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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

'healthy start' vouchers promote formul feeding

112 replies

buttonmoonice · 13/05/2010 10:50

im a tad annoyed here. mt df is a single mum, so therefore entitled to benefits and healthy start etc. she is currently preg with dc4 and when asked how she intends to feed the baby she snorted and i quote ' why the hell would i consider bf when i get free formula'.
just made me think if she had to pay for the formula herself she may have considered breast feeding.
and maybe if the healthy start scheme was not in place a lot more babies might be getting a healthier start by being breast fed. i no this is not for everyone, some mums cant breastfeed, so maybe the scheme should be that if formula tokens are needed they are provided when asked for?

OP posts:

ABatInBunkFive · 13/05/2010 11:13

I think maybe that says more about your friends that the population as a whole, i know a few people who felt that way, more when i was younger actually, but the majority of people i know who get them, use them for the fruit and veg and BF their child.

colditz · 13/05/2010 11:14

Stop kidding yourself. She#d have chosen formula milk anyway, regardless of the vouchers. Someone who will choose one free thing over another isn't chosing because one is 'free-er', they are chosing it because it's their preferred choice. And people who will make a preferred choice that quickly would be happy to pay for it.

I didn't even KNOW about vouchers when I had Ds1 and wouldn't have got them anyway as we were (VERY) working poor, literally brassic, but I made damn sure I found the money for that formula. Sometimes I lived on cheap noodles on toast, but the formula got bought.

Original poster

buttonmoonice · 13/05/2010 11:14

yes thats true biddysmama.
maybe you could apply and decide if u want them for formula or fruit then?
just to take away the whole attitude that they are for free formula??

OP posts:

toccatanfudge · 13/05/2010 11:16

a tub only last me a week as DS2 and 3 got older. in the early day it was easily 2 tins a week.

cory · 13/05/2010 11:38

agree with colditz; this is a person who would trot out any old excuse

biddysmama · 13/05/2010 11:42

my friend couldnt breastfeed because she had twins and its not possible (erm... 2 babies 2 boobs lol) if people dont want to bf then they wont and people that do will... i bf and no amount of free milk would change my mind, because i want to... rambly but maybe made sense? lol

potplant · 13/05/2010 11:46

Agree with colditz - I doubt she was going to bf anyway.
Lots of people don't want to. Its their choice.

BabyDubsEverywhere · 13/05/2010 11:47

I think it says alot about your friends but not alot else.

Tryharder · 13/05/2010 12:18

You should tell your friend that since breastmilk is also free, should she choose to breastfeed, she would then have nearly 10 quid in tokens to spend on fags and booze

Tryharder · 13/05/2010 12:19

That was meant flippantly by the way, OP, not nastily...

I actually agree with you on this one OP and YANBU.

posieparker · 13/05/2010 12:24

I thought you either got money for nappies or milk?

Personally I think you should be given a pack of reusables and bf guidance, after being fully informed of bf and how to do it then you can choose what to do. Part of bf guidance should be to attend a bf class when pg, to normalise it all, with each pregnancy too.

GoldenSnitch · 13/05/2010 12:25

I am not saying this should be done as I know that some people cannot/will not breastfeed and I don't think they should not be penalised for their choices but OP, rather then canceling the Healthy Start scheme, wouldn't it be better if they just made it so the vouchers couldn't be spent on formula - or fags, or booze?

MilaMae · 13/05/2010 12:28

No because formula costs a fortune(seriously overpriced imho) and it is the only safe alternative to breastmilk.

If you were really hard up it would be tempting to make your own which would be very dangerous.

fishie · 13/05/2010 12:28

when i used to go to baby clinic i would often see mothers collecting formula from reception. why was this? is it cheaper? do some people get it free?

MilaMae · 13/05/2010 12:31

I had a conversation years ago with somebody who was considering watering down her formulas as it was sooo expensive.

cluckyduck · 13/05/2010 12:33

Fishie- if you are on certain benefits the govt will give you vouchers for free formula or fresh milk, don't know if this is stillthe case but it was when I got them in 2005

GoldenSnitch · 13/05/2010 12:33

Could they have been getting the special allergy formula fishie? For the children with cows milk allergies etc. You get that on prescription I believe.

cluckyduck · 13/05/2010 12:45

Sorry I meant to say, I could exchange these vouchers at the supermarket or the local medical centre, and I always chose the medical centre as it was less embarrasing.

StewieGriffinsMom · 13/05/2010 12:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ABatInBunkFive · 13/05/2010 12:50

Posie, milk/formula/ fresh fruit and veg is what the vouchers are supposed to be for.

You could buy forumula at a slightly cheaper price at my old HC but yes they could have been collecting their free milk or prescription milk.

They are not supposed to be spent on fags or booze golden snitch, if you know somewhere that does you should report them.

Shaz10 · 13/05/2010 12:53

She doesn't want to/can't/has issues with breastfeeding and gave you a flippant remark to shut you up.

Seona1973 · 13/05/2010 12:56

the voucher scheme changed from the milk tokens you used to get - the vouchers can now be used to buy milk/formula and fresh fruit/veg. They are worth:

*£3.10 a week if you're pregnant
*£6.20 a week for each baby aged under one
*£3.10 a week for each child aged over one and under four

You also used to be able to buy discounted formula from our local surgery but that also stopped when the healthy start vouchers started.

More info about the vouchers here

p.s. £6.20 wouldnt even get you one tin of formula so it isnt exactly free.

Firawla · 13/05/2010 12:56

If they dont want to bf they wont bf, I don't think a 3 quid voucher will change that.
If they are very hard up then the voucher will help towards the milk, it is about 7 quid per box as people have said or actually i thought its gone up than that now, more like 8 quid? (i do buy it but cant exactly remember) but either 7 or 8 quid it is pretty expensive to buy that every week, for people who have to watch their pennies it will be quite a big outgoing, noone would want the babies to go without so if they spend their vouchers on milk then whats the big deal? Maybe people would resort to watering it down or giving cows milk far too early if they couldnt afford it.
Spending on cigarettes and other things like that is inexcusable though and it should be taken off them if they do that.

GoldenSnitch · 13/05/2010 12:58

It's the Op's friend that spends them on fags and booze ABatInAbunkFive. She said so further up. I've already suggests she reports them.

mamatomany · 13/05/2010 13:01

They are a great idea, milk tokens promoted FF these vouchers give people choices.

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