We’ve all heard about the “mom wars”— breast feeding vs. bottle feeding, stay-at-home-moms vs. working moms, co-sleeping vs. sleep training, front-facing vs. rear-facing carseats, strollers vs. baby carriers, etc. etc. etc.
As someone who writes about parenting online daily, I’ve heard them all. Remember that time someone told me I was murdering babies by talking about my success with sleep training? That was a fun day!
For the most part, I have been pretty lucky to have an audience of open-minded non-judgmental readers. I like to think that’s because we are also smart people. But maybe there’s also a changing tide in the way parents judge each other in general?
I like to think that, but then I go on television to talk about my experience pumping at work and someone calls in to say what I’m doing isn’t breastfeeding. OUCH. Or I post a picture on @insta2yearold of an iPad and people lose their minds arguing about screen time.
Apparently, we aren’t there yet.
Similac just came out with an AWESOME video called “The Mother ‘Hood'” which will hopefully put an end to the Mom Wars once and for all. Or at least start the peace talks. You know, for all the debate about bottle feeding vs. breast feeding, most mothers I know (including myself) did a combination of both. What were we fighting about again?
Enjoy. You will laugh at the beginning and cry at the end. It’s pretty incredible.
The Sisterhood of Motherhood (#SisterhoodUnite) is definitely a concept I can get behind. You can follow The Sisterhood of Motherhood on facebook by clicking here.
Well played, Similac.
I’d love to hear your opinions about the video in the comments below!
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This post was sponsored by Similac, but honestly— I would have posted this video anyway. Shhh! Don’t tell them!
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Perfect. Loved it. And also reminded me of Anchorman which was a bonus!
Oh hell… that made me laugh then gave me all the feels! I so needed this one today!
Love
Love this!!
totally. laughed…..then cried..
I just started crying.
Totally balling. Brilliant. LOVE it.
xoxo
gosh can’t stop crying – this video says it all… G’s GMA
Love, love, love!!!
I was like I’m not gonna cry, why would I cry at this, but at the end I felt tears welling up as I turned away from my husband so he wouldn’t see. 🙂 Have a great day, mommies and daddies. You’re doing an amazing job!
Wow. I loved it. Yay for brands doing videos RIGHT.
This video is Similac’s way of normalizing bottle-feeding. They make money off of bottle-feeding, so they want to end the culture of making bottle-feeding moms feel ashamed. I don’t support shaming, but this video is part of Similac’s ad campaign. Don’t you guys know how corporations work?
Please remember that for some moms breast feeding is not an option. I would have loved to have breastfed my premie who was unable to suck or swallow. I gave pumping my best effort, but when you pump for an hour and get less than an oz. it is frustrating. Plus that was time I was losing from spending with my baby. Without formula my child would have starved. I’ve had other friends who also gave it their best try, but were simply unable to breastfeed.
Of course. I totally understand. I’m only referring to people who choose not to….our culture is not very accepting of nursing, nor are they supportive of nursing moms and that is a shame. It’s no wonder so many choose not to nurse.
Ecfinn- I feel like you missed the entire point of this video. It doesn’t matter WHO made it, we’re all in this journey together as parents and we’re all trying to do our best for our children, no matter what our circumstances.
@Emily, it DOES matter who made it because they have an agenda and it isn’t to just be nice and pro-motherhood. If you think that’s what the video is about you are very naive. This video is designed to make moms feel more comfortable bottle-feeding and make moms who support breastfeeding feel uncomfortable about sharing what they feel.
As a mom, and a product marketer, and a woman who breastfed for a while and then chose to quit because of deeply personal reasons – you are reading too far into this. Nobody in this video is shaming women who chose to BF. They are saying all parenting styles are chosen out of love for our children. The fact that it’s a product video? The sub-message is, if you chose to formula-feed, then chose Similac. It’s not as nefarious as you are making it out to be. Us people who write ads love our babies, too, you know.
It’s also about media literacy and having the ability to look at something critically. It’s scary how everyone is getting swept away with the warm and fuzzy nature of the video and not even questioning the intent behind the real messaging. Brilliant marketing on the artificial food company’s part and very frustrating to see how most people don’t understand what you are so clearly explaining.
