Token - re Formula Cos

LuvTrav

I completely agreed with you last week (or whenever it was) about the formula companies and their dirty marketing tactics.

I was even more turned off when I received a mailer with $5 in checks and this little note:

It honestly made me a little sick. Implying it is easier to FF since you will be having your child in another person's care just preys on the insecurities many BF moms already have. 

If people do not see this for what it is that is their problem not mine. This is not an attack on formula feeding, just the marketing tactics of the formula companies. If you FF and it offends you that I find this tactic distasteful, then you have your own personal issues with FF that you need to work out.

Lisa Frank

Oh FFS.

CanuckFan03

Lisa Frank:

Oh FFS.

THIS.  Let it die.  Companies market their formula. That is horrible. So is Starbucks trying to sell a latte. How DARE they? 

LuvTrav

Lisa Frank:

Oh FFS.

haha, sorry I just had to! 

darmca

CanuckFan03:

Lisa Frank:

Oh FFS.

THIS.  Let it die.  Companies market their formula. That is horrible. So is Starbucks trying to sell a latte. How DARE they? 

And cigarette companies market, and alcohol companies market and while I'm not comparing formula to cigarettes or alcohol none of these companies have the consumer's best interest at heart.

I agree with the OP. Formula companies put their profits ahead of the  well-being of their customers. I don't know what to do about it (other than keep on breastfeeding) but it doesn't make it any less true.

Lisa Frank

darmca:

CanuckFan03:

Lisa Frank:

Oh FFS.

THIS.  Let it die.  Companies market their formula. That is horrible. So is Starbucks trying to sell a latte. How DARE they? 

And cigarette companies market, and alcohol companies market and while I'm not comparing formula to cigarettes or alcohol none of these companies have the consumer's best interest at heart.

I agree with the OP. Formula companies put their profits ahead of the  well-being of their customers. I don't know what to do about it (other than keep on breastfeeding) but it doesn't make it any less true.

Formula companies also FEED BABIES.  This is what you do not understand.

And I'm out of this conversation. 

 

P.S. I breastfed one kid to 6 months and the other to 8 weeks. Stop making judgments about one way of feeding baby vs. the other. You are only alienating your fellow mom-friends.

 

tokenhoser

I hate the marketing of formula.

I hate lots of other marketing - drugs in particular.

I also think a lot of formula feeding moms are unnecessarily defensive.

darmca

Lisa Frank:

darmca:

CanuckFan03:

Lisa Frank:

Oh FFS.

THIS.  Let it die.  Companies market their formula. That is horrible. So is Starbucks trying to sell a latte. How DARE they? 

And cigarette companies market, and alcohol companies market and while I'm not comparing formula to cigarettes or alcohol none of these companies have the consumer's best interest at heart.

I agree with the OP. Formula companies put their profits ahead of the  well-being of their customers. I don't know what to do about it (other than keep on breastfeeding) but it doesn't make it any less true.

Formula companies also FEED BABIES.  This is what you do not understand.

And I'm out of this conversation. 

 

P.S. I breastfed one kid to 6 months and the other to 8 weeks. Stop making judgments about one way of feeding baby vs. the other. You are only alienating your fellow mom-friends.

 

I'm judging the companies, not the moms. Sorry if I am cyber-alienating people. I don't understand how disliking the companies' sales tactics is being judgmental of formula feeding.

darmca

tokenhoser:

I hate the marketing of formula.

I hate lots of other marketing - drugs in particular.

I also think a lot of formula feeding moms are unnecessarily defensive.

I've come to the conclusion women should just not feed their babies anything at all. People are defensive about formula feeding, people are defensive about breastfeeding (extended breastfeeding, nursing in public). In my working class, small Canadian city I get more flack about BFing than I imagined and I am very defensive about it when it's brought up (people even blush when I call it 'breastfeeding' and always change it to 'nursing' if they don't just change the subject all together- I get the urge to say 'breast breast breast' just to watch them squirm).

tokenhoser

darmca:

tokenhoser:

I hate the marketing of formula.

I hate lots of other marketing - drugs in particular.

I also think a lot of formula feeding moms are unnecessarily defensive.

I've come to the conclusion women should just not feed their babies anything at all. People are defensive about formula feeding, people are defensive about breastfeeding (extended breastfeeding, nursing in public). In my working class, small Canadian city I get more flack about BFing than I imagined and I am very defensive about it when it's brought up (people even blush when I call it 'breastfeeding' and always change it to 'nursing' if they don't just change the subject all together- I get the urge to say 'breast breast breast' just to watch them squirm).

Yeah, honestly, a mom can't win.

But after learning how formula was marketed by Nestle in Africa, I look at every piece of formula marketing through that lens.

NothingLikeBarbie

tokenhoser:

darmca:

tokenhoser:

I hate the marketing of formula.

I hate lots of other marketing - drugs in particular.

I also think a lot of formula feeding moms are unnecessarily defensive.

I've come to the conclusion women should just not feed their babies anything at all. People are defensive about formula feeding, people are defensive about breastfeeding (extended breastfeeding, nursing in public). In my working class, small Canadian city I get more flack about BFing than I imagined and I am very defensive about it when it's brought up (people even blush when I call it 'breastfeeding' and always change it to 'nursing' if they don't just change the subject all together- I get the urge to say 'breast breast breast' just to watch them squirm).

Yeah, honestly, a mom can't win.

But after learning how formula was marketed by Nestle in Africa, I look at every piece of formula marketing through that lens.

