I vividly remember my breakdown over baby formula, while standing outside a supermarket in the Barbican with my newborn strapped to me on a hot, exhausting day. I felt lost and called my mother to remind me why I shouldn’t buy the formula, and why I needed to persist with breastfeeding despite the challenges. Parenthood can go from vibrant to hazy in an instant, and this memory returns to me amidst news of desperate parents stealing formula milk as its price skyrockets by 45% in just two years.
Despite being exclusively designed to keep babies alive, baby formula is treated similarly to alcohol and tobacco on supermarket shelves. In fact, it’s illegal to advertise it, display it prominently, or offer deals on it. Buying it won’t earn you loyalty card rewards, and its packaging cannot feature nutritional information or baby images without also promoting the superiority of breastfeeding and the need for medical consultation.
While these regulations were created with the best intentions, they make life harder for parents who cannot breastfeed. New mothers are often made to feel like they’ve failed if they have to resort to using baby formula. I experienced this shame firsthand when my milk didn’t come in, and we had to use a bottle to feed my daughter in the hospital. I felt like a failure and struggled with whether or not to use formula to soothe her. This guilt and confusion surrounding formula is only compounded by its high cost and disproportionate regulation.
Low-income families can receive Healthy Start vouchers, but they only cover about half the cost of most types of formula, leaving many families to resort to watering it down or relying on baby banks and formula foraging on Facebook. It’s upsetting that food banks often won’t distribute formula because it doesn’t promote breastfeeding, leaving mothers without a safe alternative to feed their babies.
Charities warn that parents in poverty are being pushed to feed unsafe foods to their children, perpetuating a need for additional interventions. The government needs to investigate the formula market, which forces desperate parents to steal it from shops while companies profit and market more aggressively.
We need to push for a system that doesn’t shame parents who can’t or choose not to breastfeed, and instead provides affordable and accessible alternatives. Parenthood isn’t always easy, and we need to be compassionate and empathetic towards those who face challenges in providing for their children.
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