Yes! Bringing up media literacy is so appropriate here! It reminds me of the marketing done to children. A child sees a commercial for a product and doesn’t know he is being advertised to. This is the most effective kind of marketing – the kind where your audience doesn’t know they are being sold to. (Don’t get me started on the ethics of marketing to children).
Of course, when you do it to adults, you have to be extremely subtle. Similac has done it, and for a minute, I didn’t realize I was being marketed to.
I hear ya Chelsea!
I have to say this is actually pretty poor marketing if you’re seeing this as a advertisement to say using a bottle is okay or better than bf. not that that’s not what the company was doing but I never really saw that argument being made. I saw the “feud” between bf and those using bottles, but than there was also the disposable vs cloth, stay at home vs working, and mom vs dad so do they also sell stay at home dads? sorry not to try and make it sound like i’m attacking your position by asking a stupid question, but my point is I do not and will not know what company created this ad because after i post this i’ll close this page forever. I did enjoy the video though and thought that the message most of the people are getting from it is a good one.. sorry the one you got wasn’t as heartfelt.
I can’t say i disagree with the ladies who said this is a cleverly made advertisement for a product. I got all teary eyed at it, but when i saw that it was made by a formula company I was turned off. Just like I would be turned off if it was made by a company who made breast pumps. Im not interested in what they are trying to sell me. Its about enjoying what you are watching, but being smart enough to get the outside motives and Moving on.
Uhm, some women can’t breastfeed for various reasons. For example, somebody who has Lupus. The drugs to treat Lupus prevents breastfeeding. So you’d rather the woman die of Lupus by discontinuing her meds and have the child be motherless? Wow. That’s pretty harsh.
Totally off-topic, but I wanted to address your statement. I have lupus and wanted to breastfeed my babies. I didn’t view it as me versus them as you are suggesting, but I wanted to give it an honest go. I found much better relief in changing my diet to AutoImmune Paleo than I ever did with meds. I think often we’re so quick to make the assumption we “cant” breastfeed instead of really digging deep to be the best mom we can to our babies–even at our sacrifice. Motherhood is sacrificing. Not necessarily banding together with other moms–but laying down our lives for the very lives entrusted to our care.
Sacrificing life and quality of life simply to breastfeed is not an option in many women’s lives. Just because something worked for you doesn’t mean it works for everyone. My children age from 8 to 13, so it’s been a long time since I’ve breastfed, but I remember it being such a big deal. In the scheme of their whole lives, it simply is not that big of a thing.
And bottle feeding is OK, no one needs to “make it ok.”
You’re post comes across as shallow and judgmental. I hope one day you realize that loving your baby is so much more important than feeding them from your breast.
I’m totally locked in the bathroom on my phone (cause that’s how alone time works around here) crying. I was not expecting that ending. Love it.
Perfect! As a 1st time mom, I quickly realized that everyone objects to everything you do. I wish we could all just support each other. I find myself feeling insecure about my parenting decisions everyday. Let’s help each other celebrate the mom wins!
Oh dammit! Even with the warning I STILL cried at the end. This wasn’t what I expected and I love it. Parents first 🙂
Oh my goodness. This video is perfect! I couldn’t figure out where I’d get teary-eyed, and then it hit me! BAM! Glad no one was walking by my cube at the end of the video…
Love this!
SO TRUE!! I LIVE IN UTAH AKA BABY CENTRAL! I WISH WE COULD ALL RENEMBER WE ARE ON THE SAME TEAM.
Yaaaaay!!! Finally an accurate video on exactly how I see the “mummy wars”! My son is only 21 months so I’m not a seasoned vet, but in that short time I am already so over it, I think I was by the 2nd month, and I have always stood by “we need to unite for our children because at the end of the day we are doing best by them how WE know best”. I love this video. I cried in relief!
This sends a great message! No matter what we all live to love and cherish our children! I think all of the mommy war chatter is only coming from people who feel the need to validate their choices. We all do our best for our families!
Similac is getting very creative with it’s campaign to get moms to bottle-feed. This video may seemingly have a nice message about not judging other moms, but it’s basically saying “let them bottle-feed, so we can make more money.”
not everyone can or wants to breastfeed- get over yourself. I am tired of people making others feel like a criminal over their parenting choices.
You’re missing my point. The point is, this is a marketing video that supports bottle-feeding, subversively. And this blog has plugged the campaign website. Do you think a corporation would make a video just to be nice?
