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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

not looking for a row, but has anyone seen the new SMA logo? the one that looks like the mum is bf?

673 replies

harpsichordcarrier · 14/04/2007 21:39

here's the logo

you tube clip here

sma site

way to get round the new advertising rules, which forbid them from saying "close to breastmilk" &c
anyone like to complain? I would like them, very much, to have to change their logo and slogan again. especially as they have clearly spent quite a bit of wonga on it.

OP posts:
VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/04/2007 22:47

They do seem to have more up-to-date weaning info though here

TWinkle this is where the quote came from

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/04/2007 22:48

check out johnny

Twinklemegan · 14/04/2007 22:48

Nope I think I must be a bit dense on this one. That might make me choose Cow & Gate if I was already having to formula feed (which I did as it happens) - it wouldn't make me choose to formula feed. I've likened it before to tobacco advertising, in that the adverts wouldn't IMO make someone start smoking, but they might make them switch brands.

hunkermunker · 14/04/2007 22:50

See this video

Yes, the mum bfeeds to start with in the cartoon, but there's much made of her bmilk containing prebiotics, to set up the "our formula contains prebiotics" - another drip-drip "and it's the same stuff, but in a handy container" message.

And as SOON as introducing complementary food is mentioned (no mention of weaning AGE, but C&G have packets with 4m+ on them, which is another implication - one which is explicitly stated would contravene baby milk advertising laws), as SOON as it's mentioned, the voiceover says "he might not need bmilk now" - and there are packets of C&G formula paraded across the screen.

Oh, they are CUNTS.

hunkermunker · 14/04/2007 22:53

Twinklemegan, someone I know said she chose the formula she used because it was "closest to breastmilk" - that's what they're banking on you taking from the slogan - not "closer" - and she had. She went on to say "It's pretty much the same as bmilk and X is fine, so I am glad I didn't bother faffing about with bfeeding and when you see people doing it when their babies are one or something, that's just gross".

Can I just say I wasn't talking about feeding of any description at the time - was only involved in the conversation as someone who happened to be sitting at the same table in a restaurant.

Frascati · 14/04/2007 22:53

lovely language hunker

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/04/2007 22:54

I've just emailed them to request the data that provides the information for that graph, LOL!

I doubt very much that I will get it

Boco · 14/04/2007 22:56

We make choices all the time without even knowing why. Advertising has such an important role. You might think that you are totally in control of everything you choose, but the reality is that we're all constantly bombarded with images to try to make us buy.

Formula companies spend alot of money creating an image and a brand. They tell us that their product is safe, friendly, caring, they use images and colours and words and phrases that create a feeling and a familiarity - so that when in doubt and things aren't going well - you reach out for the familiar and the safe and trusted brands.

3andnomore · 14/04/2007 22:56

Twinklemegan, my hangup about "closer to bm" is, that that is as close as they come (thank god) to new mothers....because, thankfully they are not as freely able to advertise, ubnless it's that follow on milk...but they will still bring that one in weven then...!
But in the end, everything is meant to brainwash us in thinking what is the norm!
Come on, about 25 years ago, if someone tsaid that tabacco was bad for your health, msot people wopulod have gone...eh...wtf...which, now, wiht hindsight seems naive and laughable...if we do the same statement about sugar, which is just as true, still now...we woudl get the same reactions...and that is jsut an example...advertising , whtout it wanting to influence us...does influence sometimes how we think of things!

misdee · 14/04/2007 22:57

ooooo hunker i just got at that point in the cartoon.

Twinklemegan · 14/04/2007 22:58

Now I do agree with you on that one. It's pretty blatant isn't it?

I meant to say btw that it wasn't the prebiotic thing that made me choose C&G, it was because I had bought their organic formula just in case before DS was born (too expensive to keep using once I had to use a lot).

3andnomore · 14/04/2007 22:59

\Boco, you sID THAT FAR BETTER THEN i EVER COULD!...oops caps lock, sorry

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/04/2007 22:59

oh check this out...another quote from a babyfood manufacturer, suggesting that delaying weaning past 6 months could have consequences......

