Comments on Blacktating: Should You Buy Generic Formula?

While we know that breastfeeding is best, I think ...

2011-09-07T08:28:05.919-04:00

While we know that breastfeeding is best, I think it's so important to avoid the guilt many have over choosing the bottle. For many reasons, it can be the best choice for some. Finding the best possible formulas, free from potentially harmful chemicals, makes this more of a guilt free choice.

Replying with an update for anyone who lands on th...

2010-09-24T11:18:39.667-04:00

Replying with an update for anyone who lands on this blog post. I have since learned more about corn syrup solids in formula. Corn syrup solids are used in formulas that are lactose-free, which includes "gentle" or "sensitive" or "hypoallergenic" formulas, as well as any formula that is soy. For babies who have been diagnosed with lactose intolerance (which brings up some other issues) the formula companies have to come up with another source of carbs & sugar since they can't use lactose. Hence, the corn syrup solids. Corn syrup solids would not be the first ingredient on a can of regular milk-based formula.

Rebekah you are silly...and very judgemental.

2010-08-08T18:08:47.036-04:00

Rebekah you are silly...and very judgemental.

Amber, I wonder if we were reading the same blog. ...

2010-02-03T15:26:32.615-05:00

Amber,
I wonder if we were reading the same blog. I was really disappointed to see a mom who breastfeeds taking money from a formula company to promote its products.

I agree, Amber. Personally, I think of formula as...

2010-02-03T14:13:28.589-05:00

I agree, Amber. Personally, I think of formula as medication and to me, that's where it belongs, behind an RX. Just me, though.

Some people have to use formula, and if that is th...

2010-02-03T14:07:43.469-05:00

Some people have to use formula, and if that is the case then they should do so. Feeding the baby is ALWAYS the first priority, and I say that as a breastfeeding advocate. I do not judge anyone for their feeding choices.

I am also a supporter of the WHO's International Code on Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. I believe that formula marketing can undermine breastfeeding. After all, its underlying purpose is to promote and sell a product. We know that the breastfeeding rate is much lower than it should be. There are people who absolutely can't breastfeed exclusively, but without adequate support and information many more people will fail in spite of their own best efforts and their body's ability. I believe that marketing campaigns contribute to the overall culture that does not support breastfeeding and leads to a lower breastfeeding rate.

I have seen sponsored posts and tweets on this topic, and it really turns me off. In fact, I stopped reading one blog because of it. Of course, it's your right as a blogger to make your own choices, but it's also my right as a reader to opt out of reading formula ads. I found the one case I'm thinking of even more troubling as the mom was breastfeeding - she clearly did not believe in the product, she was just in it for a payday. :(

Oh no doubt. It always surprises me that DSS and ...

2010-02-03T08:17:28.778-05:00

Oh no doubt. It always surprises me that DSS and WIC don't push a little harder. I think part of that goes back to what you had said in a previous post (a while back) regarding the poor and culture. A lot of people have said that Black women and Hispanic women have cultural bias against breastfeeding and I can't speak for that (obviously) but I CAN say that poor white women in my area generally don't breastfeed either. I wonder if it's as much a class issue as it is a cultural one. I mean, when I go to DSS or WIC offices, it's a RARE breastfeeding mother I run into and I know that WIC recently cut it's benefits to breastfeeding mothers past 6mo. When I asked about it the woman helping me explained that in the last three years, I'm the first woman of ANY ethnicity she has come across that actually nurses that long. That is really, really sad. It's a shame that funding is just hacked off instead of figuring out some way to push those rates UP. I mean, heck, the WIC office is right around the corner, I'd volunteer time if it would help! (Though I'm NOT IBCLC so I'm not as qualified as others.)

Although breastfeeding doesn't bring in money,...

2010-02-03T07:42:28.917-05:00

Although breastfeeding doesn't bring in money, it does save money...a lot. Think about all of the formula given to women on WIC. As a taxpayer, my money goes to fund these social programs (and I have ZERO problem with that), but think about how much money the government could save if those women were all breastfeeding. Same thing with Medicaid. Think of the cost savings related to medical care for babies who would have less ear infections, colds, asthma, etc. if they were breastfed. There is also the savings to the environment to consider. No bottles to sterilize, no mass production of giant cans of formula, no plastic bottle liners in our landfills, etc.

I was talking about this thread with my dh and he ...

2010-02-03T07:28:57.874-05:00

I was talking about this thread with my dh and he was saying it was almost a shame breastfeeding didn't bring in any money because if it did, we could all band together and afford our OWN marketing campaign!

Monica, I don't mean to suggest that anyone sh...

2010-02-02T21:09:55.418-05:00

Monica, I don't mean to suggest that anyone should starve their baby if they are unable to breastfeed for whatever reason. I am not sure how many times I have to say that. I also don't think this is about any person's individual decision on whether or not to formula feed. The issue is the marketing of breast milk substitutes and how aggressive the marketing of these products has become. When even the generic brand is launching big marketing campaigns, I think it says a lot about how huge this problem is. And for the record I have a problem with ALL WHO Code violations, whether they be by Medela, Enfamil or PBM. You may not want to think so, but campaigns like this do affect whether or not a mom chooses to breastfeed and for how long. It's been documented time and again that the marketing works. As a mom blogger you have a lot of influence with your readers and your relationship with this company make a mom switch from name brand to generic formula....or maybe stop breastfeeding all together because there's a cheaper alternative than name brand formula available. How can you predict? All of the formula makers pay lip service to the fact that "breast is best," but at the end of the day it's in PBM's best interest for women to use formula.

I don't disagree with your statements to be a ...

