to think baby formula should come in plain packaging?

I find it quite insulting that there is an insinuation here that poorer mothers are somehow stupid and unable to do any research, and will therefore be swayed by pretty packaging.

No company would ever charge £6 for formula, even if it was all made in the same factory and was all delivered to you in plain paper bags.

They make as much money as they can, because they can. If you FF you have to buy formula. You have to pay what it cost, there is no choice.

They want the biggest profit possible.

I am coeliac. It’s the same with GF food. You can buy a huge multipack of four types of normal biscuits in Tesco for less than £2.

If I want a biscuit, I have to pay £3 for a packet of 8 tiny biscuits because I have no choice. Companies know that and it’s a great way for them to make more money.

(And yes, I know, babies need milk, I don’t need a biscuit blah blah blah, but it’s the same example of capitalising on a need).

for all the comments about people being 'shamed' for formula feeding, and about the 'breastapo', and breastfeeding women thinking they are superior etc, I don't think I've ever actually seen it in real life or even on here. I think it's people's defensive self-doubt and guilt being projected out. It has played right into the formula companies' hands as it perpetuates this idea that breastfeeding is an ideal but not a reality for many/ most - and that formula is almost the more 'normal' way to feed and anyone who ever questions anything around the low breastfeeding rates etc is somehow attacking these mums who are (genuinely) just doing their best.

It creates a false conflict that stalls meaningful conversation and stagnates any progress in breastfeeding rates. It's not even relevant whether 'breast is best', breastfeeding is completely normal, and formula is completely essential for anyone unable or choosing not to breastfeed. It's sad we can't even discuss this without the usual misogynistic accusations that anyone deemed 'pro breastfeeding' is somehow being goady, superior or nasty.

Sorry, @willywallaby can I help you? You've quoted me a few times in the last couple of mins, it's a bit strange.

With regards to your first point about me somehow denying people can't afford forumla? Where did I say thay exactly? There's plenty of help available if you are struggling. I volunteer for a food bank and can point you to some really helpful charities if you need support.

And no. I would obviously prefer to spend £12 for a royal cow 🙄🥱

That racoon has really cheered me up on this aggravating thread, thank you!

You're being sarcastic but isn't your real answer that you'd prefer £6?

The actual reason BF rates are plummeting is due to lack of access to proper support for BF.

Midwives on wards are so over run and Post Natal wards are so understaffed that there is no one to help a struggling mum BF. It's even harder to access that support once you are discharged from hospital.

Recovery from birth is hard and many hospitals now discharge as quickly as possible (sometimes even same day). So then you have a new mum, recovering from birth sent home and struggling to BF. Midwives are not all trained to check for tongue tie and in some cases the tongue tie is not considered severe enough for NHS intervention.

I know many mum's who turned to tik tok and instagram for help. Faced with all these lovely serene stories of peacefully BF babies. Huge misinformation. Only learning about cluster feeding on tik tok and insta.

Then there is the back to work drive. Most companies want mums back after 9 months to a year. Dad's get a couple of weeks paternity and that's it. A mum struggling with BF needs lots of support, some babies BF for over an hour and there is no-one to help mum.

The lives we lead now, many many new mum's live a distance away from family. So many no longer have "the village" of the olden days. So you have mum, sat along BF for hours a day, wondering if she's done anything wrong.

If anyone really wants to improve BF rates, they need to invest in proper post natal support, proper BF support services, get midwives properly tongue tie trained, allow dads longer paternity leave. Set society up so new mum's have much more robust support systems around them. However that takes time, money and thinking which doesn't exist for "women's health issues". If men were able to BF, I can guarantee the whole support services around them would be entirely different.

I’ve just seen this post, @Thepeopleversuswork and I couldn’t agree more.

I FF my eldest as he was in NICU for the first 6 weeks of his life, it was hard enough to get him to learn to suck a bottle after his feeding tube was out, let alone a breast and I couldn’t pump as I had no supply due to early birth and stress. He couldn’t go home until he was feeding properly and gaining weight, the hospital had no problem with formula and giving advice on it. They wanted him gaining weight, getting strong and at home with me, not in hospital while I struggled with supply and getting hi
to feed.

I was 22 - when I took him to groups, I was surrounded by other first time mums in their 30s Who all BF and treated me like shit. I got comments about how of course I FF as I was sooooo young, poor me, lots of assumptions that I was a single mum on benefits (not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I wasn’t), all because of the way I fed my baby. Bunch of sad cases.