 

Right? I don't buy anything Nestle after learning about them a year or so ago.

pinkflipflops44

people actually read what it says? i just cut the coupons and added them to my pile.

 

mzsparklepdx

I was really annoyed when two different formula companies sent me samples before LO was born, like they were tempting me to bypassBF and take the "easy road".  And then when BF went south and my baby wasn't gaining weight, I was grateful for the free stuff and all the discount checks I've gotten since. It's damn expensive to FF and I'll take any break I can get.

There are very few companies whose marketing schemes don't offend me and formula makers are just one of the bunch.  However, they put out a quality product that helps babies who can't nurse stay alive, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt (for their US tactics, at least)

tokenhoser

Drug companies also make some great products that they market in totally sketchtastic ways.

I don't owe any company a free pass. It's fine if others choose not to be critical of how these companies affect our culture/ I enjoy considering how marketing strategies and histories of companies play into their behaviour and their customers behaviour. I find it really weird how totally invested some posters are in formula companies that only care about them as consumers.

CADE387

I don't know anyone who is really invested in a formula company. This isn't like boycotting Walmart because you don't agree with their business practices. If I boycott formula companies my baby will die. I am apparently a craptastic mom who had supply issues after 8 weeks of no latch and pumping. If I don't buy formula my baby won't eat.

Like another poster, I'm happy to have the samples as it is expensive and every little bit helps. Becuase I look around and ask for similac coupons doesn't mean I think they are the best company in the world. It just happens to be what my child eats.

I get the side-eye almost everywhere I go because I'm not nursing, when that happens over and over and over, yeah it is hard to not get defensive. I want to nurse my baby and I can't and everyone treats me like I gave up and didn't really try enough therefore I must not love my child.... it is fantastic.

disneyfan0511

This conversation is still happening?

mzsparklepdx

CADE387:

I don't know anyone who is really invested in a formula company. This isn't like boycotting Walmart because you don't agree with their business practices. If I boycott formula companies my baby will die. I am apparently a craptastic mom who had supply issues after 8 weeks of no latch and pumping. If I don't buy formula my baby won't eat.

Like another poster, I'm happy to have the samples as it is expensive and every little bit helps. Becuase I look around and ask for similac coupons doesn't mean I think they are the best company in the world. It just happens to be what my child eats.

I get the side-eye almost everywhere I go because I'm not nursing, when that happens over and over and over, yeah it is hard to not get defensive. I want to nurse my baby and I can't and everyone treats me like I gave up and didn't really try enough therefore I must not love my child.... it is fantastic.

This.  You are not alone.

AnneShirleyBlythe

CADE387:

I don't know anyone who is really invested in a formula company. This isn't like boycotting Walmart because you don't agree with their business practices. If I boycott formula companies my baby will die. I am apparently a craptastic mom who had supply issues after 8 weeks of no latch and pumping. If I don't buy formula my baby won't eat.

Like another poster, I'm happy to have the samples as it is expensive and every little bit helps. Becuase I look around and ask for similac coupons doesn't mean I think they are the best company in the world. It just happens to be what my child eats.

I get the side-eye almost everywhere I go because I'm not nursing, when that happens over and over and over, yeah it is hard to not get defensive. I want to nurse my baby and I can't and everyone treats me like I gave up and didn't really try enough therefore I must not love my child.... it is fantastic.

There is a difference between Similac sending out free formula and what Nestle did in Africa (and still continues to some extent). There just is, and it is disgusting. Boycotting one company is not the same as boycotting a whole food source.

And seriously I have both BF and FF. BFing gets much more of a side-eye once the kid is over about 6 days old. No need to get defensive.  

tokenhoser

Jeez, Anne, don't you know that telling people that Nestle got little African babies hooked on a food that their mothers could neither afford nor prepare properly is telling them how they don't love their babies?

Also, where have you been? I've missed you.

AnneShirleyBlythe

tokenhoser:

Jeez, Anne, don't you know that telling people that Nestle got little African babies hooked on a food that their mothers could neither afford nor prepare properly is telling them how they don't love their babies?

Also, where have you been? I've missed you.

I have been taking a bit of a break...it is definitely needed. Mat leave is almost over for me (2 weeks left until school!).

Yea, that Nestle thing still makes me angry.  

tokenhoser

DH goes back to work on Thursday.

We'll miss him a lot. Especially since he's jumping straight into coaching junior football until mid-October, so he won't get home until around 6 every night. Being married to a teacher is pretty nice, though. We've had lots of time together this summer.

CADE387

AnneShirleyBlythe:

There is a difference between Similac sending out free formula and what Nestle did in Africa (and still continues to some extent). There just is, and it is disgusting. Boycotting one company is not the same as boycotting a whole food source.

And seriously I have both BF and FF. BFing gets much more of a side-eye once the kid is over about 6 days old. No need to get defensive.  

 

I honestly didn't know about the Nestle thing until this thread and you are right - it is disgusting. I'm glad I know about it now.

 I'm sorry you get the side eye for BF. Out of my group of friends I am the only one who has ever used formula at all. I wish I could be BF. It owuld be one thing if I made the choice to not BF, but to have tried and then to be ostracized because in their eyes I "failed:" at it is frustrating.

 

I can see how the situation could be reveresed and people thinking it is odd to be BF and how getting the side eye for that would feel, but I obviously haven't experienced it myself. I don't think it is right though.

I wouldn't say I'm defensive about things, just drained on being told directly and through side comments that I'm not doing it right and I have failed my child.... it is a bit dramatic and annoying, but I don't have a vendetta about it or dwell on it constantly, just frustrated when posts come up about it.