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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

What to say to people who say "this formula is CLOSEST to breastmilk" -

405 replies

Lucy1977 · 05/11/2006 21:56

Hi

I don't want to cause offence to anyone, but in my mind an infant formula cannot be "closest" to breastmilk but I cant get my words together to explain this to people who say "I use "x" formula because it's supposed to be closest to breastmilk".

Anyone help?

Thanks
Lucy

OP posts:
somethingunderthebedisdrooling · 05/11/2006 22:30

formula may be the closest alternative to breast milk however, the original poster was talking about the claims of a formula company whose slogan is that it is 'the closest to breastmilk'.

or that is the way i read the intention

hairymclary · 05/11/2006 22:31

but it IS the closest thing to breastmilk.

isn't it?

i don't think the OP meant that she didn'tthink that particular brand should be claimingi t is closer to BM than anything else, she meant dformula in general

Original poster
Lucy1977 · 05/11/2006 22:33

SEA - I would like to re-assure you, I am certainly not competing with anyone.

HMC - my post at 10.05.11 explains that I saw someone reply to a post and mentioned the closer to breastmilk thing and at the time I understood it but now I have forgotten what it was and wanted to find it again.

Can I bail now? Wish I had spent hours searching through those threads from the search facility. How do I get this thread deleted?

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 05/11/2006 22:34

there are about four of them claiming to be the closest at the moment, it's just an advertising slogan.

harpsichordsgoingBANGandWHOOSH · 05/11/2006 22:35

Lucy, fwiw I don't see what's competitive about this thread or your question.

lulumama · 05/11/2006 22:36

lucy - don;t feel bad...you have explained yourself and your intention.... i honestly don't think you will be thouhgt of badly......i think the thread you are referring to was a about a month ago....will see if i can find it.......

somethingunderthebedisdrooling · 05/11/2006 22:36

Lucy, don't feel upset about this thread. it is very informative on a lot of levels. i see no reason why it ought to be deleted. bow out if you wish. you have behaved gracefully imho.

harpsichordsgoingBANGandWHOOSH · 05/11/2006 22:37

yes but it is a very powerful advertising slogan and one that contributes to the prevailing culture, skews the market and discourages breastfeeding. ime and imo.
which you may or may not consider to be important, but is important to some people.

bctmum · 05/11/2006 22:37

Lucy this a great thread and an important question. Not sure what the problem is.

harpsichordsgoingBANGandWHOOSH · 05/11/2006 22:38

very powerful and very misleading
again, imo.

somethingunderthebedisdrooling · 05/11/2006 22:38

"an infant formula cannot be "closest" to breastmilk" i interpret this statement to mean that it is 'an infant formula' vs 'the other brands' out there.

the important word is 'an'. if it said, 'infant formulas' then i would agree wholly with you.

hairymclary · 05/11/2006 22:39

yes, i agree HC.
just wondering about all the "it isn't closest" arguments when in fact it probably is.

Original poster
Lucy1977 · 05/11/2006 22:40

I did mean the formula companies claims that it is "closest to breastmilk" (like I have said, when this was mentioned in a post a while back someone replied with a paragraph that struck a chord with me that explained it well).

Honestly, I'll get this deleted asap

Lucy

OP posts:
hairymclary · 05/11/2006 22:40

formula companies in general? or a specific one?

AitchTwoOh · 05/11/2006 22:41

but it would answer the OP's question, wouldn't it? not that i as a ff would be too thrilled about being told by a bfer. (i know that OP wouldn't.)
but being able to tell a formula-promoting HV or MiL(for example) that aptamil, cow and gate and a couple of others all make the claim to be closest woudl presumably shut them up.

foundintranslation · 05/11/2006 22:41

I don't think the thread is about formula and breastmilk per se, but rather about formula manufacturers making the (IMO and that of many others meaningless) claim for their product that it is 'closer/closest to bm'. I only used formula briefly for my ds, but if I had had to carry on using it and not been aware of the issues I think I would have appreciated someone telling me there's no 'closer' and 'closest' where different brands of formula are concerned. (NB: this is NOT saying formula is bad. There are circumstances in which formula is simply a lifesaver. But comparing bm and formula is, as the Germans say, like comparing apples with pears). It is, IMO, a very cruel marketing claim - misleading women who might have not been able to bf and might be very upset about it.

bctmum · 05/11/2006 22:42

FiTrans - good point on the apples and pears

AitchTwoOh · 05/11/2006 22:42

don't get the thread deleted, lucy, it's interesting...

harpsichordsgoingBANGandWHOOSH · 05/11/2006 22:44

I think it is the use of the word "closest" which implies close, i.e. nearby, next to, near as damn it, etc
which it isn't.
it gives a msleading impression.
language matters

harpsichordsgoingBANGandWHOOSH · 05/11/2006 22:45

sorry, X posts with FIT who has expressed it rather better than me as usual

moondog · 05/11/2006 22:46

Sea,I will never forget early feeding-even when my children are in their 40s.

I still subscribe to the ABM magazine even though I no longer b/feed (and don't plan on more children) and will do for ever probably.

southeastastra · 05/11/2006 22:46

how do they market it then?

harpsichordsgoingBANGandWHOOSH · 05/11/2006 22:47

yes - that's the thing and I think the more I read mumsnet the more I understand this :
the way we feed our babies matters, it really matters in lots of ways.

hairymclary · 05/11/2006 22:47

i totally agree that it shouldn't be used as marketing for formula companies.

the OP said "infant formula can't be "closest to breastmilk""
and i just wanted to make the point that actually, it IS. unless anyone can point me to some other alternative if breastfeeding has failed?

moondog · 05/11/2006 22:48

No it's not hairy.
Weasel milk is.

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