"When should I start?
Babies are individuals and develop at different rates and so won?t all be ready for weaning at the same age. Experts agree that babies should not be weaned before 4 months of age. Somewhere between 4 and 6 months, babies may start to show an interest in your food. They may be less satisfied with milk, demanding more feeds or waking up hungry instead of sleeping through. These signs may mean they are ready for weaning. You can ask your health visitor for advice on any aspect of weaning.

It may take a few weeks to get your baby used to having food regularly, so it?s best not to delay starting weaning beyond 6 months of age. Otherwise it doesn?t give your baby time to get used to the new sensation of eating, before they really need the food to provide extra nourishment"

AitchTwoOh · 14/04/2007 23:01

i'm with twinkle on this, i never thought that 'closest' meant 'equivalent'. i do think you'd have to be awfully daft to think it did... but then there are some awfully daft people out there i suppose.
and i really did read that image as being a mother cradling her child. although i can see your points about the lack of a bottle but when did it become an obligation to show the product in action on the pack? my toilet roll has a baby in a suit on it, not a big old fat man wiping his arse.

3andnomore · 14/04/2007 23:01

never buy just in case....because it will make you "break down" far easier then if you had the faff of buying everything when you are in desperate need...
with ds2 I was several times at breaking points...if I had formula in at that tiem, who knows what I would have done...but as I hadn't it really helped me to focus of what I wanted to achieve...iykwim...(lil bugger wouldn't latch on the first week and then several big bouts of thrush)

VeniVidiVickiQV · 14/04/2007 23:03

oh , and the DOH recommendations for b/feeding exclusively for the first six months, are implied to be relevant to "atopic families"

See this...

"Who?s at Risk?
Some families are more prone to food allergies and intolerances than others and are described as atopic. This means they are more likely to develop conditions such as asthma or eczema. However, being in an atopic family doesn?t automatically mean that your baby will be affected, but it does mean that the risk of developing an allergy is greater.
Therefore the advice from the Department of Health, for babies in an atopic family is:

Breast feed for six months or longer
Wait until your baby is at least 6 months before introducing foods which commonly cause allergy (cow?s milk, eggs, wheat, nuts and shellfish)"

Twinklemegan · 14/04/2007 23:03

3andnomore - don't even go there. Trust me. If you want to know how it make me "break down more easily" then go search on my posts.

3andnomore · 14/04/2007 23:04

lo atich, and thank god it hasn't...mind you that charming bear is giving me far to vivid images about this one....lol...far far to vivid....
it's jsut the implication...you see advertising works on a subconsciounce (sp?) level...it is just over and over showing us there product with a certain slogan and at one point it'sa far to easy to believe it...

hunkermunker · 14/04/2007 23:04

Frascati, sorry if I offended your sensitive eyes

"Oh, they are C*NTS!"

kiskidee · 14/04/2007 23:06

Yes, the mum bfeeds to start with in the cartoon, but there's much made of her bmilk containing prebiotics, to set up the "our formula contains prebiotics" -

i HOPE they said that her bmilk contains PRObiotics and not PREbiotics!

(haven't watched the video - yet.)

3andnomore · 14/04/2007 23:06

well...I meant it did it for me...if I had formula in, I probably would have given it there and then...but because I hadn't I just went on and, thank god, in our case succeedet...and I think, in most cases this would be happening wiht teh right support...not talking about real problem where breastfeeding is not possibly achieved...really that is a different thing altogether...iykwim....and in those cases. thank god there is well develloped Formula available...

AitchTwoOh · 14/04/2007 23:07

i can see your points, of course, 3andnomore, it's just that as one of the few people on the thread who has actually decided between formula feeds i can say that image did not register on me in the manner it does you, nor did i think 'closest to' meant 'the same as'.

3andnomore · 14/04/2007 23:07

Twinlemegan, if I remember correctly, your Baby had tongue tie that went undiagnosed for the first 6 motnh, or somehting like that?...sorry if I do confuse you wiht someone else!

hunkermunker · 14/04/2007 23:08

Kiskidee: "A healthy, natural immune system
Because a healthy immune system can be helped by prebiotics, we make sure Cow & Gate milks contain similar ones to those found in breast milk. From our infant milks, right up to our Growing Up milk (for children from 1 to 3 years) you can be sure your child is getting the prebiotics they need to feed the friendly bacteria in their tummy, as their immune system develops."

From C&G site.

Frascati · 14/04/2007 23:08

That's better