem is we are obsessed with comparing our babies to charts that show what the average baby ‘should’ be doing. Do you know of anyone who has ever given birth to an average baby?
Breastfed babies gain weight at a different rate than formula fed babies, yet the weight charts in the ‘little red books’ that we are given to chart our child’s development are based on formula fed babies.
The Government

Jeni, Manchester, UK

I started feeding my son on baby rice, as suggested by the local baby clinic, when he was almost 4 months old. he loathed it, so I decided to simply introduce the food we ate, but pureed & mashed. By 5 months he was eating more or less the same as us, & was extremely healthy. At 8 months he was feeding himself, & his food was just chopped into small pieces. He developed a liking for a huge variety of food, ate lots of fruit & veg, & is a joy to cook for, as he just loves good food. Now, at 18, he is a little more choosy (more peer pressure I think, as most of his friend seem to exist on junk food & chips), but still enjoys a very varied healthy diet. We never had problems taking him to restaurants, even as a young child, and because he was used to eating 'proper' food, he always ate from the adult menu - we simply asked for a suitably sized portion, which they were always happy to supply.

Karen, Nottingham, ENGLAND

Breast feeding my boy has proved to be the best way, in every respect. He is 14 months old, and so far he has not been ill, not even feverish. Everyone wonders, how calm he is, and how well - built. Another piece of good news: I lost all the kilos, I had put on during pregnancy, maybe even more! Up to six months he was feeding on breastmilk, exclusively, and then gradually vegetables. Now he eats everything, and as a supplement, he still gets breast milk. And how I keep the milk up? At the first few months he was put on the breast , whenever he wanted. I never watched the clock, how much time had passed since the last feeding. Good luck for breast feeding and dont believe the food producer lobby!!!!!!!!!

Anyuka Gyeden, Budapest, Hungary

The comments made about babies needing to be breastfed so frequently that mother was exhausted support the common misconception that breastfeeding is tiring.
It is parenting that is hard work and not breastfeeding which actually gives mother a chance to put her feet up. Lactation suppresses the nervous system's hormonal response to stress so that mothers actually cope with whatever life throws at them better during the time they are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is so often used as a scapegoat when it is the ideal mothering mothering tool.

barbara, Ilkley, uk

I breastfed my daughter exclusively till 6 months and it was not an 'unrealistic goal'. I personally was in no rush to wean her when she was not ready. It made absolutely no difference to her sleeping pattern when I introduced solids, so just goes to show (James, Taunton) that all babies are different. I was happy to breastfeed exclusively until 6 months, and to be honest find weaning a lot more hard work! At least by 6 months she was sitting unaided and could handle 'lumpy' food and go down the BLW route.

Eve , Hastings, East Sussex

The fact that babies need 'pureed' food from four months onwards is a myth that has been perpetuated by infant feeding companies. They have a financial interest to ensure that we continue to do this and buy their products. Ms Annabel karmel has a made a fortune via her puree cookbooks.

Ms Gill Rapley is a health professional with many years of experience and has actually DONE some research into baby weaning and has no hidden financial agenda.

I initailly thought I would introduce pureed food to my baby as I didn't know any better and it was what everyone else was doing. However, when I read into the process - i could immdeiately see how unatural feeding pureed food to babies when their digestive system was not mature enoughto deal with it. Breastfeeding exclusively was difficult around the four month mark as she had a growth spurt but i just carried on and it got much easier. My baby at the age of 6 1/2 months now feeds herself solid food beautifully. It's so easy!

Donna James, Cardiff,

Slummy Mummy says chew a mouthful of your food and give to baby on a spoon. Thats the way the animals save on washing up.

Rosalind Readhead, London, England

My 1st child refused pureed food, & then solid food until about 14months, he was fed on breastmilk and never showed any signs of iron dificiency or starvation.
I waited until my second child was 10 months and then she started eating food off my plate.
With the next two I let them eat off my plate when they were ready (around 7-8 mths) I also partially chewed some food before giving it to them as this is a great way of getting them to start chewing. I have never used any baby foods
I propose the reason we have so many obese children in the UK now is due to the fact that we wean them on mush. They don't develop muscles strong enough to chew foods like meat and raw fruit and veg. They are used to being quickly satiated from foods like cereals, crisps and biscuits. I agree every child is an individual, we should trust our instincts, but can we hear them above the noise of all those 'weaning manuals' that fill our bookstores. Burn the weaning books & have a happy baby!

