What Did She Say

I just read a post by Annie at PhDinParenting.com and I had to look into this more. She posted a tweet from @EvenfloBaby and a video from their YouTube channel.

Here is the tweet:

“If forced to feed on-the-go”.. Really, Evenflo? I enjoyed being able to feed on-the-go. Using the term “forced” is bit much and makes it out that we’re breastfeeding just for the baby at our expense.

And then there’s this one:

“Breastfeeding while visiting the in-laws?” Um, how about just breastfeeding while visiting the in-laws?

And this is the video she posted on her blog.

There is so much wrong with this video, I don’t know where to begin.

How about 20 seconds in? The mother-in-law needs to be told to f#@& off! “Jack” needs to step up and talk to his parents.

How about 60 seconds in? Jack? Come on! Talk to your condescending, holier-than-though mother! (He’s oblivious to how his wife is being treated.)

How about 1:15 in? This is where the talk should be happening. Instead she pulls out a breastpump to give in to her mother-in-laws demands that “everyone gets a chance to feed the baby”. Come on!

And then the video takes a complete left turn and it’s about the father-in-law ingesting breastmilk. Oh the horror!

I am not against pumping, but to be bullied into it? Really?

Mom needs to feel welcome and comfortable to breastfeed wherever she happens to be. And in this video, she’s in HER OWN HOME!!

How about we educate the in-laws instead? Put “mother” in her place. It’s not her home or her baby!

I love this quote I read somewhere (sorry, I can’t remember where): From a daugther-in-law to her mother-in-law: “Thanks for the parenting advice. I’m living with one of your children, and trust me, there’s room for improvement.”

I do get that this is supposed to be funny, but all it does is feed into the stereotypes about family around a breastfeeding mother. Instead of being a natural thing, the new mom is hiding out in her room to pump. The more people are exposed to the very natural experience of seeing a woman breastfeed, the more we can stop this crap! New moms have WAY too much to deal with to add unnecessary pressure.

And then I looked at Evenflo’s other videos. Oh my word.

Even the titles are offensive.

“How to Raise a Genius Without Being Stupid” plays into the new parent fear of not making the most of every. single. second. What if we waste that precious time and our kid turns out to be an idiot because we didn’t put him in an ExerSaucer?!

Also, that video puts baby sign language in the same category as trying to teach a child a second language by reciting a Spanish/English dictionary. I am a huge supporter of baby sign language and was not impressed how they poo-pooed it here.

I’m also offended by them implying ExerSaucer = smarter kid. Really? Stop marketing products as genius-inducing. Please.

“How to Make Sure Your Kids Isn’t Picked Last“. Again, playing into that fear society keeps pushing at us. Must make sure your child is always learning! Some of the best learning comes when we’re not pushing them to learn. Free play is so important.

“How to Make Nappy Time Happy Time” shows our couple trying to get in a little action while Precious is sleeping. Ah! To the ExerSaucer! Then they say “Always keep child in view in an ExerSaucer!” (including an exclamation point to make sure that is driven home.) Then the promptly show the couple leaving their baby OUT OF VIEW. Come on….

“Repair Your Husband’s Bruised Ego“. I actually liked this one. Very cute and well done. Until the car seat was used incorrectly! It’s a video about trying to install a car seat correctly! Show it being used correctly!! Don’t hide behind your stereotypical, big business, “but we have a disclaimer” disclaimer at the end of the video. For shame. It would not have been hard to show it being used correctly. Show it rear-facing. Have an older kid in the car seat. Buckle correctly. Not hard. Don’t be that company.

And in “How to Recover From Potty-Mouth” again we see an incorrect use of a car seat. If you’re going to show a car seat THAT YOU MANUFACTURE, show it properly.

It all leaves me wondering who comes up with these? Are any women in the department? Do they have any experience with newborns or new parents? Have they ever been one?

I get that they’re trying to be funny and humourous, but they are just feeding into the fears we are trying desperately to dispel.