To think it is shocking boots don't give points on first formula

[Mrswhiskerson]

This was brought to my attention again because a friend of mine has just had a baby tried to breastfeed suffered mastitis and started feeling really down so she switched to formula, when she handed over her advantage card she was told points were not given on first formula , she felt bad enough she could not breast feed and now it feels like she is getting penalised for it elsewhere.

I found the same thing when I had ds a year ago when I was told ,you don't get points for first milk I felt really bad too it's like your being punished for not breastfeeding in a way .

This is in no way a bf vs ff debate I just think it's wrong of boots to do this.

misdee, I would go to the store offering points. How would that affect my feeding choices?

I wouldn't decide to FF because I could get points on it - I'd have to be rather a poor mathematician to think that I'm better of with Boots points on a pricey product than not buying the pricey product in the first place.

i do think formula is overpriced though and think that formula should be fairly priced.
promotion of it is totally totally different.
but 1st stage milk can't be promoted in any way, shape or form. points are promotion. why do they use the term 'triple points promotion'?

Not at all aggressive. Do you have a tendency to assign extreme emotions to text-only communication when you can't possibly appreciate it? I'd watch that if I were you, very bad habit.

Again, very important people with big important titles have decided that your opinion is in fact wrong. Are you surprised that people generally agree with them rather than you?

Siamo WHO and our present gov aren't the gospel and be all and end all,wasn't WHO recently challenged on their weaning advice?Sometimes even WHO and governments may not get things 100% right.

Yes they do Sheep-it's double standards.

yeah, cos you know better than all the doctors, advisors and policy wonks. Ego much?

Just to be clear, Boots do offer points on all OTC medicines I've bought there, including sleeping tablets.

They also promote sugary baby food and all manner of other crap-parent gear, so what. It's a shop, not a court of law.

I get that the law doesn't allow it and that Boots are hardly the issue, but to me, it shouldn't be up to retailers to 'send messages' one way or another about what people need or want to buy (fags and booze excepted).

siamo you don't pay for your breast milk like I pay for my formula therefore bf has it's own incentive money wise, it is free

Surely you know this?

But it isn't about one mum stood outside Boots thinking 'shall I FF or BF? I know, I'll FF as I get points.'

It's about a simple blanket ban on any type of sale, discount or promotion of first milks, so that formula companies behave in an ethical manner (or rather are stopped from behaving unethically!).

But if Boots could sell first milk with points, do you not think they would? Course they would, they'd sell more.

I suspect that your 'the men in suits agree with me therefore I am right' stance changes Siamo, in relation to the subject in hand.

Do you think that in all cases, people with fancy job titles, gvt backing etc are right about parenting, health etc?

What about co-sleeping? My gvt/ policy wonk produced leaflets say don't do it.

It's not just Boots. It's not just the UK.

Start a campaign for your points (that btw are keeping ALL prices higher so the likes of Boots can run their spying programmes in the first place). There's not much else in the world to whinge about.

The poor points-deprived baby will be old enough for points-carrying stage 2 milk by the time this thread is done anyway.

But all formula would earn exactly the same points ie 1p in every £ so no one company would benefit more.

Siamo not all doctors I know plenty and have read articles from a few disputing the hysteria put on ff and the overflated claims re bf benefits.A lot of doctors don't speak out because it's frowned upon.

Sure it's probably already been mentioned, not read the whole thread.

But The Politics of Breastfeeding book ... a shocking, shocking read. The tactics formula companies will use to promote formula feeding over breastfeeding is unbelievably jaw dropping. And compare the financial clout those companies have compared to the small allocation given to promotion of breastfeeding. There needs to be guidelines and limitations to encourage them to behave ethically in how they communicate and target new mums.

Sheep, I don't doubt doubt that Boots would like to give points on FM. If they did, they might indeed sell more.

But in what material way would that affect BF rates? Surely all that would happen is that FF's would remember to pick up their FM in Boots, instead of buying it somewhere that doesn't offer points?

If it all comes down to money then why such low BF rates - it's completely free.

MilaMae - blanket ban on any promotion. That is the law. It isn't about promotion of one brand over another. It's about not promoting first milk at all.

But where does the line get drawn Morris? Why are points acceptable, but BOGOF - is that acceptable or not? Giving out a free steriliser with every tub bought - is that acceptable? Save up tokens and win a years free supply of formula? What is an 'acceptable' promotion or a 'non acceptable' promotion? Isn't it just about a blank ban?

As I said I feel to see how it's promoting formula,if it is then Boots are promoting junk food and the overuse of drugs.

why such low breastfeeding rates??

because you cant make money out of breastfeeding.

Bollocks Misdee

Why such low bf rates? Because it hurts,is a hard skill to learn and there isn't enough support.

Believe me nobody chooses to shell out ££££ for milk in a shiny tin because of the logo.

''Bollocks Misdee

Why such low bf rates? Because it hurts,is a hard skill to learn and there isn't enough support.

Believe me nobody chooses to shell out ££££ for milk in a shiny tin because of the logo.''

lack of support because of lack of funding to provide the support. because there is NO money to be made out of breastfeeding.

if formula companies could make a quick buck out of mums breastfeeding, and make more than formula does, you can bet your arse there would be support!

milamae - why do you think formula companies even brought out stage 2 / stage 3 milk? to raise brand awareness so that when mums first start buying formula milk (likely at stage 1), they buy their brand.

it is also because there isn't enough support. but formula companies make a huge amount of money from undermining breastfeeding.

Of course it does, especially on this one since I happen to know some incredibly clever people that work in that area. They're not men in suits, they are men and women who have spent their careers on this stuff. So again, your credentials to know better are......?
No, thought not.

follow-on milks were invented to get aroiund the ban on promotions. circa 1995 IIRC??

By the time follow on milks are used the job is done,also I used formula but never follow on.

Siamo you're being very rude towards ff mothers. We're not all brainless dim wits taken in by the men in suits,most of us ff because of the reasons I mentioned below,then the formula companies like to battle it out between them.

Sorry at the end of the day if you can get points on junk and drugs you should for formula.

Nobody I know gave up BF due to lack of support. I myself had so much support I probably cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds (4 days in hospital, endless MW and HV visits, BF clinic attendance etc, none of which I paid for myself) but in the end I switched to FF because I didn't want to BF any more.

That decision was the one I made for myself and my family.

In all other aspects of childbearing, the MN consensus is that women aren't stupid and shouldn't be patronised by professionals. Yet on BF/FF we're told that we're so susceptible to commercial pressure that we put that before all the info we have re BF, and the only cure is to take away the commercial pressure because otherwise we just won't get it.

I find that quite an insult to my intelligence.