Mrs Hinch....perfect prep :-(

[caroline161]

I feel so angry with Tommee Tippee that they've "gifted" her a perfect prep machine. Completely undermines her wish if she wants to breast feed. Plus she's such an influencer how much will this reduce our national breast feeding rates? Pregnant women will go and buy one just because she has one and not give themselves a chance to breastfeed

Those machines weren't around when I had my DC, they look really good.

Mumsnet approved didn't make me run out and buy chicken steaks though all that means product testers fed the kids breadcrumbed chicken they then said kids ate them so mumsnet approved

“Now that might influence people, no doubt, but it’s not very powerful is it? Not really worth all the angst

But it is powerful otherwise companies wouldn't waste money on it. It's foolish to think that social media influence isn't a powerful influence... mumsnet approved anyone????”

It’s one marketing method amongst many thousands for each product. It’s certainly a very cheap one too, which means it’s ROI is far lower than more expensive marketing.

Mumsnet approved isn’t very powerful
Either

I actually strongly disagree with the regulation about promoting FF and the exclusion of them from sales promotions.

Mrsjayy it might not to you but to some people faced with chicken steaks from A and Chicken steaks from B who happen to be MN approved they may well choose B because they trust MN.

I don’t want to assume but it strikes me she is being prepared possibly for health reasons or milk related medication. She hasn’t had the easiest of Pg so I would do the same in her shoes and be prepared

Or maybe they prefer birdseye

It is a bit off that she can get this deal with them yet the public aren't allowed advantage points on formula. Don't like her blog anyway. She doesn't actually clean anything. Just douses in chemicals.

Saying “advertising doesn't affect me” is irrelevant to this discussion, the demographic of MN and that of people who follow influencers is totally different.

Influencers wouldn't exist and be paid large sums if they weren't successfully influencing anyone, stating the obvious I know but it's silly to ignore the affect they have simply because it doesn't influence you.

I find it scary how people are so influenced by random people they've never met..

Personally have no problem with the prep machine. As someone who would have liked to breastfeed but the milk never came in I find it useful!

I wouldn't have thought so. Pregnant women planning on formula feeding might consider getting one.

Maybe people should stop watching random nobodies on the internet the whole thing is out of hand imo

Last year these machines were strongly advised against by midwives as they accumulated mould and made some babies very ill anyway so hopefully one of the hinchers will comment using the word “mould” which will no doubt set off a secret alarm for an immediate industrial clean/ zoflora delivery and the blessed thing will be binned anyway.

Both my babies were bottle fed from birth because I didn’t want to breast feed 😱 they are now very healthy aged 8 and 3.

I don’t think being given a perfect prep will stop her from trying breastfeeding if that’s what she wants to do! I also don’t think it will stop other expectant mothers that what her stories from trying breast feeding.

You know there is an argument for saying that the more people discuss how to safely make up formula feed and show people how to actually use sterilisers / prep machines etc formula feeding will become safer for babies.

When I had my daughter I was the only one in my whole family who chose to formula feed. No one else had a clue how to make up bottles, or even what to do with regards to sterilising them. Everyone else - my mum, gran, extended family etc- breastfed exclusively. So I was on my own - in the days before the internet- trying to find out how to do stuff. Midwives etc were so pro breastfeeding I felt horribly judged and no one seemed to want to show me the nitty gritty of how to make a bottle up, how long it was safe for, etc etc.

I muddled through and dd is a healthy older teen now and whether I breastfed her or not isn’t even an issue anymore but right back at the start I wish people had talked about it more and demonstrated more formula feeding products.

I actually strongly disagree with the regulation about promoting FF and the exclusion of them from sales promotions.

Take it up with the world health organisation then. The regs are there for a good reason. Making it illegal is optional and the U.K. has opted too. If more parents who used formula were more switched on to the marketing tactics and demanded better it it might elicit change. I can assure you then you’d be paying a fair price for your formula and it wouldn’t have to be on promotion. The only reason your tubs of formula cost £8 is because companies plough the money back into marketing. There’s no justification for a tub of formula costing more than a few pounds. It’s a necessary product, there’s no difference between any brands, therefor it doesn’t need advertising.

@WeMarchOn she is on MN, she's been on these threads before and upset at some of the personal attacks

The WHO isn’t relevant is it? They’re only guidelines, TT only has to stay within the law in the U.K.

You know there is an argument for saying that the more people discuss how to safely make up formula feed and show people how to actually use sterilisers / prep machines etc formula feeding will become safer for babies.

Agree 100%. Then people would know that PP machines aren’t guaranteed to make up the bottles hot enough to kill harmful bacteria in the powder and they aren’t recommended by any health body including the NHS.

The mould argument is a total red herring, if you follow the instructions and clean it properly it's perfectly safe. Of course midwives and health visitors don't recommend perfect Prep machines, because anything that makes it easier for us lazy bitch formula feeding mums is a no go

@Fairylea definitely. I don't know if I will have children but if I do, I won't be able to BF
I'm preparing for an influx of posters now saying I will be able to and yes, if it was my choice I would. But the medication I'm on means I simply won't be able to 🤷🏽‍♀️

I used to babysit years ago and have a vague recollection of how to make up a bottle/sterilise and read a packet but...

I'm angry that to improve the health of the nation more women should breast feed and be supported to do so. If 98-99% of women breast fed (which is achieved in other countries) then the health of out nation would improve. Formula feeding is great and definitely has a really important place but you can't argue with the facts. This sort of thing does influence the consumer. Pregnant women will go out and buy one and even if the breast feeding is going well they will feel like they should use it. I'm just so sad that maybe just maybe she could have been a massive advocate for breast feeding and that would have been really powerful. And this is not about her personal choice at all its about the shameless promotion of formula who need absolutely no help whatsoever to be any more underhand than they already are.

Oh it's so fucking boring.

Well she’s showing off a big new feeding kit now with loads of bottles and a steriliser..
And? I bought all that shit too because i didnt know whether breastfeeding would work out and the last thing i wanted to be doing was sending dp out at 3am to the nearest supermarket in search of bottles and a frigging stereliser.

And you know what? Even if shes point blank chosen to bottle feed.. good for her. Why not. Why should a woman not be allowed to choose what she does with her own breasts?

And tbh good for her selling herself on insta and making a decent living for herself. I dont follow her shes not my thing but i dont see anything wrong with what shes doing at all. I think a lot of this is just jealousy.

I think there is an interesting point to this hate, that women who exploit commercial opportunities are unethical and irresponsible, whereas men, who exploit commercial opportunities in the workplace every single day, manage to pull it off as a sign of success

Add into that the underlying misogyny of pressuring/ expecting/ hoping that a woman will use her own body in a certain way, and the ownership society feels over pregnant women and it’s really quite sinister