To think formula feeding parents are bent over a barrel?

[inpixiehollow]

Just been discussing this with a friend and interested to know peoples thoughts.
Am I being unreasonable to think that the NHS/govt should manufacture a nutritionally complete formula for babies, sold at cost price to families? Not disputing the importance of real access to proper breastfeeding support but we have to acknowledge that some women cannot/don't want to breastfeed and instead are victim to formula companies turning over huge profits. If people want fancy formulas/special additives then the option should be there but with rising cost of living I don't think its acceptable that something so necessary for many babies is getting to the point of unaffordable.
I am a massive advocate for breastfeeding so please don't take this as an attack or downplaying the massive lack of help for bf in the UK, I just wish both options were made more accessible for whatever feeding choices people make.

“Personally, No - I wouldn’t want the NHS in its current state or this shitshow of a government manufacturing anything I give to my baby.”

This.

Folk won’t buy it, OP, for the same reason they don’t buy own-brand. They are reassured by familiar brands and the idea that they are choosing a higher-quality product for their child. They don’t care that this is an illusion and they are all much the same.

A lot of people only breastfeed because it is free. If formula was free then a lot more would definitely take that option and share the job of feeding with their partners.

What a ridiculous suggestion. Maybe don’t have babies if you can’t afford to feed them? If someone can’t afford formula for a baby how on earth will they afford to feed a growing toddler?

Formula manufacturers are not not-for-profit organisations.

@FlounderingFruitcake no promotion etc on formula is to stop parents chopping and changing the brand of formula they feed the child each week.
Its actually the supermarkets that set the price on the shelf, they buy it at cost price. The law only states they can not sell it below cost price. As someone said above its a very heavily regulated industry, its as close food will ever be to pharmaceutical production. Audited by the medicines board constantly and heavily scrutinized. Its also a premium product in the black market, theft and counterfeit product is rife

I breastfed my children as it was the free option. However if I had the option of free formula I'm certain I wouldn't of breastfed.

I absolutely think formula should be available on prescription to those who cannot breastfeed.

However, not every FF child is the result of a gutted, guilty mother who couldn’t breastfeed and its not helpful to talk about it like that. For most, it’s active feeding choice. It’s definitely the norm in my local baby group because they have been told it makes babies sleep better and less ‘fussy’.

If you want cheaper formula, you can go to aldi and get their own brand. Like I bought my breast pump on Facebook marketplace or order my breast pads in bulk on Amazon because it’s cheaper per use.

Healthy start vouchers also exist.

You do know people's financial situations change, don't you? Going by your comment, you don't agree on child benefit then?

Formula companies make huge profits! Please look this up before you come to come to comment if genuinely believe they are 'not for profit' organisations.

Not really no. When you decide to have a baby, feeding the baby along with all of its other needs becomes your financial responsibility.

Formula isn’t all the same. I tried a couple of different ones for my babies before finding the right one and I was happy to pay more for that, offsetting it against the money saved buying supermarket own brand nappies.

We also need to get over this weird attitude towards breast is best where formula companies aren’t even allowed to advertise first milk.

The only difference I can see between my kids and those who were breastfed exclusively is that they slept better as babies, gained weight more easily and were able to be looked after and fed by other family members from time to time.

Fortunately they aren’t obese with a load of health conditions and attachment issues like some midwives might have led me to believe. 😂

You make a good point.

It turns out a lot of donated breast milk given to prem babies contained less recently 😬

Personally, I think the best way forward would be to remove the 'breast is best' mantra that is spewed out. Scientifically, breast is best but feeding your child formula is hardly the death sentence some people make it out to be...

*lead. Not less.

I don't undertstand what's hard to get about what the OP is saying. It would be good if there was an option - not free, but also not for profit, whereby FF was cheaper than some of the excessive prices that are being charged right now. No frills, basic packagaing. Easy concept to grasp.

Not a bad idea OP.

I haven't RTFT but as someone who tried desperately to breastfeed my DD but couldn't (which caused me to feel like a failure and to have bad PND, to the point I wanted to kill myself) those first couple of comments are horrific. Some women CAN'T breastfeed no matter how hard they try and no matter how much help they have.
I couldn't breastfeed my DS either as he was allergic to my milk.

I agree OP, there should be a balance of both more help/education about breastfeeding and a cheaper formula option, the price is ridiculous. I work in a shop and the amount of times mothers have come in to buy formula and have literally scrapped money together to buy it and sometimes are even short and have to put it back.

A polite reminder that breastfeeding is only free if you place no value on the mother’s time (and I breastfed two children into toddlerhood).

It wasn’t the best option for my babies health.

That’s a sweeping statement.

Exactly this.
It's shortsighted.
Long term it's in the economy's interest to have the highest levels of breastfeeding possible. It's political correctness and short sighted #kindness to say it has no effect on the long term health of infants to feed them on cow's milk.

complete anecdata, but:

in my baby group of women, all babies are formula fed because of fear of saggy breasts, boyfriends not liking it and babies ‘sleeping better’

they buy it off the local thieves every now and again to make it cheaper when it’s available- but it’s bought as usual within the shop because it’s better than the alternative

breastfeeding support in our area is terrible.

there is still a lot of cultural unfucking to do around breastfeeding. It’s not just a case of cost.

Perhaps bother to read the comment before you comment yourself. She clearly states they are not not-for-profit I.e. they make a profit.

You need to re-read what @Businessflake said.

She said they're not not-for-profit organisations.

There's your answer.
Providing formula at cost would not be a no cost option to the government - there would be effects on the economy.
It might be a good idea, but then't wouldn't it also be a good idea to provide apples at cost from government orchards and low cost potatoes and carrots from government run farms? It's been done of course...just under different political ideologies that didn't end up being very popular!
We live in a country where wealthy people get wealthier from the sale of water for heaven's sake. If we don't even have nationalisation of most public services, why on earth would a right wing government have any interest in a publicly owned baby formula company? Breast feeding promotion is a complete red herring - it's all about money.

Fair enough.

Which group is this? NCT?

Cool, so you don't believe any women who say they couldn't breastfeed? Lovely to know. I suspected as much from a lot of women.

Just so you know, I wouldn't have chosen for my son to lose so much weight he was hospitalised and tube fed for three days, while trying and failing to express milk for him. I fully intended to breastfeed but it didn't work. He was happy and healthy again after being given formula, and is now a very bright four year old.