I urge everyone to find and read the WHO reports that form the basis for
their continued recommendation of 4-6 months as the appropriate time for
starting solids.  And I would caution people not to let a pattern of
"second-guessing" influence what the scientific recommendations should be.
Just because people may abuse the system (starting right at 4 months for a
baby under good conditions, or starting at 3.5 months because it's "only two
weeks") through ignorance or contradictory cultural beliefs, does not mean
we should "fudge" the recommendations to try to accommodate them.  People
are way too rigid about these things -- whether you have someone who starts
cereal at 3 weeks on the day because the doctor told her to, or whether you
have someone who has a fit if anyone they know gives a baby anything before
6 months exactly, etc.  Again, I urge people to read the WHO recommendations
carefully, and read the science which backs up their recommendations, and
remember that this applies to all babies everywhere.

The current WHO international studies underway to provide appropriate growth
charts for babies fed according to WHO guidelines will be available in 2003.
Until then, we have only the current standards (based on a mix of breastfed
and bottle-fed children) to use as our yardstick.

This reminds me of the debates about RDA.  RDAs are set extremely high to
encompass most of the population -- they are not "average needs."  But most
people don't understand/realize this, and it causes all sorts of problems.

Sigh.

Kathy Dettwyler

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