Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Mn, do you know that Miriam Stoppard,your latest recruit in the ceaseless campaign to get us to buy even more unnecessary crap for our children works for Nestle and is hustling health journalists to join her at the Nestle luxury HQ in Switzerland to ...

156 replies

moondog · 23/04/2008 22:20

Read all about it in Baby Milk Action

Lovely lady eh?

OP posts:
BetteNoire · 23/04/2008 23:32

Pawn?

Califrau · 23/04/2008 23:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FAQ · 23/04/2008 23:38

doodle - that's a cute baby's bottom

BN - I was going to comment on "pawn" too

JustineMumsnet · 23/04/2008 23:39

yes we don't like chess pieces - they're just too black and white

KerryMum · 23/04/2008 23:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FAQ · 23/04/2008 23:41

oh you're into multiracial are you Justine

BetteNoire · 23/04/2008 23:41

artfiles.art.com/images/-/Dr-Moose---Hard-Core-Pawn-Poster-C10031897.jpeg

oddledoo · 23/04/2008 23:41

It's Miriam Stoppard's favourite passtime.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 23/04/2008 23:49

Current state of play is that you arent doing one though, isnt it Justine? You have lined up 6 books, and b/feeding isnt one of them.

KerryMum - I think that MNHQ will be getting plenty from this book deal, so no worries about ad sponsors (and therefore, Justine, no need to start charging users - other than the CAT facility, classifieds and other member revenue that you already charge).

I dont object to MNHQ earning sack loads of cash - quite right too.

I just think they could do without some of their sponsors, and methods of sponsorship. I think they are big enough now, and, hold enough clout to be able to veto some things, if they really wanted to.

PaninoPan · 23/04/2008 23:53

justine...re pawns..do NOT give up the evening job....

TheFallenMadonna · 23/04/2008 23:54

They do veto some things. As Justine has said.

Did Nestle really want to advertise on MN? Blimey.

sushistar · 23/04/2008 23:55

I havee an ad for Thomas Cook. I think you should ban ads from airlines and overseas holiday companies because of climate change.

We are passionate about breastfeeding - no SMA ads. Well we should feel strongly about climate change too - no Thomas Cook or Easyjet ads.

ButterflyMcQueen · 23/04/2008 23:57

if nestle did advertise then it would clarify lesser known nestle products for us all to avoid

bring it on`!

VeniVidiVickiQV · 23/04/2008 23:57
NattyEcoWarriorPrincess · 24/04/2008 00:07

im being thick but some one indulge me here

whats wrong with nescafe? what baby products do they make and why do we hate them?
i had no idea and will boycot their products if i feel the reason is valid (which is must be a MN even boycot them!)

help me out here!

ButterflyMcQueen · 24/04/2008 00:08

loving justines typo!!!!

NattyEcoWarriorPrincess · 24/04/2008 00:08

and sushi star i TOTALLY agree with you!!!

JustineMumsnet · 24/04/2008 00:09

Hi VVVQ. Actually we have four titles lined up - toddlers, pregnancy, babies and food/recipes - and 2 titles still to be decided upon. Breastfeeding is a possible title for one of those 2 but ultimately it's up to the publishers.

We do run mumsnet without a lot of potential sponsors - see earlier list - sponsors that pretty much all other major UK sites for women/parents choose to use.

Your implication I think is that we are in some way equivocal about breastfeeding because we are in the pay of business - in particular the formula milk business. So I reiterate: we don't not accept advertising for formula milk products (uniquely I think amongst the big sites) and have turned down a number of approaches in the last few months.

We settled on this policy following the post-Milupa debate of many moons ago and the insight that debate gave us into the misleading nature of formula milk advertising.

To be clear on breastfeeding, we absolutely believe breast is best and feel strongly feel that all women should have access to comprehensive and ongoing breastfeeding support to have the best chance of establishing breastfeeding and sticking with it. We are indeed planning to put together some tips and advice from members as permanent site content and hopefully will one day soon put out a breastfeeding book too.

