Baby show - ticket offers include a bottle pack and a steriliser pack

[KaraStarbuckThrace]

But nothing for bfing mums :(

link

It just feels like they are pushing bottle feeding here.

I am planning to go to the show and will keep an open mind, there may well be some good bfing promotion at the show itself.

No I but I am seriously considering it.

cake?

Yes vouchers for cakes and hob nobs :D

Well I am doing my email, but I bet I get the usual gubbins back :(

Let us know won't you KST

I certainly will!!

Water? BF is thirsty work, how hard would it be to give out some Evian (Evian babies LOL!)

You can put breast milk in a bottle. :)

Ticket offers also include a monitor, a nappy wrapper, two pack of bottles. You don't get them for free, it part of the ticket price, not really sure how they are pushing bottle feeding when it is part of 4 or 5 differing offers, bf mums do use nappies, monitors, some even use bottles

Yes I am aware of that Tiger - but it is generally not recommended using bottles until breastfeeding is fully established.

I think it is safe to say though that the majority of women using bottles will be using them for formula rather than EBM.

Wiggles - I expect that those offers include the products at a discounted price.

No, I know that they are offered at a discounted price, but I'm not really sure what you mean, should bottles/sterilising equipment never be discounted, if you don't want to take advantage of that particular discount then use the monitor/nappy wrapper one. Besides I always thought that one of the main advantages of b/f was that you didn't have to faff around with extra equipment etc.

Although bottle/sterilising equipment can be used for bfing, it is mainly used for formula feeding.
It is illegal to promote the use of 1st stage infant formula, but equipment essential to formula feeding falls outside of this ban, however it can be used to promote formula feeding, and that includes offering such products as a discount.
I don't have any issues with monitor or the nappy wrapper promotion as they are not linked with infant feeding.

I know it seems like a really pernickty thing (I can your eyes rolling at the screen at me ), but it is a contribution to the millions of pounds spent every year in this country alone which is spent in trying to get around the ban on marketing 1st stage formula. And it DOES undermine breastfeeding.

Sadly there is a only a fraction of that advertising money which spent on supporting mothers who want to breastfeed.

What a shame they haven't included whips to publicly flog those shameful woman who choose to breastfeed!

LOL @ Memoo.

Ahh it is because we self-flagellate ;)

KST- I followed that advice and DD refuses a bottle. I do wish I'd offered it earlier, a lot of mums at the groups I go to had success by doing it at a couple of weeks old and can now share feeding with their partners and catch up on sleep. There have been days I wouldn't dare go out in the car for fear of causing an accident through tiredness. Next time round I'd do things differently.

I can also say that BF has been promoted and supported from before my pregnancy till now. Posters, GP, MW, HV, hospital- all government-funded. Then all the other organisations- LLL, NCT and online groups. I've never felt lack of support a problem. I'm not sure how much more promotion they can give it. I'm in Scotland though, don't know about rest of UK.

I do have a big problem with some people's attitudes to BF but I have problems with people's attitudes to life in general.

Greentig3r, I do understand where you are coming from, however that is why I said "generally not recommended".

I also have a big problem with people's attitudes to bfing as well - that it is often seen so negatively, actively helped by the overt and not-so-overt help from big businesses and the media.

I think things are generally better in Scotland than they are in England, there are some things which are done in Scotland that are not done here in England, protection in law is more straight forward in Scotland.

Not everyone has access to NCT/LLL etc., and often for many people the support offered by MWs, HVs and Surestart is offered too late.

Breastpads, nipple cream, breastfeeding pillow, nursing bras, money off vouchers for breastpumps, there's many things they could have included specifically for BFing mums.

i agree it should be more things like, bottles and breastpumps then its 50/50

For those of your that are interested, I had a reply from the Baby Show.

Here it is

~
Thank you for your email and getting in contact.

The Baby Shows are pro choice and therefore aim to give new and
expectant mothers all the information they may desire/ require.

Information on The Baby Show website is reflective of our content at the
show, which includes everything from; daily talks from experts on how to
breastfeed such as Claire Byam Cook (as seen in today's editition of The
Times); nutritional information on what to eat when you are pregnant or
breast feeding from Sainsbury's & The British Nutrition Foundation;
advice from midwives and health visitors at the Tommy's Meet the
Midwives area; a dedicated room from within the feeding area fitted with
comfy rocking chairs and stools for mums to breast feed in comfort.

We look forward to seeing you at the show and hope you have an enjoyable
day.

~

What a load of bullcrap.

Breastfeeding is free. Why would any company trying to make big profits bother with it when there is SO much more stuff they can try and sell to formula feeders? Those mothers will have keep on buying formula and replace bottle/teats etc so they're prime audiences for pushing more stuff their way.

The baby show is one big advert so, of course, formula/baby food companies are going to use it to promote their stuff.

It sucks that there will little to no promotion of breastfeeding there compared to the huge amount of hard sell on other baby foods but it comes back down to money, breastfeeding makes no profit for anyone.

BTW, Kara, you're a fracking toaster!!

i am going here at the wkend, and when i looked there were also offers on NURSING bras so thats for bfeeding mums!