And for the record, breastfeeding should be encouraged so that all moms want to. Our breasts exist to feed our babies. Babies need customized milk not chemicals. If someone can’t breastfeed, that’s a different story, of course.
stop. u r behaving ridiculously judging others for their personal decisions. I have raised 5 boys – all on sports or academic scholarships to top universities and all of whom are respectful, kind, and loving men – and none of which who were breast fed. I sat in everyone’s judgment, and it sucked on so many different levels being isolated. I stuck with what was the right decision for me, and now I look at my peers who listed over and over again the top 12 reasons back then to breast feed and to never ever under any circumstances to bottle feed, but you know what… it became clear to me during adolescence that breast feeding did not produce the closeness, brain development, or kindness/empathy does naturally with plain and simple caring parenting. Same for the war between stay-at-home and working moms. Stop splitting hairs and starts supporting each other as women, as moms, and as humans.
I’m not judging. Our culture is not supportive of breastfeeding and that doesn’t encourage women to choose to breastfeed. But my main point is that this video that everyone is swooning over is a marketing campaign to discourage breastfeeding, bottom line.
Kudos to you!
You are 100% right. I bottle fed my son. Now do I have to worry he’s going to grow up with health issues or developmental issues? I think this is awful.
My husband and my sons grandparents got fantastic bonding experience with my son right from the get go. And this momma got much needed rest so she didn’t lose her shit and become a bad mommy.
I support FEEDING, either by boob or bottle or by both….
I’m sorry, but formula isn’t made out of chemicals. It’s customized to be as much like breast milk as it can. It can never be breast milk, but it isn’t death in a bottle. I had to bottle feed both my girls, and I was freaking out with my first one because I thought formula was like poison or something. So I checked all the ingredients to find the best one, I even made my own for a while. It helped me understand formula better. Some companies add cheap unhealthy products to some of their formula’s so they can sell them cheaper, but others are perfectly healthy. Not healthy like breast milk, because you can’t beat that. But for mothers who can’t feed their preemie newborns, or who suffer a loss and lose their milk supply, or a plethera of other situations, it’s comforting to know that formula is not made of chemicals. You can even make it yourself. I’m for breast feeding, and bottle feeding. Whichever works best for you. Also Breastfeeding is recommended and promoted by all the nurses in the neonatal care unit in my home town hospital. I would know, I was there for a month with my second daughter, there are posters on the walls, and a great deal of personal help to get started with nursing.
I thought this video was really sweet. Whether or not there was an agenda behind it, the message up front was that we’re all parents first. It didn’t make me want to bottle feed over breast feed, and if that was the agenda, it kind of flopped. Sometimes the truth is spoken and we don’t hear it cause we’re too busy picking at each other.
I agree this is a sneezy way of saying “it’s okay to use our GMO infested, synthetic, 2nd best , bottom of the barrel crap”
Every child is unique and respond differently to each and every situation to sleep to feeding it a good message for all mom to remember we all are trying our best.
I thought….nah I won’t cry watching this…Friggen bloody video!! lol Love the message its sending out. Parents first 🙂
Wow! What a powerful piece of corporate propaganda. Wake up people. Similac do not want to spend money on expensive ad campaigns to make you feel good and be nice to your friends, they want to sell their product, and they don’t care about the damage they do in the process. Just be an adult. Make the parenting decision you think is best, and don’t expect anyone else to validate it. If you know you are doing your best, then you shouldn’t care about anyone else’s opinion, if you feel guilty then have a second thought about your choice and change course. Grow up and stop feeding this propaganda!
thank you! That’s what I’ve been saying. Very disgusted by this.
Amen!
sigh, any idiot can see it is advertising. I am very glad that someone brought this up for people to discuss! Sadly, you have missed the point that most of us are able to see it for what it is – and agree that there is too much judgment when it comes to parenting – like what you are doing with the breastfeeding point – as a parent that bottle fed, then with the next breast fed with supplements, then exclusively breast fed the third child, I have seen it all. Please keep your judgements to yourself, one day your children will be out of the breastfeeding stage and indistinguishable from all the other babies whose parents loved them enough to ensure they were fed and growing. If you want to pass judgement on other parents, please direct your energies to those that abuse or neglect their children…..Thanks, rant over!
