More Parents Magazine aggravation

Ah, August 2009 Parents magazine–you are truly aggravating to me. Time for my monthly rant. . . 

Really? Really, Parents magazine? Breastfeeding is comparable to a baby “gadget”? Really? I like to think that nursing–in its combination of food and comfort–is more meaningful to my baby (and to me!) than a “gadget,” but gee, what do I know?

“Experts agree that when you wean a young child from breastfeeding and the gadgets that give babies comfort. . . it’s typically not as traumatic as you fear. ‘It may take a few days, but babies can transition easily.'” (138) 

And really, Parents? Thanks for mentioning that “[f]ormula-fed babies are more likely to be heavy than those who are breastfed,” and thanks for advising not to “start solids too soon” (130), but really? Really? In the same article on preventing childhood obesity, did you really have to caution us against comfort nursing? Really, comfort nursing is not going to make my child obese–there’s a big difference between offering a breast or bottle to comfort a child, but, really, thanks for conflating the two!

“Parents often try to sooth their crying baby with a bottle or breast, even if she really just wants to cuddle or take a nap. But pushing food on children who aren’t hungry overrides one of their body’s primary weight-control mechanisms.” (132)

–Christina

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