That study on tummy time makes me think about my niece who had some speech delays, and they got her early intervention, and then she got better and she apparently doesn't need it anymore. I've listened to enough of the show that now I wonder whether the speech therapy for little kids who are still developing has been rigorously tested or if a lot of kids who are behind just tend to improve over time.
So excited after all these years to see you discuss the change in guidance on weaning in 2003 because I remember it really well: we were just weaning our second child so it was directly relevant. I'm afraid it wasn't the nice version you suggest - that this was trying to help parents because children at four months can't sit up to be weaned. It was 100% part of the (still ongoing, sadly) public health strategy to guilt and bully women into breastfeeding: the message was "you should delay weaning ie keep exclusively breastfeeding for longer" with the justification cited as evidence from developing countries that exclusive breastfeeding for longer avoided gastrointestinal infections. Which was of course, as you point out, ridiculous, because dysentery is not a problem in the UK whereas it very much is and was in the developing world. But that didn't stop not only the WHO but also the UK Dept of Health insisting that this was "evidence-based" guidance and pushing it very hard. Lots of our contemporaries who obediently followed this guidance found that their babies who had started to sleep through the night were starting to wake up again, because of course they were bigger, so needed to eat more/more often.
I was so knackered I just shoved the baby in bed with us. She’s now a lovely 33 year old. So there you go. Very interesting and thanks for all you do. BTW I thought breastfeeding was important because of antibodies in mums milk in the first few weeks? I think women find it difficult as there is so much pressure
I’m bummed that I will miss your live session with Jesse Singal, but I live in another continent. Will there be a recording of the session?
That study on tummy time makes me think about my niece who had some speech delays, and they got her early intervention, and then she got better and she apparently doesn't need it anymore. I've listened to enough of the show that now I wonder whether the speech therapy for little kids who are still developing has been rigorously tested or if a lot of kids who are behind just tend to improve over time.
Suggestion for future parenting episode. Carrot-induced prenatal facial expressions.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/babies-womb-smile-carrots-scowl-kale-rcna48737
https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221105460
So excited after all these years to see you discuss the change in guidance on weaning in 2003 because I remember it really well: we were just weaning our second child so it was directly relevant. I'm afraid it wasn't the nice version you suggest - that this was trying to help parents because children at four months can't sit up to be weaned. It was 100% part of the (still ongoing, sadly) public health strategy to guilt and bully women into breastfeeding: the message was "you should delay weaning ie keep exclusively breastfeeding for longer" with the justification cited as evidence from developing countries that exclusive breastfeeding for longer avoided gastrointestinal infections. Which was of course, as you point out, ridiculous, because dysentery is not a problem in the UK whereas it very much is and was in the developing world. But that didn't stop not only the WHO but also the UK Dept of Health insisting that this was "evidence-based" guidance and pushing it very hard. Lots of our contemporaries who obediently followed this guidance found that their babies who had started to sleep through the night were starting to wake up again, because of course they were bigger, so needed to eat more/more often.
I was so knackered I just shoved the baby in bed with us. She’s now a lovely 33 year old. So there you go. Very interesting and thanks for all you do. BTW I thought breastfeeding was important because of antibodies in mums milk in the first few weeks? I think women find it difficult as there is so much pressure