Eating or drinking milk - babies

[AmazingLemonDrizzle]

I've noticed that American usage of babies feeding (at the milk stage) is of babies "eating".

This sounds odd to me as I think of milk as drinking rather than eating. And eating my boob has a whole other bitey connotation I don't like.

But presumably that's cultural.

Ie "how often should babies eat?" Sounds odd.

But then we say "feed" and "fed" rather than drink !!!

No real issue just wondering what others say or if anyone has noticed this!

Well, they are eating. Milk is their only source of food. It isn't a drink. It is food.

Well yes, I said we use "feed" in England.

But you don't usually hear or read of babies "eating" milk. If you hear eating in England (or on mumsnet etc) in relation to babies it's in reference to weaning and solid food.

It's more of a query/ponder around language usage.

I hate it too OP, it makes me cringe. I know at that age is is their food as well as drink, but you don't EAT milk, you drink it.

Milk for babies is food. My SIL missed the memo on this and would feed her baby dinner and then shove a formula bottle of milk into her as a drink to wash down her dinner.

It might be food, but you don't EAT it, you drink it..

Some countries use different terms for things than people in England do. England is not the centre of the world. Other countries do and say things their way. That doesn't make it wrong or cringy. It just makes it different.

Eating milk is a ridiculous term..

Who care what term they use in the US

[shrug] A breastfeed or bottle-feed is a meal to a baby. I don't find that Americans actually say "eating milk"; they just say "the baby ate at 6pm" or whatever, which doesn't bother me at all.

Absolutely countries do things differently. And it makes life interesting - hence discussing some of the differences! Especially between 2 countries with the same language but used differently.

And yes if I head "the baby ate at 6pm" I'd be thinking a 6 month plus baby eating soemthing other than milk.

Which was why I found it interesting and wondered if others had come across it.

I wonder if affects perceptions of weaning too.

Language really does affect so much.

Some people in England worry of their baby doesn't take to solid food before 1 that they haven't eaten. If you regard the milk as eating maybe you would t ahve that baggage?