Louisa, Oxford, Oxon

As a mother of two, both exclusively breastfed to 6 months, I am shocked by the statistic quoted that only 2% of women are still exclusively breastfeeding by the time their babies are 6mths old. I am even more horrified by the phrasing "only 2% of women manage it" as if breastfeeding your child is a chore to be finished with as soon as possible. If I hear one more mother tell me that they had to stop breastfeeding because they weren't producing enough milk I will scream! Why is there this myth that human being's are completely unique in their biological make-up and cannot feed their young as nature intended, if this myth were true then surely mankind would have died out eons ago before the modern world pressurized mothers to reach for formula milks and start solids as soon as their babies fail to sleep through the night.I have no problem with women not wishing to breastfeed but for those women who do want to breastfeed their babies let us accept it as the norm and support them 100%.

karen , letchworth,

If this is really critical, life-saving information for our children, why do we have to pay £25.00 for a DVD with the information!?!?! Just another expert opinion intended to sell the books of the 'inventor'. Every chiuld is individual. Do what suits your child best.

gmk, gothenburg, sweden

It is really disingenuous of you to use the descriptor "Dr" for Gillian Harris in this context. She is not a medical doctor, she has a PhD in forensic psychology. So she has no formal medical or dietetic training.

As for the advice you give on how to do BLW, it rather goes against the philosophy to suggest starting earlier than six months. The aim is to go from milk to solid foods straight away at about six months.

A final point: if pureeing were a "necessary" stage in weaning babies, how on earth did humans survive the millions of years we existed without the benefit of a Magimix?

Steve, London,

For those people posting here that their babies were not satisfied at 4 months, you should know that there is are big growth spurts at 16 weeks and 20 weeks. Most likely the "excessive" feeding you experienced would have abated in a short time. Not only that, baby rice would certainly not make up for any so called deficiency of breastmilk as is it nowhere near as nutritious nor calorific. Neither would pureed carrot, peas or anything else you could feed such a young baby. It is a complete myth that it is unrealistic to go six months with exclusive breastfeeding. This article was horrifically researched as regards breastfeeding and frankly irresponsible.. The baby led weaning part was a bit more accurate.

Roxane, London,

Apparently the nutrition has not seen a baby. He should be told that babies do not have teeth so they cannot chew. Babies stomach is used to only liquids i.e. milk etc, they require some time to get used to semi solid and solid food. I am astonished that Times gives so much space to pseudo experts who have no idea what are they talking about.

Khalid Mian, London,UK, UK

Babies don't need teeth to eat finger foods. The teeth are in their gums, as you will no doubt realise when they chew on your finger, and are most certainly able to eat finger foods at around 6 months old (with, or without, teeth). My son did this and has eaten what the rest of the family eats since the age of about 7.5 months old (he had a proper Christmas dinner at this age). Now at 13 months he is able to eat out in a restaurant and be perfectly civilised, unlike puree-fed babies I know of the same age. BLW advice does not advocate puree from the age of 4 months old. People that say that they 'could not' wait until 6 months old as their child was too hungry, simply didn't wait for the large growth spurt at around that age to end. It is true that their milk intake increases drastically at this time, just as it does with all previous growth spurts. Children should not be fed solids when they are not capable of picking up food, putting it in their mouths and chewing it.

Wendy, Bristol, UK

My goodness I am speechless at Dr Gillian Harris comments! It's not new news to wait until 6 months, it was recommended 5 years ago when my middle son was born. He was weaned the blw way as was my 1 year old son.
They are quite capable at 6 months of self feeding with normal, healthy, unprocessed family foods.
Don't knock it until you give a baby a chance to show you they can do it!
I really am astounded by a medical professional perpetuating the bigger/hungry baby myth as a reason for starting soilds. She really should know better. Despite what this article says BLW does not advocate solids before 6 months.
Babies just need more breastmilk, I'm sorry if it's not convenient for you but it's the truth. We should try and respect babies physiological needs and not try and force them out of it for our own needs, whether it be boredom or unrealistic expectations.
When you have a baby prepare to spend a great deal of time nursing your baby, frequently, on cue. It's how it works!

Tracy Morter, South Woodham Ferrers, UK

Stating the time at which weaning should start misses the whole point of baby led weaning - we follow the baby's cues as to when it is right for them. In addition, I disagree with Dr Harris's comments about the lack of evidence for the advantages in weaning around 6 months, but would argue previous recommendations for weaning ages were not evidence based. What qualifications does clinical psychologist Dr Gillian Harris have to qualify her as a leading nutritionist?
PS. I also think it very poor manners to refer to Gill by her surname only.

