to think baby formula should come in plain packaging?

Really do you know anything about low income families in the UK? Did you know they are entitled to free formula? And corporate will get rich which ever foods they sell.

Why not just put it in a brown paper bag with "May cause SIDS" on it, eh @Yoyoyozo.

God, I hate this sanctimonious garbage from women who found breastfeeding easy. Those of us who've struggled already feel like scum in the supermarket, scum getting out a bottle in public etc etc. You want to improve breastfeeding rates? How about actually training midwives so they have some idea of what to do if babies refuse the breast? How about staffing hospitals sufficiently so you don't wait six hours after birth for a midwife to come to help get baby latched, and three days on a ward to see the "breastfeeding specialist midwife" who just tells you to go private if you're worried about tongue tie.

I've spent about £1k on pumps, baby osteopaths, lactation consultants, tongue tie specialists etc just to establish partial breastfeeding. If women want to waste a couple of extra quid a week buying a specific brand of formula because it makes them feel better about what they're giving their baby, that's their bloody perogative.

Just interested to know why you care so much?

And why you have included bits about breastfeeding in with your posts about formula feeding?

The thing that pisses me off is cow and gate and aptimil. It’s the same milk. Exactly the same, made in the same factory. But aptimil is marketed as superior so is more expensive.

I only read the first page before all the breast is best gang chimed in.

YOU breastfeed if YOU want to and if YOU can.

Fuck what the rest of the world chooses, why do you care? Concentrate on yourself and your own children and keep your nose out of what other people do, it has fuck all to do with you.

(BF two, FF one, couldn’t give a shit either way).

I mean yeah, but.. bigger things to worry about?

What is shaming about a medical product in plain package?

Seriously, you can't see why?

Switching baby formula to plain packaging could unintentionally shame parents who use it because it stigmatises it. Many parents depend on formula for various reasons, none of which are anybody else's business. Plain packaging is usually used for products like cigarettes with a negative connotation and using it for formula, will make it seem like using formula is bad or wrong - when it's not. This would only make parents feel guilty or judged, especially because there's a lot of pressure to choose breastfeeding.

Furthermore, in my 18 years of being a mother, I have never once seen 'aggressive marketing' because they aren't allowed to. I don't even think the packaging is that enticing or attractive, or looking 'premium'.

OP@Yoyoyozo for those who HAVE to bottle feed because we have no other choice it’s is really important to realise there may be differences in formula brands. I had to put mine on formula in hospital on midwives advice having been presuming I would breast feed…the staff were not officially allowed to advise which brand but 1 staff member kindly did suggest 1 brand above the others. I do feel women having to formula feed should have as much choice around brands as possible . I suggest you should really be more worried about the women who are currently having to water down feed because they can’t afford their food costs at present…poverty is by far a more risk to babies health then whether or not their mums breast feed them.

See I think that's the problem when heath care workers are so reluctant to talk about formula, you then have to educate yourself from the advertising. I think those that do feel guilt about breastfeeding not working out are going to want what they believe is the best formula. It's important to talk honestly about how there is little difference between the brands.

It isn't a medical product is baby food I.mean you do get prescription milk because of allergy/illness but you also get prescription bread because of celiac disease doesn't mean all bread is medicine.

It is expensive.

id be interested to see the manufacturing cost vs the sale price / shops mark up

It’s not the packaging enticing mothers. It’s lifestyle, poor support and fear (of sore nipples)!!
let's not bash formula users, it’s really not anyone’s business.

Is there still zero information out there on formula?
ten years ago when I had mine I needed formula, there was no information out there. I spent a long time trying to research what would be best
there was no support or help to guide me.

fed is best. It’s important to allow parents to make informed decisions not make them feel like they are making a dirty choice.

@iLovee marketing and advertising is a lot more complex than something being 'pretty" though. Premium packaging/price suggests higher quality, when that may not actually be true at all.

To be fair, some poorer parents are really struggling to feed their children, be that with food or formula, hence the rise in demand at places like foodbanks.

I always thought there was a minimum price for baby formula anyway so prices wouldn't go down that much. The good thing is that families on low incomes will get healthy start vouchers which should cover most of the cost.

Unpopular opinion though - a few years ago I definitely thought mums should be able to feed their babies however they choose. But, after massive shortages and precarious supply levels due to covid, production problems, toxic materials and so on, I now think any mother who can breastfeed should breastfeed even if it's hard and leave the formula for babies who genuinely have no other option when supplies run out again.

No I don't feel the same because baby food isn't a medically necessary product. It's the same as any other food and not as tightly regulated as to contents. For baby food you can definitely advertise based on this one has less sugar, is organic, tastes better or whatever. There aren't many things about different formula brands that are relevant to the consumer and not just spin.

I don't know how it is now but I remember NCT refusing to even talk about formula. It was all breast is best and you don't even need to buy formula just in case so yes there is definitely a proportion of pregnant women who don't even consider that they may have to formula feed.

And seriously patronising? Stretching of formula milk still happens in the UK, many families really struggle with budgeting.