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| Pureed baby food is 'unnatural' | Pureed baby food is 'unnatural' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Spoon-feeding babies pureed food is unnatural and unnecessary, a Unicef childcare expert has warned. | Spoon-feeding babies pureed food is unnatural and unnecessary, a Unicef childcare expert has warned. |
| Gill Rapley, deputy director of Unicef's Baby Friendly Initiative said feeding babies in this way could cause health problems later in life. | Gill Rapley, deputy director of Unicef's Baby Friendly Initiative said feeding babies in this way could cause health problems later in life. |
| She said children should be fed only with breast or formula milk for six months, then weaned onto solids to improve control over how much they ate. | She said children should be fed only with breast or formula milk for six months, then weaned onto solids to improve control over how much they ate. |
| This could prevent babies becoming picky about food. | This could prevent babies becoming picky about food. |
| There is no longer any window of a baby's development in which they need something more than milk and less than solids Gill Rapley | There is no longer any window of a baby's development in which they need something more than milk and less than solids Gill Rapley |
| Mrs Rapley has spent 25 years as a health visitor, and she said: "I found so many parents were coming to me with the same problems - 'my child is constipated, my child is really picky' - and they couldn't get them on to second stage baby food." | Mrs Rapley has spent 25 years as a health visitor, and she said: "I found so many parents were coming to me with the same problems - 'my child is constipated, my child is really picky' - and they couldn't get them on to second stage baby food." |
| Milk only | Milk only |
| From these observations and her own studies she developed her feeding programme, called Baby-Led Weaning. | From these observations and her own studies she developed her feeding programme, called Baby-Led Weaning. |
| According to this programme, during the first six months babies should receive milk only. | According to this programme, during the first six months babies should receive milk only. |
| She said: "In 2002 the World Health Organisation backed research that found breast or formula milk provided all the nutrition a baby needs up to the age of six months. | She said: "In 2002 the World Health Organisation backed research that found breast or formula milk provided all the nutrition a baby needs up to the age of six months. |
| "That research said feeding a baby any other food during the first six months would dilute the nutritional value of the milk and might even be harmful to the baby's health." | "That research said feeding a baby any other food during the first six months would dilute the nutritional value of the milk and might even be harmful to the baby's health." |
| These findings have been incorporated into government recommendations on baby feeding. | These findings have been incorporated into government recommendations on baby feeding. |
| Solids best | Solids best |
| After six months, Mrs Rapley said babies were capable of taking food into their mouths and chewing it. | After six months, Mrs Rapley said babies were capable of taking food into their mouths and chewing it. |
| Therefore, feeding them pureed food at this time could delay the development of chewing skills. | Therefore, feeding them pureed food at this time could delay the development of chewing skills. |
| Instead, she said, they should be given milk and solid pieces of food which they could chew. | Instead, she said, they should be given milk and solid pieces of food which they could chew. |
| Mrs Rapley argued that babies fed pureed food had little control over how much food they ate, thus rendering them vulnerable to constipation, and running a risk that they would react by becoming fussy eaters later in life. | |
| She blamed the food industry for convincing parents that they should give children pureed food. | She blamed the food industry for convincing parents that they should give children pureed food. |
| She said: "Sound scientific research and government advice now agree that there is no longer any window of a baby's development in which they need something more than milk and less than solids." | She said: "Sound scientific research and government advice now agree that there is no longer any window of a baby's development in which they need something more than milk and less than solids." |
| Difficulties | Difficulties |
| Professor David Candy, a paediatric gastroenterologist with the Royal West Sussex NHS Trust, said this programme could be a good idea. | Professor David Candy, a paediatric gastroenterologist with the Royal West Sussex NHS Trust, said this programme could be a good idea. |
| But he warned that it was difficult to set an exact age at which babies should be given solids, as individuals develop eating skills at different rates. | But he warned that it was difficult to set an exact age at which babies should be given solids, as individuals develop eating skills at different rates. |
| Purees could help some babies make the transition between liquid and solid foods more easily. | Purees could help some babies make the transition between liquid and solid foods more easily. |
| He said: "Some babies could manage this, but others may not have the oromotor skills necessary to chew the food - they would just push it out of their mouths." | He said: "Some babies could manage this, but others may not have the oromotor skills necessary to chew the food - they would just push it out of their mouths." |
| A 'one size fits all' policy is not appropriate Roger Clarke | A 'one size fits all' policy is not appropriate Roger Clarke |
| Roger Clarke, director-general of the Infant and Dietetic Foods Association which represents members of the food industry, said the research needed to be looked at carefully. | Roger Clarke, director-general of the Infant and Dietetic Foods Association which represents members of the food industry, said the research needed to be looked at carefully. |
| But he agreed a "one size fits all" policy on baby-feeding was not appropriate. | But he agreed a "one size fits all" policy on baby-feeding was not appropriate. |
| He added generations of parents had relied on baby foods to provide a "safe, sound nutrition" for their babies. | He added generations of parents had relied on baby foods to provide a "safe, sound nutrition" for their babies. |
| A Unicef spokesperson said that Gill Rapley was speaking in a personal capacity, not on behalf of the charity. |