Well, today I felt thoroughly told off during our 6 month checkup. I knew there was going to be some issues raised with our chosen method of weaning but didn't realise quite the extreme between the US/UK and Spain. We're following baby led weaning (BLW) route where it's a kind of "anything goes" and encourages the baby to explore different flavours and textures. I'm also of the ilk that milk is the primary source of nutrition for a baby of this age and should be up to a year with exclusive breastfeeding being the optimum for the first 6 months, which is what we did.
The difference in Spain is amazing. The doctor was surprised that I hadn't started weaning at 4 months, and then I thought she was going to fall off her chair when she heard our choice of foods! She couldn't believe Bella had so much milk a day and said she only needed a bottle in the morning and one before bed with the sugar laden spanish cereals in it. She said she should be drinking juice the rest of the day and eating 4 meals a day by this age. She said best fruits were apple, pear and orange which is a huge contradiction to the UK/US where they say citrus fruits should be avoided until one year as they can cause diarreah and stomach upset due to the acidity and that apples should be cooked. Also UK/US guidleines suggest that juices should be avoided due to dental decay and plain water offered instead. The doctor claimed that cucumber was an allergen, that I shouldn't be feeding her peach or melon and especially not avocado due to the hight fat content...at least it's healthy fat as opposed to the "everything dripping in oil", fried spanish variety! I think the doctor and I will have to agree to disagree on this topic and blame it on cultural differences.
On a different note, Bella was very good with her jabs...minimal fuss and tears. She now weighs 17lbs and has grown 3cms to 68cms. She is a very healthy little girl :)
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