Comments on: Study Shows: Formula-feeding makes kids less smart!

By: rainbowrecognizer

rainbowrecognizer — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:59:38 +0000

This is great news - the more studies showing the way it really is… the better!
:o) Amy

By: janaki

janaki — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:03:31 +0000

lol, I love it! But yeah, studies using formula as the standard really bug the heck out of me!

By: deborahmarkus

deborahmarkus — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:39:10 +0000

Here’s the feedback I left on Science Daily (which is a very valuable site, I use it for a lot of my chocolate research!):

I enjoy your site’s articles, and found your piece about breastfeeding very interesting. However, as science writers, did you think that the focus was rather odd? If it had been a piece about lung cancer rates, would you have said that not smoking is great thing because it cuts our chances of getting lung cancer? Or would you have pointed out that smoking does damage to the lungs? Breastfed babies aren’t “smarter”; they’re normal. Formula-fed babies are, unfortunately, being damaged. I know that formula is the only option for some babies; but if articles like yours emphasized the harm being done to bottle-babies, we’d probably have a lot more “smart” breastfed kids.

By: wiffersnapper

wiffersnapper — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:03:31 +0000

Look at it this way… if breastfed babies are indeed smarter (which I would believe!), then, eventually, they will take over the world! After that, people will understand that formula feeding is dangerous, all babies will be breastfed, and we will make major leaps forward in knowledge. Maybe we’ll even achieve world peace! (I have my fingers crossed.)

By: aelial

aelial — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:50:56 +0000

I thought this information was even more interesting than the results of the IQ tests:

“Those in the breast-feeding encouragement group were, on average, breast-fed longer than the others and were less likely to have been given formula in a bottle.

At 3 months, 73 percent of the babies in the breast-feeding encouragement group were breast-fed, compared to 60 percent of the other group. At 6 months, it was 50 percent versus 36 percent.

In addition, the group given encouragement was far more likely to give their children only breast milk. The rate was seven times higher, for example, at 3 months.”

By: julie

julie — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:03:41 +0000

That’s the part I found interesting too. I already knew that feeding children and parenting children the way nature intended creates healthier children in all areas. But this study shows us that across socio-economic lines, the big factor in breastfeeding success is SUPPORT. Another reason I really feel they need some kind of LLL for dads. We need more super heroes out there, ya know? And of course we need reform in birthing practices, health care, maternity leave, etc…

By: msrlmoss

msrlmoss — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:19:37 +0000

Re: your comic… I think if you are searching around for a “gentler” way to put the truth, maybe something like, “research shows formula fed babies do not reach their full potential for intelligence”?

I have been searching around for ways to use language that normalises breastfeeding, but doesn’t sound too harsh… yes, the truth is harsh, but I wonder if sometimes the harshness itself can detract from the message. I don’t want to sugar coat things and in doing so normalise formula feeding… but I do think that sometimes - as your comic shows - you have to be careful how you normalise breastfeeding…

Hope I’m making any sense!