New campaign to boost parents' confidence with weaning
Katy Morton
Monday, February 24, 2020
Public Health England (PHE) has launched the Start4Life campaign after a survey it carried out revealed that one in three mums feel pressure to wean their baby before six months.
According to PHE, three-quarters of parents introduce solid food by the time their baby is five months old, despite the NHS recommendation that most babies shouldn’t start solid foods until they are around six months old.
Its survey of 1,037 mothers with children aged three- to 18 months also found:
- More than 70 per cent felt weaning pressure from friends or family.
- 63 per cent have received conflicting weaning advice, with almost half believing there should be one official source of advice and recipes.
- 66 per cent feel that people on social media are quick to judge how parents introduce solid foods.
To support parents, PHE has created a Start4Life weaning hub with NHS-endorsed advice and tips for each stage. The hub contains simple, healthy recipes and advice so parents can introduce solid foods safely and healthily.
It also includes videos showing the signs that babies are ready for their first solid foods, how much food to give, and tips from other parents.
Public Health England nutritionist Orla Hugueniot said, ‘Introducing solid foods is an exciting time but while everyone wants the best for their baby’s health, it can feel daunting for many parents – particularly when they feel under pressure to get things right.
‘Our weaning hub supports parents by putting the best advice in one place, helping them to cut through the confusion and boost their confidence to enjoy this big milestone in their child’s life.’
