To remove the toy baby feeding bottle from my dd's new doll bath and feeding set?

[Springfleurs]

I was brought up to think that breast feeding was a strange and rather disgusting thing to do.

Luckily managed to overcome this myself and b/f both dc for 5 months and 14 months respectively.

Took dd to a toy shop today and she chose a doll bath and feeding set. Unpacked it for her when we got in and there is a feeding bottle in there. I know it might seem a bit precious but it irritated me slightly, as though it was a mandatory piece of equipment for all babies/dolls.

Or

I am taking it all rather too seriously?

Leonie - you still don't get it do you?
You assume from my post that 'working' and 'going out' are my priorities. While yours are 'raising your children' and 'feeding them from your body'.

Well - here's a revelation for you. MY priorities have always been raising my children. My husband's priorities too. And my children were exclusively fed breastmilk until they were weaned. Those things are not incompatible with going out, working, and having a life outside the home.

You clearly have ishoos leonie.

Leonie My DS only breastfed every 4 hours (not from any sort of routine just a pattern he settled into himself). When it's very hot I know I need a drink more often than every 4 hours so how do babies manage to not dehydrate?

Leonie - I don't agree with any points in your last post.

And why would you feed a newborn from a cup?

juule - some people believe it can confuse a baby to drink from breast and bottle. But many babies manage it fine. Mine could drink from breast, cup or bottle. Maybe they were just very clever

juuule, they're not all necessary, but disposable vs real nappies doesn't have the same health impact.
I spent the first 20ish years of my life assuming babies = bottle (of formula). If I had had a baby before I was mature enough to look into the detail and figure out what I thought was best then i would have ff.
I am talking about me there btw, not saying all teenage mums are immature or that ffers haven't read up about what is best for their baby.

vh - who was it who said or implied you are a better mother if you bf?

yeah na, my DS fed every half hour or so - not sure how it would work at every 4 hours although presumably if he was thirsty he would have asked more often?
4 hour feeding happened at about ...erm 18 months

Stealth - leonie wrote a pretty offensive post which said that clearly my priorities must be going out and working, and not raising my children, simply on the basis that my babies were able to drink breastmilk from a bottle as well as from a breast.

Well, it would be offensive if it wasn't so stooopid!!

I really don't get this whole thing at all, why so hostile?

I never nursed either of my DCs they both had bottles, and they are not in any way runts, DS1 has a 148 IQ so having a bottle has not scared him for life in any way.

I am a big defender of nursing mums, but I do get sick to the back teeth of the ones who go on and on and on...you are not better then me because you stuck a baby up your top several times a day, you have not made your children any better, smarted, healthier for it, you made a choice and that is up to you, I made a choice and that is up to me.

I sometimes think some mothers must be really lacking elsewhere as parents when they go on about how they nursed not bottle fed.
Get over it FGS,

That's what I would have thought spd.

Stealth - as others have said on here, they have played with dolls with bottles and still gone on to bf. It's not just about the bottle in with the doll, it's about the other sources of information.

My goodness, ANOTHER one of these bf v ff threads? Zut alors.

If the child with the doll and feeding set grows up to have a mind of her own, she will make up her own mind about how she wants to feed her child. I don't think a feeding bottle for her doll is going to warp her views irrevocably. And, as others have no doubt pointed out, what about ebm?

I am an intelligent grown up and I decided to ff. So stone me.

I take my tits everywhere too actually leonie - but I didn't take my babies to work!

I still don't understand why you assume that a woman who goes out and leaves a bottle of expressed breastmilk for her child is somehow prioritising going out over raising her child?

Kimi, the benefits of bf have been reseaerched and proven. They do exist - it's not about oneupmanship or anything like that.

Ah just read some of the cup feeding of infants. As VH said it's to avoid nipple confusion. Which I had heard of but had been a bit dismissive of as my older children had no problems with bottles and boobs. Must be clever babies just like VH's

'I HAVE made my children healthier and smarter for all my hard work. Up to 7 IQ points, less risk of obesity, type 1 diabetes, less risk of eczema and asthma, I can go on... '

• babies get all these advantages from being fed breastmilk out of a bottle you know! It's not coming straight out of the tit that makes the magic work!!

• also, I would never describe bf feeding as 'hard work' - I loved it. How sad to view it as work

I never found bf-ing hard work either .
I'm also wondering what happens to bm when put into a bottle.

Stealthpolarbear" I spent the first 20ish years of my life assuming babies = bottle (of formula). If I had had a baby before I was mature enough to look into the detail and figure out what I thought was best then i would have ff."

That is all I am trying to say. This was exactly the same for me and it had a real impact on my choices. You have to start somewhere don't you? Do I wait until she is 6 or 7 and already automatically thinking of bottles and formula when feeding her dolls?

It is not like I am storming around have a total stress about it and can't sleep at nights or anything. The issue arose when I bought the bath and feeding set and I thought "Oh I wonder what a lot of other Mum's think about this?" I will go on Mumsnet (as usual!) and find out.

In no way want to make anyone feel bad about not being able to breastfeed or not wanting to breastfeed. That was never my intention with this thread. It occurred to me and I wanted to discuss it. It was in no way ever mean't to be a personal attack on those who can't or won't breastfeed.

I am not going to not post something in case it makes someone feel bad. Why should something as basic as how you feed you baby be off limits in case someone feels bad?

And for the poster who asked about my 14 mo "choosing" the bath set, she is not 14 months, I breastfed for 14 months, she is now 2.8 mo.

VH some women can find it hard work though - if they struggle. I do know what you mean though - I love my bf 'job'