Looks like some people just don’t get the message in the video. You’ve made up your mind that nothing this company does can benefit anyone. Thanks for continuing the positive feeling (where’s the sarcastic font when you need it?). I hope everyone has a great night, and that your kids are happy, safe, and healthy (no sarcasm).
No, YOU don’t get the message of the video. It is subversive advertising. I don’t support shaming but I also don’t support a company and industry with a history of discouraging breastfeeding in a nation with pathetically low nursing rates and shockingly high infant mortality rates. Corporations don’t do things just be nice. They act in their own interests and it is in their interest to discourage shaming, so women feel comfortable bottle-feeding. How people can be so obtuse, I’ll never know.
Ecfinn – I wanted to ask, who is watching your kids while you are obviously trolling this comment section? And yes that is also a personal choice 🙂
Loved this video! I didn’t think I was going to cry, and then I felt my eyes getting watery lol! This was the best video and I think every single person should watch it!
I do want to point out that two of the dads were the first to get to the stroller. Just saying.
Oh, here we go. I love this. Moms, this video is to show you that no matter which way you choose care for your baby you’re all equal. But throw some dads in there and, well, there goes your equality.
I’m a single mom. I alternate between being a working mom and a stay at home mom. I breastfed briefly before praising hallelujahs to formula feed. My daughter is either in a stroller or in my arms—we never did a carrier. She has always slept in her crib, although more recently I enjoy snuggling with her in my bed. I have been all of these stereotypes at some point and, depending on who you ask, I am either an amazing mom or a terrible mom. However, I am not just a mom but also a dad. As my daughter’s only parent I can’t afford to care what others think of my parenting nor can I afford to become emotional. However, this video has brought me back to the tears I had thought long dried up. Well done!
Oh… that was good. Funny AND a tear jerker! …. To the lady giving Similac such a hard time…yes they r totally hoping you will buy their product…. Bc They r a business! But I don’t think most parents make their decision to Breast or bottle feed based on a commercial. My kids were all nursed, doesn’t change the fact I think the commercial is good!
It’s subversive, that’s how marketing works. DeBeer’s is another good example. Before the 1940s, engagement rings did not exist. DeBeer’s successfully changed an entire cultural norm to benefit themselves. Put nothing past corporations. They run this nation.
I can feel you tearing your hair out! You are 100% correct ecfinn. The comments here just demonstrate that. In attacking big business who actively harm breastfeeding rates, you have been labelled as part of a tribe who attack other mothers. That is the dichotomy the ad wants to create and it has worked. It is the equivalent of an ad by the coal mining industry painting the real issue as being that environmentalists and big business can’t just get along. If you speak up about climate change you are being mean to people who are destroying the planet and making them feel bad. If you can’t understand this, read The Politics of Breastfeeding. These companies are dangerous. They don’t care about mums or babies, they care about their bottom line.
Exactly. On the surface, the message appears benign: be nice to people and stop judging them. But, really, the message is “stop judging bottle-feeders, so more women feel comfortable bottle-feeding.” Because bottle-feeding is good for Similac’s business. But what’s more disturbing to me than Similac’s campaign is how willingly mom bloggers and mom commenters appear totally oblivious to the true motive of the video! It’s so depressing….they are like sheep. The bloggers, in particular. Should be ashamed of themselves. Now, someone will reply to this comment telling me to stop judging women for bottle-feeding….talk about not seeing the forest. Ugh.
I mostly agree with you, but I would not phrase it as judging bottle feeding mums. By using those terms it plays into this nonsense. I do not judge people, I judge and struggle against a society and economy that does not support breastfeeding. Unfortunately, many can not see the difference, largely because of marketing like this.
That line of my comment was sarcastic. I think we all need to ask why so many women CHOOSE not to breastfeed. If they find it gross, or weird, or too hard…then that’s a problem.
amen! this is the reason for the “mummy wars” because all of a sudden information is judgment.
this company and the advertisers are absolute geniuses.
all I could see were the ergonomically incorrect carriers, the feeding covers, the bottle feeders, the dangerous slings used by the yoga moms, so much misinformation and so many dangerous practices in one ad, that is supposedly about being non-judgmental.
The FACT is not all CHOICES are the same. that’s not a judgment its just FACT. no one is saying you don’t love your kids when you make choices for them but things like this hide the FACTS, the message of beliefs at the end is the kicker, its not the belief that is the issue its that BELIEF is not FACT.
its amazing how many intelligent, educated women are buying what this company is selling and defending them in the process. its unbelievable.
