Woolworths is selling a new range of "infant beverages" to babies as young as 6 months old.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the "Bebi” drinks on the shelf at Woolworths. As well as having an 18-month-old daughter Holly, I’m actually a midwife -- and these drinks drive me crazy.

Babies that young shouldn’t be drinking fruit juice; it’s just setting them up for lifelong problems like obesity and tooth decay. It also goes against the advice of almost every doctor, midwife, dentist and child health nurse, AND our national dietary guidelines.

Unsuspecting parents will fall for the 'convenience' without realising that they violate just about every bit of medical advice out there. I know this will happen, because I see it all the time in many other areas that involve women’s and infant health.

Bebi isn’t the only one doing this, but it’s the worst I’ve seen when it comes to targeting young babies. The bottle even comes with a teat -- because they know babies that young can’t actually drink any other way.

I’m tired of multi-million dollar companies exploiting young children with no regard for their health, best practice evidence or health guidelines.

That’s why I’m asking Woolworths to stop contributing to this by stocking the drinks. If they hear from hundreds their customers, I know they’ll listen rather than risk losing business.

If you'd like to give Woolworths your feedback, their Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/woolworths?fref=ts&filter=2

Here are some links with more information:
http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/resource/infant-nutrition
http://www.dhsv.org.au/news-stories/2012/11/15/babies-don-t-need-bebi-fruit-drinks/
https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/who-code
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/15279764/squeeze-on-baby-juices/
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2004/WHO_FCH_CAH_04.13.pdf