2010-02-02T18:07:08.749-05:00

I don't disagree with your statements to be a pita, but it was Parents Choice with ARA and DHA that I was thinking of. I did this less than 6weeks ago so I know I'm not crazy, lol. My son is not on Enfamil and I didn't meant to imply that the name brands don't have it as their first. I can say that the formula my son is on does *not* have it listed as the first ingredient though it is certainly in there (he's on Similac Advance). He actually has pretty severe reflux so I'm going to be switching him soon so it's BACK to reading cans again *sigh*.

All of this said, I'm sure things change and I'm not like, trying to start a debate. I was only trying to point out that sometimes, the choice isn't which company is the evilist, marketing-wise (and wow, they are all awful!) but what is best for the individual child in question. :)

Hi! I just came across your post, and really felt ...

2010-02-02T14:45:39.551-05:00

Hi! I just came across your post, and really felt like I should reply.
I am a blogger, and I write frequently about Store Brand Formula. I have a good relationship with Parent's Choice, as I used them for my twins when they were babies. I could not breastfeed. I had surgery in May 2000 that prevented me from being able to produce enough to feed one baby, let alone two. I tried, oh how I tried to increase my production... I saw nurses, I went to LLL meetings. After 2 months of pumping, trying, crying, and feeling like a failure, I finally gave in and went exclusively formula. The guilt that I had, feeling like a failure was immense. We had used up the Enfamil the hospital gave us by then, and saw that there was no way, even with coupons that we were going to be able to buy a can every couple of days at that price, so we took a look at the ingredients and nutrition facts. Contrary to what your previous poster had said.. Not all Store Brand's list Corn Syrup Solids as the first ingredient. I'm finding it only in the Gentle, Soy & Sensitive formulas. BUT, Enfamil's Gentlease has the 1st ingredient as Corn Syrup Solids (https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=381725) as well as Simliac's Sensitive formula (http://abbottnutrition.com/products/similac-sensitive) so it IS in the National Name Brands too.

We used the Parent's Choice Milk Formula, with DHA & ARA, and it's first ingredient is Nonfat Milk. Here's the ingredients list on their website. http://www.parentschoiceformula.com/milk-formula-ingredients.aspx And it was perfect for us. My girls thrived on it, and they are now 4 years old, rarely sick, and they are not even close to being obese from having formula instead of being breastfed.

I agree with you on the point that breastfeeding is the healthiest option for babies, and the least expensive option for parents, BUT, I know I'm not the only mom out there that couldn't/can't breastfeed for one reason or another. Unless they want to starve their babies, they have to formula feed them. It is in this respect that PBM, Parent's Choice, Store Brands are looking to help parents save money. They don't have huge marketing campaigns, they don't give massive amounts of free samples to hospitals, they don't take out magazine, or television ads. They save that money so consumers can save money. Yes, they're working with Social Media folks, like myself, because it's a whole lot less expensive to get the word out on the money savings with bloggers than it is to pay for the major marketing spots. They are in no way pushing moms to breastfeed, but rather trying to get the word out that if they are ALREADY using formula, why not save money where you can? Just like anything else you buy, if there's a great alternative that saves you money, wouldn't you get it? Please excuse me if I'm naive here, but I don't see where this is any different.

*Full Disclosure, I was not paid for writing this comment. I used Parent's Choice before I formed any relationship with the company and now I use my experiences to help other parents save money. I found your post via Google Alerts for Infant Formula

Rebekah, I never meant to insinuate that I think a...

2010-02-02T08:57:02.652-05:00

Rebekah,
I never meant to insinuate that I think anyone should boycott formula or that it isn't absolutely necessary in some cases. The issue I had is that I always thought store brands were a better choice, for both the cost savings and not having to support the terrible marketing practices of the big 3 formula makers.
What's really interesting is the corn syrup. I'd never heard that before. I'm glad you were able to work with your pediatrician to find the best choice for your baby.

This is an interesting topic for me, honestly. I ...

2010-02-01T22:05:27.316-05:00

This is an interesting topic for me, honestly. I breastfed my first until she was 3, my 2nd will be 3 in April and she's still having a nibble at bedtime. But my son was born with a weird, rare little problem with his tongue (he has a rear tie) that is only correctable via surgery (and no, clipping his frenulum did not work and he ended up in the hospital with FTT because he wasn't growing). I am and always will be a staunch supporter of breastfeeding so it is with a sense of irony that I'm going to sit here and type that my son is formula fed, now. He is growing and at this point, that's what matters because he *was* starving to death.

Anyway, it was agonizing choosing a formula to supplement him with (originally it was just supplementation, of course) and I must've read the back of every can in that stupid "evil" isle (and that is how I've thought of it for years, lol.) I spoke with his doctor about it, too (I'm blessed with one of those peds that truly supports breastfeeding) and he shared my frustration with the choice. In the end, I did choose a name brand and I'm not sorry I did so, marketing practices aside. The very first ingredient on the off brands? CORN SYRUP SOLIDS. I mean, true, it's in EVERY formula (seriously, that stuff is so disgusting I don't think any child would eat it if it wasn't sweetened) but I went with the brand that seemed to have the least amount in it. That, and I have to go with the brands that WIC will pay for because not every parent can afford to buy formula, of any brand, in the quantaties needed to feed an infant. That's something that's always baffled me, why poor women don't just nurse! It's FREE.

I am so sorry my little son doesn't get breastmilk but I have to admit I'm glad that there is something he can have and that he's not, you know, starving to death *shudder*. I guess what I'm getting at is that there is only so far "boycotting" will go. I chose what I felt was the lesser of two evils, I guess. I really wish we'd have laws in this country that made it so that you needed a prescription or something like that, to get formula. I know laws like that exist in other countries and it seems to work well.