I FEED MY TODDLER JUNK FOOD SO WHAT based on the Article I formula fed so
what by Kathryn Blundell
Sub heading: You can keep your housewife chipped nails, Giving your toddler junk food is nothing to be ashamed of.
‘It’s right up there with the Sunday roast family meal, that proves you’re all woman and a good mother. Cooking for your child: the most natural thing
in the world. But what if, like me, you really don’t fancy it?
For some junk feeders, ‘not really fancying it’ translates into ‘concealing the fact that I’m buying macdonalds’. So visits from health visitors are
pre-empted by the scrabble to hide the poliuretan boxes in the bin. ‘What, oh that box. I’ve been busy so Dave went out for atake away.’ Hmm.
But why the shame? Sure, home made meals have the edge over take aways– it’s cheaper, and you can cook anything any time.
Then there are studies that show it reduces the risk of breast cancer for you, and stomach upsets and allergies for your baby. But even the
convenience and supposed health benefits of home made couldn’t induce me to spend all that time in the kitchen.
HANDS OFF
After nine months of denial, lardiness and bad shoes, as soon as the birth was out of the way I wanted time to myself . (And some wine). Not that I had
anything particularly useful to do with my time, except – paradoxically – care for my baby. I also wanted to give my hands at least a chance to stay
nice rather than having callouses and dry and break my nails cooking all day.
They’re part of my sexuality, too – not just hands, but masturbating tools.
And when you have that attitude (and I admit I made no attempt to change it), seeing your teeny, tiny, innocent baby feeding from a fork by the same
hand that has been playful with a lover” is just creepy.
JUNK FOOD WON
I don’t think I’m the only one, either – only 52% of mums do not give any junk food to their toddlers. Ask most of the junk feeders why they stopped
cooking so often and you’ll hear tales of agonising three-hour cooking sessions and – the drama! – the burns, the cuts!. But I often wonder whether
many of these women, like me, just couldn’t be fagged or felt like having a night off once in awhile. My reasons for not cooking might not be in the
league of ‘my nails have broken ’, but they make sense to me and I hope some women can be reassured by my honesty.
I wasn’t always so confident about being an out-and-proud junk food-mum-feeder.
I recall one sunny afternoon when, happily feeding my baby in the park, ducks quacking in the distance, a passing stranger – also a mum – asked me
whether it was home made. Reeling from the impertinence of such a personal question (and anyway, wasn’t the Macdonalds box in my hand a give away) I
hesitated to answer. Say ‘yes’ and I’d be a liar. Say ‘no’ and, from the pursing of her lips and arch of her brow, it was clear I’d be marked as a
weak, selfish mum, straight from the Vicky Pollard school of parenting. The clock was ticking. Liar? Bad mum? I plumped for bad mum. ‘You do know your
baby will get sick if you give him that poison,’ she said, flouncing off. Thanks, sister. Great advice.
THE JUNK STUFF
So, time for a reality check. Junk food and take aways are not toxic, lacking in nutrients or in any way bad for a baby’s health when prepared
properly – and we can all read the back of a packet for instructions. No, it’s not A-grade, but neither is it just empty food that will turn my baby
into an anaemic ball of flab with a life expectancy of three. Nor is the fact my baby eats burgers out of a box rather than a meal prepared with love
going to give him a mental illness or mean we don’t bond. That’s just ridiculous.
The Home Cooking Mafia can keep their guilt trips. Bullying other mums about something as special and nurturing as feeding their babies (and yes, eating
in Macdonalds can be lovely and intimate) is a depth that even Vicky Pollard wouldn’t sink to. So, let’s hear it, ladies, for modern nutritional science,
but most of all for our freedom of choice.
–
Jesusa Ricoy-Olariaga
Childbirth Educator.Doula and Mum
www.birthinglove.co.uk
www.jesusaricoy.blogspot.com
www.rompiendoaguas2.blogspot.com
OUTSTANDING!!!!
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Love it !!
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Well, that about sums it up, really. I have often wondered why formula wasn’t a prescription drug. That way those who REALLY couldn’t breastfeed could still get it! and the others could give their babies the home cooked stuff!
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Fantastic!
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OUTSTANDING
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It was funnier than the formula one..but, oooh, I fear you will get some backlash over the masturbation paragraph! ;o)
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“They’re part of my sexuality, too – not just hands, but masturbating tools.”
THAT is hillarious!
great article! I am refreshed by your honesty! ROFL
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bravo
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Hillarious! Just needs to be anonymously emailed to M&B now ;D
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We should do something with it…should we email it? Send it to the press? What do you think
?
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Oh yes, of course! Formula feeding is JUST the same as feeding your child junk food. What an insulting, ignorant narrow-minded “article” this is.
I have an idea about what you could do with it, but my idea probably wouldn’t be printed on here!