Chris Jordan, Bolton,

Hmmm- What this researcher suggests about breastfeeding seems to be that it's not that important-- and that the benefits of providing immunity benefits, perfect nutrition, and maternal bonding are secondary to the importance of being able to eat lumpy food. Her approach is certainly opposite to what any reputable pediatrician will tell new parents about the benefits of breastfeeding. And why is it a seemingly unrealistic goal to breastfeed for at least 6 months? One can certainly supplement breastmilk with cereal feedings, the introduction of pureed vegetables, and other foods before 6 months, so what's the big deal? Too wrapped up in ourselves to provide at least six months of breastfeeding to our children, are we?

Michele, Fairbanks, Alaska/USA

Cochrane review 2002 (search "exclusive breastfeeding" on PubMed):
We found no objective evidence of a 'weanling's dilemma'. Infants who are exclusively breastfed for six months experience less morbidity from gastrointestinal infection than those who are mixed breastfed as of three or four months, and no deficits have been demonstrated in growth among infants from either developing or developed countries who are exclusively breastfed for six months or longer. Moreover, the mothers of such infants have more prolonged lactational amenorrhea. Although infants should still be managed individually so that insufficient growth or other adverse outcomes are not ignored and appropriate interventions are provided, the available evidence demonstrates no apparent risks in recommending, as a general policy, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life in both developing and developed country settings. Large randomized trials are recommended in both types of setting

Claire, Fife,

Dr Gillian Harris has links with formula manufacturers Wyeth and is totally biased in her ideas. Also, she only works with children with problems, which will necessarily skew her findings.

As for iron stores running out by six months in breastmilk, that's rubbish. Iron levels are lower in breastmilk, but the iron that's there is totally bioavailable to the baby, not like the levels in formula, which are artificially high. This excess iron is simply excreted by formula-fed infants and often causes problems such as constipation.

Louise Winters, London,

It's a myth that the size of a baby affects the weaning age. At six months old my daughter was still in Newborn clothes. She has taken to BLW amazingly and I would recommend it to anyone.

At four months babies go through a growth spurt, that is why they feed more - try going through them with a preterm, I have had three days where I have eaten food with her attached, gone to bed with her attached, listened to her scream when I go to the toilet, get dressed or change position - it lasts a couple of days then their feeding settles back down, all they are doing with those big feeds is increasing the supply for the bigger baby you will have next week! Unfortunately in that time most mum's have called their HV saying what do I do and been told (wrongly) "wean them". By the time you start the growth spurt is over and the sleeping settles back down.

TBC

Isobel, Birmingham,

Hmm.... Yet more health advice on how to bring up your child in the 21st century. Where will it end I wonder? Parent schools? New born and developing babies being monitored by CCTV? The Baby Stasi? (BS for short...). Good intentioned (no doubt) Gill Rapley may be be but this send a message of 'Your crap' to every parent. Leave us alone!

Noel McLaughlin, Chester, Cheshire

The six month rule is utterly unrealistic - at four months our son was nedding feeding so regularly my wife was exhausted. Starting him on solids has made us all a lot happier and improved his sleeping patterns. One size fits all guidelines seem to do more harm than good and are generally "erring on the safe side" which generally means misery for breastfeeding mothers!

James, Taunton, Somerset

My son is just 7 months old and he hasn't got any teeth. We had no other option than to spoon feed him mashed vegetables, rusks made soft with boiled water and cereals. He needed to eat because he is a big baby and breastfeeding wasn't satisfying his hunger, so I introduced solids at 4 months (rusk with warmed breastmilk)
He now eats pretty much whatever we give him.
Hopefully he should progress naturally to holding his own food, he seems to do pretty well with everything else he puts in his mouth to relieve the teething!

Catherine, Birmingham,

I started both my girls on pureed vegetables and baby rice at 4 months old. At six months they were eating solid foods, meat, pasta, whole pieces of vegetables (soft ones) and really whatever we were eating in a simple form ( i didn't know it was called baby led weaning though!) My second child refused to be fed by anyone at 7 months and fed herself successfully from there onwards. Both my girls love vegetables and are good eaters. We eat a variety of foods and if they don;t like something they just leave it. I agree whole heartedly with this article and as a result have two healthy girls who eat a wide variety of foods and are easy to feed.

Debbie, Darwin, Australia

At last, somebody prepared to stand up and speak some sense. My last baby weighed 9lbs 15oz. Breastfeeding only until the age of 6 months would have left one very unhappy and hungry baby and a mother verging on suicide I fear.

Carmel, Leeeds, UK