Underhand tactics - formula companies

[xolily]

i got to page 20 and cba reading anymore atm.. just thought i'd say, you people who say you use the term "artificial feeding" can't SERIOUSLY tell me if someone asks if you're breastfeeding you say "no, artificial.."

and i've seen FF called a "necessary evil" in the breastfeeding forum.. perhaps not "devils food" or whatever, but just as bad.

 

[trumpetbum]

I am in Canada, and I only see one formula commercial and it is on an American channel. *shrug*

I am the same as you Tiff. I wasn't swayed by an ad in a baby booklet or the free stuff. I took it and gave it to the food bank.

On that note somthing I learnt the other day is apparently its also illegal to send formula to third world countries, its covered under the same promoting of breast milk laws.
Now that I dothink is silly seen as most of these babies have lost their mothers or the mothers are too malnurished to be able to bf isnt it more important to feed them and keep them alive.

Probably a seperate discussion or we'll be here in another hundred pages but 'free' formula to third world countries causes a multitude of problems including malnutrition in infants, serious illness and death. The law isn't there to punish the babies of malnourished mothers but to protect children. It's about getting appropriate aid to people which will keep people alive in the long term rather than seemingly solve a problem in the short term while making more, just as serious ones.

 

[lynnikins]

as a mother who has both FF and BF then i honestly am with the OP, if a site is going to give advice then surely it should be correct advice?? the add was for a helpline run by a Formula company therefore as much as we might like to believe that they will give impartial advice to a BF mother then i highly doubt that they will just as Pampers and Huggies arent going to start reccomending which pocket diapers are going to best contain runny poo explosions are they???

I dont think we can get away from brand association but surely we have to reconize the effect it has on our lives.

All mothers /and fathers deserve good support from people around them no matter how they feed clothe or raise their child/children, but surely this support and advice should be given from people who know the facts on a subject and dont have something to gain out of it??

 

[Eve]

Well on American tv or not, I see it umteen times a day some days and it's nuts! I get free formula in the mail, cupons, always on sale in flyers etc... BUT you know what really peeves me off...? Baby dolls!!!! I was looking and they all come with bottles... I thought a breastfeeding one would be so cute to give Kayleigh when she got older. I don't want her growing up like we did thinking formula is the way it is, yes it's there and available to those who need it, but it isn't what nature intended and breastfeeding shouldn't be the minority. I don't mean it in a bad way either, I just think it needs to be more "normal" to breastfeed.

 

[curlykate]

Well on American tv or not, I see it umteen times a day some days and it's nuts! I get free formula in the mail, cupons, always on sale in flyers etc... BUT you know what really peeves me off...? Baby dolls!!!! I was looking and they all come with bottles... I thought a breastfeeding one would be so cute to give Kayleigh when she got older. I don't want her growing up like we did thinking formula is the way it is, yes it's there and available to those who need it, but it isn't what nature intended and breastfeeding shouldn't be the minority. I don't mean it in a bad way either, I just think it needs to be more "normal" to breastfeed.

I've seen a bfing doll. Not sure where now, I'll maybe have to google it.

 

[curlykate]

Breastfeeding Doll
There you go. I don't have time right now to search where to buy them though.

 

[bubbles123]

I was taking about ads in the UK. Here, they tend to be in baby magazines, during baby themed programmes. They do pop up on general TV or mags sometimes, but not that often and they always have breast is best disclaimers. We don't get free samples either (I think you can if you use follow on milk but even though I'm in the formula clubs I was never sent any).
I lived in America for 2 years and I found the amount of ads made TV generally unwatchable. That you would have that many formula ads is no surprise. TV seemed to be mainly ads!

 

[Tiff]

I don't get that aspect either.

I grew up giving my Dolls bottles... but as soon as I found out I was pregnant I instantly knew I was going to breastfeed. Not that I find anything wrong with breastfeeding dolls mind you! I like them. However, I think its a bit of a stretch to say that bottles with dolls send the wrong message. There wasn't a kid out there who had more bottles than I did for my "babies". A child doesn't (and cannot) think in the same capacity as an adult.

 

[Dopeyjopey]

I used to pretend to BF my cabbage patch doll

 

[Faerie]

I wouldn't not give Sofia a doll with a bottle, or even consider being upset by it. It's play! And anyway, some babies are fed by bottle and some by breast. My niece was ff but my sister didn't have a problem with her sitting and watching me bf, she was so interested and asked lots of questions (2 yr old) and then bf her teddies.

 

[smokey]

Well on American tv or not, I see it umteen times a day some days and it's nuts! I get free formula in the mail, cupons, always on sale in flyers etc... BUT you know what really peeves me off...? Baby dolls!!!! I was looking and they all come with bottles... I thought a breastfeeding one would be so cute to give Kayleigh when she got older. I don't want her growing up like we did thinking formula is the way it is, yes it's there and available to those who need it, but it isn't what nature intended and breastfeeding shouldn't be the minority. I don't mean it in a bad way either, I just think it needs to be more "normal" to breastfeed.