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Hi Emma,
I think the first person who insulted was Kathryn Blundell who wrote the article of which my mock copy is based on. You can read it on the link shown above. She is the deputy editor of Mother & baby magazine, and in it, depicts formula feeders as sexual objects who “can’t be fagged” (I quote) to breastfeed their babies. I am sure that you will agree that this is deeply offensive to both women and especially bottle feeders, hence the reason I did this copy to illustrate how absurd and offensive this is. However this version I wrote is based on promoting health, and I haven’t being the first to compare formula to junk food…
About being ignorant…we are all ignorant of something the most important thing is to be aware of it!
I suggest you inform yourself a bit, here is a good start:
http://www.theecologist.org/trial_investigations/268337/breastmilk_vs_formula_food.html
Love
Jesusa Ricoy-Olariaga
Childbirth educator, doula, mum and volunteer of Birth Crisis helpline
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I wonder if you’ll have the courage to leave what I am about to say posted….
People like you are the reason so many people refuse to deal with midwives, doulas, la leche league, lactivist, etc. That you have the audacity to imply that a steady diet of McDonalds (not macdonalds, by the way) is equalivent of feeding an baby infant formula is astounding. I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong that is, because you’ll undoubtable parry everything I say with more un-proven “facts” made up by people such as yourselves.
I now know why so many people refer to groups like this as “breast-feeding nazis”. I have never before read such a narrow-minded bullsh*t article as this one. Thanks for setting the record for the most poorly-written useless piece of tripe on the internet. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.
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I look forward to reading the article you suggest with great anticipation that it will lift me from the pit of ignorance and selfishness I currently reside in.
In the spirit of sharing, here is an article I found interesting.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6718276.ece
Oh and no, I didn’t find Kathryn Blundell’s article in the least bit offensive. Her reasons for not breast feeding may have been different to mine, but they were her reasons and it is her body. I would never presume to tell someone how to live their life or look after their child.
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http://www.lactivist.net/?p=1246
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I find the whole breast vs bottle issue baffling. We are supposedly in this world of growing feminism, a world where women fight for equal rights and status. And here we are, breaking eachother down.
Breast or bottle- I dont care. Love your child. Teach your child. THAT’S what really matters.
How about, as women, we come together and support eachother in what is the most difficult and most important job we could ever be given.
Women that breastfeed…would you want your own daughters to be broken down and feel defeated if they ended up having to feed their children formula? I doubt it.
How about we all start worrying about the children that are homeless, and motherless, or that aren’t getting fed AT ALL. Now THAT seems like something to fight for.
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Wow, always one step ahead! Where do you find the time to do all this reading, what with your breast-feeding work, doula-ing, home cooking and time spent generally being a superior being?
I wouldn’t be surprised if he had got in to trouble with the WHO etc for expressing his doubts, and then decided to do a U-turn. Anyway, the article isn’t solely based on his opinions.
Regardless, this discussion is futile. Let’s hear it for freedom of choice though. Over and out.
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I guess I should clarify one thing. I found the article (the actualy one regarding formula feeding) refreshing. I 100% think it is a mother’s choice and NO one else’s business and YES I formula fed and Im PROUD of it.
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Wise words, Cindy, couldn’t have said it better myself. Though I’m sure you’ll receive a patronising response on here in no time.
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Emma, thank you for the article you provided the link for. It was exactly what I was looking for!
And yes, I’m counting on a patranizing response any day now!
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I’ve put a poll up here: http://www.lactivist.net/?p=1257. I am trying to keep it neutral and the purpose is to find out why people (who have a choice) feed their children breast or bottle milk. I would honestly be interested in what you have to add to it, if I have left any reasons out please let me know.
Lisa
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I think this parody is towards the narrowmindedness of Kathryn Blundell not mothers who have chosen to bottle feed. Still you have to laugh abut the sexual stuff! her words people, her words!
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I can see both sides of the argument. I do see how the analogy might be seen as comparing formula with junk food, which IMO is wrong because some people can’t breastfeed or find it very difficult for whatever reason, and it isn’t (contrary to the belief of some) always down to the mother not making enough effort. And once formula feeding, it is very difficult indeed to return to the breast. So it isn’t like feeding your child junk at all. I appreciate that formula is nowhere near as good as breastmilk, but some of you need to realise that it is not just a case for some of not wanting to or not being bothered enough.
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As a mum who used formula, I found this article hilarious! It’s true, some mums who use it cam actually distinguish between criticism of a product and criticism of their parenting. I can also distinguish between fact, opinion and light hearted humour. Seems I’m a rare specimen online!
“Proud” of using formula? I see this a lot and it baffles me. what’s there to be proud of? It’s just food! Pretty substandard food and it doesn’t even taste or smell very nice. Oh well. Whatever makes you feel better about your choices I suppose…
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