And nobody seems to consider what is 'best' just what they 'want', and of course, that's their right! :rolleyes:

My friend has just had a baby. She never even tried to BF - despite her first having eczema and now asthma and very limited food likes and dislikes (lives on cucumber sandwiches with crusts cut off). He is allergic to everything (our house is a nightmare) and has awful skin. He was intolerant to cows milk as a baby - but she hasn't even tried with this one. I just find it all very sad... I'm not saying everyone can BF - but I just wish folk would TRY for the sake of their babies.

but I just wish folk would TRY for the sake of their babies.

My plan was to breast feed for 3 months to pass over what ever I could and then change to the bottle for convenience, but it didn't happen like that.  I carried these 'things' around for 28 years and when it came to it, they didn't even work! :(

Okay, mother of 3 all breast fed to differing degrees. Yes it should be the norm, but it's not.
Baby milk is sold as an easy option, just as are fast foods, mainly the MacDonald and KFC , also processed ready meals.
Fierce marketing causes dare I say 'weak minded ' people to believe it is good and affordable.
They often say also they cant afford to diet as real food costs too much.:rolleyes:
A little more education at school level, as we did cookery and home ecomics perhaps! :rolleyes:
Karen

What doesn't help are all the Extreme Breastfeeding programmes we have, showing women feeding 9 year olds. Creates entirely the wrong impression.

When i had Matthew I had just turned 20 and relied on my midwife for advice as my mother was worse than useless, I breastfed for two weeks and then he had a growth spurt and was always feeding and it was the midwife who suggested bottle feeding. When I had Bronwyn I knew what I wanted to do and breast fed, Matthew is 9 and has only ever been sick once, he doesnt ever seem to get a cold and Bronwyn is the opposite, if its going round she will catch it, she is allergic to nuts, has asthma and excema. I smoke but only in the garden and never near my children.
Saying that if I ever have a lapse of sanity and have anymore children I would breast feed again.
Mary

This is shocking...but my third and final child turned her back on me at 5 1/2 months and made me go cold turkey, she was on RIBENA ever after...that was all she would take, no bottles or suckling ever again, I was gutted!
Yes it was very weak and I managed to wean her off again at about 7/8 years old.:rolleyes:
She has just turned 11 and is one of the slimestin her class, though aged about 5 she actually uttered the immortal words 'does my bum look big in this mum'. Please dont shout she is very balanced.
Karen

That does so ring bells for me - my daughter was one of those Mum's miles away who had a rotten experience giving birth (Northwick Park hospital) then no help with establishing feeding.  She stuck at it and now has her organic boxes so uses piles of veggies and healthy meals for the baby.  I am proud of her - I would like to say that the home educates children about good diets not the school but my cooking was hardly a good example.  I was working full time and by the time I got home it was what was easiest not the healthiest.  So she didn't get it from me!  My mum is a good cook - I am dreadful - my daughter is brilliant.  However she is only working part time - her husband is earning good money so she does not have to work full time like I did.  She is also living near by now so gets plenty of support.  Healthy eating ideals are far more complex then just getting good food at school. 
When I was teaching we eventually banned crisps etc at break times and offered fruit.  The parents gave sweets and crisps through the school fence - the papers were not interested then.  I hated selling crisps to the children at break times but the head said it was making money for the school - when he left we found that the scheme was actually making a loss!  Goodness knows where the money went and I hated seeing children eat 2 or more bags at playtime yuk!