I think the reason why toy makers probably stayed away from the idea of a breastfed dolly (rather then the little ones with bottles) is I think to a young child the concept of a bottle fed baby is probably easier to understand and relate to.
I dont think its done with any form of brainwashing in mind just purely as a appeal value.

To a young girl (and boys) they are constantly being told dont pull your top up in public, put your skirt back down so I think the whole concept of then explaining to them that its actualy ok to pull your top up to feed is just maybe a but much for them so toy makers just probably stear clear in general and leave that to parents to explain the finer details of babies.
All a toy making company realy cares about is getting the product out there and then making more money on acceseries like extra clothes, strollers and such.

They are just covering their own butts because lets face it as sad as it is there would always be some nut job group out there that would jump on them with law suits claiming stupid things like "your teaching our child to expose themselves in public" normaly some fanatic oddball group

 

[Rach27]

My dolly had a bottle (she also wee'd - very realistic!) but I don't think that had any direct affect on me really. And of course, Thomas has used a bottle so you could say the skills came in rather handy!!!.

 

[MissBroody]

I agree with what smokey said. When I was at the age of playing with dolls I found boobies funny, when it came to choosing how I was going to feed my own baby, I was 15 years older and obviously no longer found boobies funny. It's not like children will grow up thinking babies can only have a bottle - they learn these things as they get older. How I treated my plastic doll and how I treat my real baby has come a long way

 

[BlackBerry25]

Well on American tv or not, I see it umteen times a day some days and it's nuts! I get free formula in the mail, cupons, always on sale in flyers etc... BUT you know what really peeves me off...? Baby dolls!!!! I was looking and they all come with bottles... I thought a breastfeeding one would be so cute to give Kayleigh when she got older. I don't want her growing up like we did thinking formula is the way it is, yes it's there and available to those who need it, but it isn't what nature intended and breastfeeding shouldn't be the minority. I don't mean it in a bad way either, I just think it needs to be more "normal" to breastfeed.

Must be different then here in Alberta somehow, because I only saw the one commercial on CMT which I don't even watch.... haha and I usually see a nice breastfeeding commercial for Michigan. I am just curious what channel you see this ad on?

 

[emmad339]

You know what - I got to about page 5 of this thread and lost the will to live. The number of pages that followed suggested to me that this has turned into yet another petty argument. Going back to the original subject of this thread - No I don't think that SMA are using underhanded tactics. Their website promotes breastfeeding and before you can even enter their website and access information on formula, you have to say that you agree to the following statement: -

When it comes to feeding your baby, breast is best. If you do choose to breastfeed, it's important to eat a healthy diet. A decision not to breastfeed can be difficult to reverse. Introducing a bottle, even if it's only for one feed a day, can have a negative effect on breastfeeding and may reduce the supply of breast milk. Always seek the advice of a healthcare professional if you'd like to use infant formula, and please consider the social and financial implications when deciding whether to breast or bottle-feed. To avoid risks to your baby's health, infant formula should always be prepared, used and stored as instructed on the label.

By proceeding, you will be able to view information about SMA infant milks and other formulas. If you choose to do so, you are accepting that SMA Nutrition is providing this information at your individual request for informational purposes.

Why can't the world accept that some people choose to breastfeed and some choose formula feeding - end of!!

And why can't breastfeeding mums get off their bloody high horses - don't usually get involved in these arguments that escalate to ridiculous levels but this really pi***d me off

 

[Dopeyjopey]

And why can't breastfeeding mums get off their bloody high horses - don't usually get involved in these arguments that escalate to ridiculous levels but this really pi***d me off

Another lovely sweeping statement about BF mums. I could retaliate with a statement about all FF mums but i'd get lynched so instead i'll just ask again that people think about hurtful that can be for a BFer who doesn't judge at all.

 

[smokey]

I think if you had actualy read the jist of most of the thread then you may have realised that I dont think this thread has (for most part) actualy gone that way at all.
While I agree with you regarding why cant the world just accept it, its remarks like those that further push a wedge between "them and us" type attatudes.
Its not realy fair to pile all of any one side into the same box and class them all of having the same "high and mighty" attitudes it just further makes ff look bitter in the long run

 

[smokey]

And for the same reason befor any bf jumps back please dont assume all ff have the same attitude and dont put us all in the same box when you right your comebacks

 

[Tasha]

emmad it has actually been mostly constructive and informative.

My girls have dolls with bottles and they will also put the doll to their chest to play feed them, they know baby's can be fed either way, they dont need a specific doll like that as they like to be 'Mummy'.

 

[Tiff]

Generalizing terms on EITHER side are not needed, nor wanted please. Not ALL breastfeeding Moms carry the same notions and beliefs.

That will be enough of that, thank you.