Health

NYC's taking on the bottle

by Victoria Revay | August 1, 2007 at 08:25 am

1274 views | 6 Recommendations | 4 comments

It started with a ban against bats, then moved to iPod use while crossing the street, then the debate melted into the trans fats category eventually ending up in urban culture with a ban on the "N" word from everyday use. Now, NYC is taking on the baby bottle. Actually, they're promoting breast feeding as opposed to mothers using the bottle. This also means new mothers won't get the freebie formula when they leave the hospital. I'd like to do a survey on what "next ban" NYC will come up with. Any takers?

It was just the diaper bag and formula information and formula and we don't do that here anymore

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gryphon

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:59 on August 1st, 2007

Victoria Revay, I like this story. It's good stuff.

rwcutter

at 17:39 on August 1st, 2007

Are they really going to ban baby bottles in NYC? That's unbelievable
and irrational. My wife and I are both for breast feeding, but we still
use bottles so that others (like myself, the father) can help feeding
the baby and spare some time for the mother to rest.

kate

at 17:43 on August 1st, 2007

Sounds like it isn't a ban, but that they are doing what they do in most other countries - encourage breastfeeding. That formula stuff is a bit nasty - usually people only use it if they have to.

rosaalta

at 09:18 on August 2nd, 2007

From the news story: "Even though some formulas use nutrients found in breast milk, city doctors say research proves the natural way is best."

That is a reckless misstatement. ALL formulas are regulated by the government to make sure they contain vital nutrients in the right amounts. No, formula isn't chemically the same as breast milk, but this quote makes it sound like a person is playing roulette with their baby's health if they decide to formula-feed. That's just not true in the developed world. (Formula use in "third-world" countries can be very dangerous because of water quality and poor hygiene.)

Promoting breast-feeding is great, but demonizing formula isn't the way to do it. Just like the misinformation regarding marjiuana in the '80s made teenagers disregard the entire "just say no" campaign ("if pot's not as bad as they say, I bet this other stuff isn't either . . ."). Sticking to the actual facts makes a more effective argument, because it will stand up to scrutiny.