Personally, I don’t feel that breastfeeders are attacked or unsupported at all. Quite the opposite. People who bottle feed are the ones who are made to feel badly about it and that isn’t right either. Do you know why formula was created in the first place? Because some moms had trouble breastfeeding and tried to feed their babies their own homemade mixture which caused many babies to die. That’s when a company stepped in, researched breastmilk and created an exact formula that would help those babies survive. Yes, they make money off selling formula but it is serving a very important purpose and one of the reasons there is less infant death today than there was 100 years ago. Nobody is missing that this is advertising. They are just agreeing with the message.
I did not get that getting at all from the video, and I breastfeed- absolutely against formula personally.
Holy hell!! I loved the video, I used to breastfeed and because I’ve had my tubes tied, I will never breastfeed again. Similac has no place in my life. I still think the video is cute and needs to remind people to CALM DOWN. There is no need to justify your choices by putting down others.
And yes, it is a brilliant marketing strategy, but I don’t see this video changing the mind of a new mom who really wants to breastfeed. I think the voices of the “militant” breastfeeders are what drive more women to formula than any formula commercial. Y’all need to take it down a notch.
Good one!! Makes me laugh now after bub #2, I tried Breast feeding and tried and tried, took fenugreek and pumped pumped pumped and nothing! I was heart broken which caused post natal depression as due to all the pressure of Breast feeding out there I felt u failed my child!!!) but once on formula he thrived! Bub #2 I tried again and this time was worse! I couldn’t even express more then 50mls after weeks of trying and a huge amount of pain. This time I realised it was clearly out of my control!!! I now laugh at myself! I’m a great mumma with my two nearly 4 and 2.5 full blown into toddler/teenager attitude hood!! This video makes a great point! I do my best and so does every mum and dad I know!! Xx
it was funny and a bit of a tear jerker sure. What I noticed immediately, all the moms were thin. I wish ads like this choose more real life people. Like Yoga pants, none showered moms going to get some frash air.
Good video. As a mother of 3, grandmother of 5 all I can say is do your best to raise your kids with love and discipline and usually they will turn out fine. I bottle fed my kids. 4 out of 5 of my grandchildren were breast fed and guess what- no difference – all healthy. I had no option but cloth diapers but guess what- I used a lot of water washing them. So much for environmentally friendly. I think modern moms need to beg to differ. Just do what YOU think is best.
The only reason the video would make me cry is because the propoganda makes me sad! Psh just a crap company trying to make moms feel better about feeding their babies GMO, second best garbage. That’s not being judge mental that’s a FACT!
Ladies, as much as I believe that parents should not judge and should support each other more, Similac is taking you all for fools. They’ve convinced you to stop expressing your opinions about things and just be quiet, specifically, quiet about breastfeeding and how it is ultimately the best for baby. Of course there are many women that can’t breastfeed or babies that won’t latch and women that choose not to. Totally fine! But this video is saying – stop talking about breast vs bottle which is not good for anyone! As good parents, we have to talk and share information about all the decisions we have to make as parents! Sometimes we’ll disagree, but we still need to exercise our rights to share our opinions and information. Nice try Similac. We’re still going to talk and read and discover that your product is only second best to the real thing.
PREACH! This is what ive been saying!
I’m with you Efcinn!
Bah! Except I spelled your name wrong! Sorry Ecfinn!
What I saw in the video, was people first fighting about literally every fight I’ve ever heard between opinionated moms, and then coming together to realize “its okay if so and so bottle feeds, or sleeps with their baby” … I didn’t really see an emphasis on pro-bottlefeeding.
I think the point of the video is , it shouldn’t matter how one chooses to raise their child, as long as they DO.
I think despite Similac’s efforts, and other moms who’ve tried to stop these so-called ‘wars’…. there will always be judgemental parents (pro-whatever they believe), and with social media, its so easy. This is counter productive, it scares potential parents into thinking “holy shit I can’t do this” when they can.
If you breastfeed, you go mom!
If you bottlefeed, you go mom, dad, aunt, grandpa, cousin, family friend, etc.
If you babywear, kudos to you! I never could, no matter how many youtube videos for dummies I watched. I did the snuggli for as long as he fit and was comfortable.
