Tonight when I was giving my 16-month-old her nightly bottle, I started thinking about breastfeeding versus bottle-feeding. I’ve done both with all of my children, and have gotten more than my fair share of unsolicited advice.
For example:
“Everyone” says you should breastfeed now, but I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t the only mother single-handedly supporting the formula industry before we switched to cow’s milk. (As far as I know Similac and Infamil are carrying on just fine without my bidnass.)
But if you breastfeed for too long, “everyone” says you are a hippie-granola-mom and you need to wean your baby.
If you let your baby suck a bottle for what “everyone” considers too long (which varies according to region) you will get told off at the bank like I did when Aubrey was only 14-months-old.
“She needs to get off that bottle.” A woman rudely told me as I waited to cash a check.
I WANTED to pull the bottle out of her mouth, hand her to the lady and say, “Show me.”
But instead I said with a smile, “Thank you, perfect stranger, for your unsolicted parenting advice, but we’re really hoping she’ll be drinking martinis out of it on her 21st birthday.”
I’m so over the whole prideful mommy “MY baby was drinking out of a cup at 6-weeks-old and making smoothies for my husband and I as soon as she could crawl.”
Your babies are YOUR babies. I won’t tell you how to raise yours, and I’ll ask you if I need help raising mine. But as long as Sadie Plum isn’t walking into middle school drinking a Red Bull out of her Playtex Ventaire… I’ll be satisfied.
Tell us how you really feel there Robin!
hee hee hee hee
Yep! Whatever your choice, people feel the need to incert their opinion. I got pos. & neg. comments when I decided to breast feed. When I weaned both of my children at a year some people thought I should have done so earlier, others thought I should let the child decide. Leave my boobs and by babies alone!
Good grief, people need to mind their own business! I know people who never breastfeed, their babies go straight from the womb to the bottle. I know people who breastfeed for a certain amount of time and then progress to the bottle. I know babies that go from breast to a sippy cup because they are not fans of the bottle (my niece). I also know people who breastfeed until their baby is almost two. Who cares, I have a feeling they know their babies better than me so who am I to step in and tell them whats right or wrong! Also, who's to say what is right, there are countless parenting books that say different stuff. Keep on with that bottle Sadie…oh and if she is drinking red bull out of it on her way to middle school PLEASE have a picture!!
Amen Sista!
Needing to vent a little? lol.. I never breastfed with Hunter- never wanted to. You can only imagine some of the negativity I received from that decision! But I have never once regretted it! Now, I'm pregnant with baby #2 ( a girl), and I am thinking about trying to breastfeed with her. Not sure how long I'll last or if I'm strong enough for it, but we'll see how it goes!
Your girls are too cute, and I just love your blog! Tell the family I said hello
Samantha I would encourage you to try it. I had a bad experience with Aubrey but Emma was a breeze. I BF her for almost a whole year. Sadie got 3-4 months before I threw in the towel.
LOVE IT! I just bought Isabella (17 months now) a pack of 100 Playtex Drop-Ins bottle liners today at Target. At least we have cut back to 2 "bob-bobs" a day now. I'll call that progress!
Every mommy knows whats best for their babies and as far as I can tell none of your babies have been harmed by sucking on a bottle or a boobie for too long! Give those sweet baby girls a kiss!
Hysterical! Don't you just love that unsolicited advice
Thanks for the reminder to enjoy our children just for who they are and not for what they can or cannot do.
Thanks for providing me with a great line when I inevitably get the same unsolicited advice soon 😉 I'm going to try BF next week when the baby arrives, but I'm not going to beat myself up if it doesn't work for us!
So funny. Did you really say that to the lady stranger?? It's so funny how often you get unsolicited advice. Thanks for posting!
Brady Warren
Brady,
You'll learn I have to work REALLY hard not to say what I think every time I open my mouth! I've come a long way since then!!
Robin
I know this is WAY late–but I'm a new reader catching up!
But I for one am all in favor of letting my babies be babies for as LONG as they are willing. They grow up way too fast as it is. I know its a mom's job to teach them what they need to know, but sometimes I just don't wanna correct those silly little words they say incorrectly (or taking away the bottle at an earlier age). It's just one of those things that makes her "my baby" that I will always remember and already know I will miss like crazy one day when she's all grown up.