Ed Milliband on BBC promoting Aptimil

[weasle]

Sorry if already a thread about this but i couldn't see one.

Ed walks around a tesco and says oh look, that is the formula we are using and points to aptamil, camera does a close up of it. Presumably to show he's a hands on dad, like the photo of DC bottle feeding florence.

On the news thursday night.
here
Link to the lactivist website with links on how to complain about the breach of the code here

[weasle]

sorry, i don't think the iplayer link is working anymore, i will try to find it again.

[wigglesrock]

There is a prolific thread running on "In the News" about this.

[tiktok]

It's also in Politics folder.

[coldcomfortHeart]

Hadn't spotted these but DH had seen this on tv (and said,'isn't it on MN?! It must be!')

grrr

[theborrower]

It was just an off the cuff comment - is it a big deal?

[KaraStarbuckThrace]

The big deal is that is against the law for there to be any promotion of first stage infant formula.

How Ed Milliband's DP fed her baby is not the issue, the BBC should have edited out the segment.

For all we know she could be mix feeding!!

[midwifeVH]

Its amazing that this has not caused an even bigger stir and if I have anything to do with it it will....it has come at a time when I am others are working so hard to promote our work around making the (free)breastfeeding promotional DVD so has made me so angry! Would he have been happy to be seen putting his baby in a car without a seatbelt or be smoking in a public place? As a politician he has a responsibility to the public and is not above the law. Those who are not passionate about BF find it difficult to see a problem with this but there is SO much advertising around formula feeding the subject is so unfairly balanced.I would urge you all to complain.

[MoonFaceMamaaaaargh]

Argh!

Promoting infant formula...illegal and immoral.

[theborrower]

Saw the other thread. The fault lies with the BBC as far as I see it, then, not with Ed Milliband. It's none of our damn business how his partner feeds their child, nor should anyone be making judgements about it.

And I don't think we should blame Ed for his comments - an off the cuff comment, he wasn't 'promoting' it in the deliberate sense.

And you know, I didn't know that promoting first stage infant formula was illegal until I started mumsnetting. Lets not give him a hard time if he didn't either.

[coldcomfortHeart]

Ed should be a bit clued up about sensitive topics like this but yes, I agree that the fault lies with the BBC. Hopefully enough Mumsnetters will complain. We can be pretty vociferous.

[MorrisZapp]

Wild over reaction from midwife^, so what, the guy mentioned a product he uses at home, presumably without knowing there was any 'law' for him to be 'above' or otherwise.

I'm sure that like most people, Ed Miliband thinks that aptimil is just a grocery product and not a political hot potato that he must pretend he does not buy.

Miles and miles away from smoking in public or neglecting to use a car seat. This kind of attitude^ makes me think the worse of bf, not better.

[cardamomginger]

midwifeVH - for medical reasons i was unable to exclusively bf dc1. with a great deal of support, perserverance and not a few tears, i managed to mix feed her for the first 6.5 weeks. i am very proud of providing her with some breast milk each day of those 6.5 weeks. i achieved more than anyone thought i would be able to. i object to and am angered by you likening ff to putting a baby in a car without a car seat. ff does not impart the same health benefits to a baby, but travelling without a car seat actively endangers a baby's life - there is a clear difference. you seem to be professionally involved in promoting and supporting bf - i am so relieved that the wonderful bf specialists who supported and advised me did not take your attitude.

[ChilledChick2]

MidwifeVH. I agree that BF should be promoted as much as possible, but, midwives should also have up-to-date training on the nutritional aspect and how to make up FM safely so they can give this current info to mums who, for whatever either choose not to or cannot BF.

I've always believed that a mum should BF if she can, BUT, if a mum cannot or chooses not to BF, then that is her choice and it should be respected regardless of anyones opinion. Likening FM to having a baby in a car without the carseat is totally ridiculous. WRT the carseat comment, this deliberately endangering the childs life. Regarding the FM, well, that's deliberately saving the childs life if the mother can't BF for whatever reason.

[toddlerwrangler]

He's not promoting it though? hes jsut saying thats the forumula he uses?

And why is promoting formula immoral?

[amothersplaceisinthewrong]

So forumula feeding is aking to not strapping a baby into a car seat????? How so?

[toddlerwrangler]

Midwife - what a silly, SILLY thing to say about FF. How the hell is it like not strapping a baby in its car seat?

[HairyMclary1979]

at least he knows what brand his child has most dads dont have a clue.

[SparklyJules]

Did he say "oh, look, we use this!" and then turn and look down the camera and say "you should ALL use this one!". Did he? No.

Get over it. He's probably never inside a supermarket as a matter of course and on spotting a familiar item his brain jumped ahead of his mouth.

He wasn't PROMOTING it, he was RECOGNISING it!

[QueenGigantaurofMnet]

how the fuck is using formula comparable to placing a baby in a car without a seatbelt? or smoking around a baby?

[lala21]

oh for god'ssake yyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawnnnnnnnnnnnn get over it. BF brilliant if you can and it works FF brilliant if its your choice or in my case no other choice as baby was in SC and after a week of MIDWIVES not recognising a problem with my NO milk medical staff and bf counsellor said FF baby otherwise he'll be in serious problems.
Can't stand the man but it was just a comment on what he recognises.. As for car seat issue am damn glad your not my midwife...

[pommedeterre]

MidwifeVH - Do not believe you are a midwife or making this DVD. What you wrote is far more immoral than Ed Milliband passing comment on what he feeds his baby.
How is this even marketing? EM is a complete twunt, who would want to emulate him?

[partyhats]

MidwifeVH -Comments like that are so unhelpul to new mums. We all want the best for our children but are not all able to bf. Formula is not poison, it is a subsstitute for BM. In an ideal world we would all BF but in reality many of us have problems that make us feel guilty enough without comments like yours.

[PamelaFlitton]

I really don't give a shit, and I would imagine neither does 99% of the population.

I would not do something just because Ed Miliband does it, he is hardly the king of cool is he? Who the hell would WANT him promoting their product?