Campaign against giving babies solid food blasted

London : A campaign by ministers to deter mothers from giving their babies solid food too soon has been dismissed as "unrealistic nonsense" by experts.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham yesterday urged women not to "rush to mush", in other words to delay weaning until their children are six months old, and to breast feed exclusively until then.

He was launching the Start4Life campaign at the Royal College of Midwives conference in Manchester.

The campaign says that babies are not ready for solid food unless they can pass the so called "banana challenge" — when they can reach out, grab a piece of banana and eat it unaided.

It claims that baby food jars labelled "from four months" are based on "outdated guidelines and research" and that a baby's digestive system is not ready for solids until six months.

Mothers are told that breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months will help protect their baby against obesity, eczema and ear, chest and tummy bugs.

Malnutrition

However, childcare experts accused ministers of "nanny state" meddling. They said much of the advice was formulated to protect against malnutrition and illness in the Third World, rather than modern-day Britain.

Clare Byam-Cook, a former midwife who has taught thousands of women — including celebrities such as Kate Winslet and Natasha Kaplinsky — how to feed their babies, described much of the advice as "nonsense".

She said that milk alone satisfies few babies of six months and introducing solids will help them — and their parents — sleep through the night.