About time too. I was bullied beyond believe by my Health Visitor to give a formula top up or start weaning at 4 months because my son had started to gain less weight after 3 months per week than before. He was in excellent health & very happy, alert & slept well. I stood up to them & ignored their advice, sadly other monthers I know introduced formula top ups & then before they knew it where completly on formula. My son looks the picture of health, he is now 8 months, eats very well, is still breastfed & will be till he choices otherwise. We where stopped in a restuarant last week by 2 paedeatricians who wanted to pass comment on how helthy my son looked! Cant get better than that. I am pleased I went with my opinion & stood up to the bullies, it just upsets me when other mothers are bullied into decisions they are not happy with.

Ann, Southampton, England

These WHO charts are long overdue. I'm a breastfeeding counsellor and see many women give up on breastfeeding because they mistakenly think that they are unable to produce enough milk.
The vast majority of women are able to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months if they are given the correct information and adequate emotional and physical support.
It is ironic that once out of infanthood there is a problem with obesity while babies are forcefed artificial formula made from milk desiged for a different species.

barbara, Ilkley,

The whole idea of following a graph is ridiculous quite frankly - after all the babies haven't read them!

Follow the baby, not the book. If your baby is happy, alert, has plenty of wet and dirty nappies, you don't have much to worry about regardless of whether they're a skinny minnie or a chunky monkey. Babies have a pretty good way of telling you what they need and your body provides accordingly. Try telling my son breastmilk isn't good enough!

And Mr Dikstr - I, for one, think it is wonderful that your wife is feeding your 4 year old. If only more mothers fed for longer, we'd have less prejudice for a start.

J Nunn, Glasgow, Scotland

I agree with Keith, babies who are allowed to feed on demand will take as much as is required to reach their genetically pre-destined weight. My 3 children were all breast-fed. Maria (now 14 and a perfect weight) was breast-fed exclusively only for 3 months, as was the recommendation in those days. Danny and Anita were breast-fed exclusively for 6 months. They both weighed exactly 10.7 kilos at their 6 month check-up. (All 3 of mine were chubby breast-fed babies!) So not all breast-fed babies are smaller, even though this is the norm. Genetics does play a part.

Lynne, Valencia, Spain

I don't think you will ever see a "Chubby Baby" that's fed on breast milk, and lets face it "Breast is Best" if you can manage it!
Target weights for Babies, should not put pressure, on a Woman that's "Breast Feeding" as long as "Baby is Healthy" and "Mummy is Happy" that's all that matters!

Charles Linskaill, Edinburgh, UK

There seems to be a misunderstanding. The article does not suggest that mothers should exclusively breastfeed. Nor have we done so. Formula milk, normal milk and solids were all introduced in our toddler's diet along the way. But she prefers her mother's milk above all.

About half a year ago there was an article in the Timesonline about mothers in the UK who breastfeed for up to 6 or 8 years, or am I mistaken?

Sitz Dikstr, Sneek, Netherlands

If breastfeeding mothers were misled, then I wish I was misled earlier! These officials who preach that breastfeeding is good for the baby have probably never breastfed exclusively. I found that many friends and even health professionals lied about breastfeeding – often stating that they “breastfed”; I later realised that admitting to breastfeeding meant that they probably did it once a week! I breastfed exclusively and I feel my baby suffered for it. She lost a lot of weight as she would have nothing but breast milk. Whilst I was happy to oblige, it broke my heart to see her lose so much weight. When I sought to introduce solids at 6 month, she refused most foods and even refused formula milk too! I feel my baby lost out on been introduced to food. I am told that there are benefits to breastfeeding but I did not see it and still do not see it. When I have my next baby, I will most certainly be misled and will offer my baby formula milk at the earliest opportunity.

Annie, Cambridge, UK

A case of mother knows best and nanny state got it wrong. But as a mother who did (not for 4 years I hasten to add, which no ofence Mr Dikstr I personally find distasteful) feed both my children myself and feel vindicated for not worrying that they were not putting on weight the way the charts suggested. However I would like to point out that parents today are damed for what they do, dammed for what they do not do and are quite fed up with being blamed for all of societies ills and I for one am so guilt ridden that I feel I can take no more, so take this new guilt and.....!

Catriona Straine-Urquhart, Edinburgh, UK

The whole concept of feeding by graph is ridiculous.

Babies will take as much milk from their mother as they need - they're not reticent in making their requirements known, after all. Identifying a baby as over- or under-weight is a facile process that can only lead to overriding a baby's instinctive judgment. Force-feeding or withholding milk based on a chart of perceived norms isn't healthy.

Keith, Wirral, Merseyside

This is unbelievably good news.

My wife has been breastfeeding for 4 years. And ever since our lovely baby daughter was one year we have been nagged because her weight was below average.
But she looks perfectly healthy to us.

Her friends however, who are on supposedly normal weight, look rather "bulky" to us.

Also, our toddler never has even the slightest cold, while all other children in the village have all sorts of minor illnesses allt he time. The good effect of the antibodies in mother's milk?

Sitz Dikstr, Sneek, Netherlands