Luckily, I’ve never been able to hold my tongue so used to tell them straight that I’d rather have a healthy baby at home with me and to worry about their own babies instead. It still riles me 22 years later.

Are you denying that some people who use formula might struggle to afford it??

£12 obviously. I'm a thicko you see.

i couldnt believe the price of it when i had my son, i couldnt breastfeed as my breasts got infected for months so had to switch to formula, he would go through 3 tins a week usually and they cost £15 a tin .. thats £45 a week :O Obviously it had to be done but it was shocking when i thought about the fact that my whole weekly shop for myself was only £50 a week max for food drink and toiletries

I think just reading the comments on this thread shows how much we as a society have been brainwashed by formula companies.

Breat is the normal natural way to feed a baby and anything else is less then normal. How many of you realise how lucky you are to live in a country where formula is easily avaible and safe to use. This is not the case for millions of babies around the world.

Formula companies very cleverly, influenced the structure of hospitals wards in order to remove babies from new mums in the 60's and have managed to help continue the mith that a lot of women don't have enough milk to feed there babies, there are of course some who don't but do you really think it is as high as it is now without outside interference. One of the reasons breastfeeding support is so low in the UK is the influence of formula companies in lobbying the government not to spend funds on this aspect of health care (I wish they would ban lobbying for many reasons not just this).

Some western couture have fantastic breastfeeding rates, thanks to introducing laws that totally ban advertising and investing in breastfeeding support.

I actually think there should be a basic formula avaible that isn't made by a brand and is avaible at cost to all families.

Also infant formula has it's ingredients controlled so there is very little difference between brands. But even more scandalous is that they are allowed to do in market testing. Never buy a brand selling a new improved product as its totally possible that they have been given permission to test a new ingredient in there formula without any prior testing on infants (the only requirement is that the ingredient is fit for human consumption) Effectively testing formula on your own baby without you realising. Products have been pulled before after new ingredients where shown to be harmful.

Basically we shouldn't have to trust feeding our babies to companies who are only in it to make a profit. I feel the two are not compatible.

👏👏👏👏👏👏.

And that poor mothers couldn't possibly afford to buy forumla because they are poor. God forbid you want to buy Kendamil on a low income?! How on Earth can we possibly afford £12 a tub?!

I'm more meh about the plain packaging, I don't think it's shaming but I'm not convinced that the fancier packing in of itself is that enticing.

OP is sucking you all in . Basically trying to shame people…don’t engage is my advice!

👏👏👏

Clear that many mothers want a medal for being able to breastfeed and cannot resist every opportunity to lord it over anyone who wasn’t able to. This thread alone, suggesting that formula is so damaging it should be in plain packaging like cigarettes. One of those things damages your health, one feeds babies.

I'm not sure I agree with the idea of having those warnings on formula or that breast is best. The majority of the time that ship will have sailed a long time ago and it feels mean when at that point it's an essential baby food that needs to be used.

I think warnings on formula should just stick to the risks of bacterial contamination and the need for hot water as that's useful information that can be put into practice rather than just guilt tripping that can't.

1. couldn’t give a shit about anyone else.
2. Companies will always make the most money they can and people are stupid, so no research of their own and lap up what they are told and forever it will be so. I’ve had friends who have had health visitors advise a switch from cow and gate to aptimil as it’s “more gentle”, the stupidity is deeply ingrained.

As an aside, kendamil is the only thing my reflux baby would tolerate, it was recommended by a paediatrician and it was life changing for us. And it doesn’t taste like formula, it tastes okay. They made ice cream from it for a marketing ploy, I was sent some. I am the most ardent anti royalist you will ever meet, it pained me to buy it because of the Kate connection.

ETA - FUCKS SAKE how did I add a gif??? I don’t mean to and can’t get rid of it.

You don't sound like scum to me! You sound like a bloody brilliant mum 🩷

Ignore OP, I can't really work out their angle but its definitely a "wind them up and watch them go" post. Don't let someone so ignorant undermine all your hard work 🩷

with hindsight one of mine suffered constipation. Due to the “dirty little secret” and judgement around formula feeding there’s little support around it and no one suggested changing formula might help or be possible.
it was a case of trial and error at home with no one to talk to or information out there.

decent information should be out there not further shaming.

I see.

Im still confused why you have mentioned breastfeeding and included an article from the lancet?

People need to feed their babies.