Even more important than our committment to that though is our commitment to support parents and to make their lives' easier. ie we are sensitive to the fact that some folk struggle to breastfeed and we are not in the business of making folks feel bad about their parenting choices (some of which they have have no choice over at all). So in short we don't bang on about breast being best all the time. We think that most Mumsnetters are aware of that already.

Hope that clarifies our position.

NattyEcoWarriorPrincess · 24/04/2008 00:14

justine can i just say that your philosopy on breastfeeding is wonderful. to many time i get made to feel like the worlds worst parent because i was unable to breastfed my son, and it was constantly brought up in conversatiion and i felt i was having to justify myself all the time.
MN committment to support parents choice is MOST appriciated (because although i breastfed my daughter my son was having none of it) and i just wanted to say thank you x

VeniVidiVickiQV · 24/04/2008 00:35

Goodness me! Quite right you shouldnt bang on about "breast being best" at all. I dont think anyone thinks you should. Certainly no-one wants to make anyone feel bad either.

And to clarify my position - I dont think you are in the business of accepting money from formula companies - I dont think I said that at all in fact, I just happen to think you have the wherewithall to be more discerning about the characters that endorse some of your sponsor's products, and the companies behind some of the products as well ie L'Oreal. (Notwithstanding the whole Vicki Scott debacle).

Infant feeding is one of the things that is most lacking in support, up to date advice. To make sure that as much information and support provided is absolutely the best thing you can do. It's one of the huge draws to this site that you have, isnt it? The fantastic advice, support and empathy for infant feeding issues.

It's one thing I think you can "exploit" for the greater good, but, I personally think it's taking far too much of a back seat. (Something I intend to take up with Alan Johnson as well, dont worry )Particularly when you have so many great advice and folk eager to help at your fingertips. It feels like a hugely wasted opportunity to me, and, in the absence of any comments or information (up until now), it's been somewhat disappointing.

Plus, it seems to me that, and this is probably more to do with your publishers than anything else....if you are going to publish a set of parenting books, it'd make sense to do it in 'chronological' order. ie Conception & Pregnancy, then on to Infant Feeding (which is the very first thing you try and do with a new baby - isnt it?), Babies, through to Toddlers and then a whimsical book on recipes maybe, and, much later on - a book on Teenagers. Common sense no?

Flamesparrow · 24/04/2008 08:23

You aren't asking for infant feeding though VVVQV, you are asking for breastfeeding.

Not everyone can breastfeed. Not everyone wants to. Everyone does however need to feed their baby some way. A book that covers all feeding, be it breast, express, formula (cup and bottle) is what is needed. NOT just breast.

I know people say that all you need to do with bottles is follow the instructions, but a book from a parenting site (not a breastfeeding site) without information about all options isn't right. Having heard how my mum sat in a bath sobbing as milk poured out of her but her baby wouldn't/couldn't latch on - it needs to be a book that not only gives all the support and advice that we give those who are trying to feed, it also needs to give the same support and advice to those who post the threads feeling horribly guilty because they can't (for any reason - physical, emotional, whatever) start/continue breastfeeding.

I get the feeling that the feeding book is going to be a hell of a lot harder and more complex than the other ones.

ruty · 24/04/2008 08:31

rather disappointed in Miriam Stoppard, not sure if MN should remove an ad with her in it though. Difficult.

morningpaper · 24/04/2008 09:06

As an aside, do people think that breastfeeding BOOKS are actually useful?

I've never read anything in a book about breastfeeding that has been helpful.

PERSONALLY I've always needed real-time advice from people (the main advice being YOU ARE DOING REALLY WELL)

Just wondered what you think a breastfeeding book would SAY for 100,000 words that would really help mums?

morningpaper · 24/04/2008 09:07

It's something that REALLY needs real-time advice (ideally peer advice) - or at least it was for me. Reading books about it felt like reading books about learning to ride a bike IYKWIM. But interested in what other people think.

Twiglett · 24/04/2008 09:12

I'm sorry but on behalf of (I don't know but there must be at least 2 other people who think like I do) I really don't believe MN should be held accountable for figureheads used to spearhead advertising placed on the site.

That's a little bit OTT isn't it?

I know they drew up a list of products that were unacceptable to be advertised, but actually asking them to censor the content of the ads is rather ... well... kind of ... naive