If you use a stroller – good for you for getting yourself and your baby fresh air, and momma a little excersize
If you sleep train your baby – you probably have no gray hairs!
If you co-sleep with your baby – you might have peace of mind, you couldn’t otherwise get
As long as you don’t leave your baby unattended, unloved, underfed, etc. As long as you do your best to give your child the best chances in life…. you’re already excelling at parenting.
For all the people who saw the lightness of this video – you are not yet jaded, get off the internet before the opinionated make you into a unnecessary warrior of a fight that needs not be.
There is a difference between not expressing ones opinion and what most of these people ‘preaching about it being propoganda and advertising’ are doing. There is a difference between simply stating an opinion and leaving it at that, versus continuing to rant about their opinion constantly.
As for the one specific poster who has seriously irritated me on a personal level simply by spouting idiotic nonsense, who I will not name…You literally make me want to smack the stupid out of you. You are so wrapped up in “breast is best” that you literally act like someone who choses for whatever reason, which might I add is none of your business, to formula feed their child is akin to feeding their child poison. Feminazis and Breast nazis like you literally vex me to no end. I support feeding. Period. My son is in the NICU right now, and the depression from it is absolutely miserable, not to mention i literally, no matter the effort, cannot produce enough to feed my son. it tears me apart. and then I see stupid people like you acting like formula is poison, and it makes me sick. I am completely aware that formula does not pass on antibodies. But for the sake of my sons life, and my mental health he will be switched over to formula. and you know what? Thats okay. and nothing you say will ever change that fact.
Also, the lack of ‘support’ for breastfeeding some of you claim, is not it at all. SOME people dont support breast feeding in public, which I think is stupid in its own way, not for me even if I was breastfeeding, but Im not against it.
Side note: congrats to all that were able to breast feed as they chose, and congrats to the women who formula fed. I also find it extremely amusing that the ‘breast is best” police are the ones complaining the most about the video….land of the easily offended and butthurt…America 2016..
FYI, yes similiac made the video, yes it is sumbliminal advertising for that brand of formula. Does that mean every mom who liked the video is going to go out and by Similac brand formula? No. So sit down and shut up about the advertising. thank you have a great night.
I so agree w/ the above comment. Thank you Butterfly! Also wish Similac could dedicate as much time & effort into creating a WHOLEsome product. Fondly, an open minded MaMa who had the unfortunate experience of being apart of a “recall” and am still open minded just VERY cautious of advertising traps.
Oh my gosh..this isn’t an advertising trap. Most of the comments are completely reinforcing the negativity the video is trying to lift! How many cute commercials do we see Pampers make? No real uproar about those. Hardly anybody says “oh those evil pampers…they are trying to get us to buy their diapers…but I cloth diaper!”
As far as “swaying” somebody one way or the other, most parents watching this video have already established preferences that work for THEIR OWN children. Unless you’re completely insecure in your choices, there really shouldn’t be any issue with the marketing.
Yes, companies advertise (though the WHO believes it is unethical for formula companies to do so). There is a difference between the advertising you mention and the advertising of formula. Formula companies are tasked with marketing a product that for centuries we did without; a product that is more work, risks being contaminated, is not good for your baby, and in some cases is downright dangerous. So they had to get sneaky. First, by claiming it to be a clean modern miracle to replace dirty old primitive breastfeeding (of course, they got in trouble for that). Now, by claiming that anyone who speaks negatively about formula is actually speaking negatively about another person’s parenting.
Formula is a valid choice. With regards to this video, warm-fuzzies aside, let’s remember that we are being marketed to. Very cleverly marketed to.
very well said Chelsea. 🙂
Kari, good point. However the difference in this ad is that it is targeting a very specific issue (Mommy Wars) and using it as a tool….SELL SIMILAC!!!! Best case scenario for Similac – Nobody says another thing to anyone else about the benefits of breastfeeding. They don’t give a hoot about Mommy Wars and in fact they should be ashamed of themselves for taking mothers for fools in this sneaky way.
I loved it!! What a great message to send to the world!!!
“Similac. Not as bad for your baby as coasting into a pond and dying.”
I’m not a mom but I hope to be one day, maybe, I haven’t decided. Why is it sisterhood when the video clearly acknowledges that dad’s are also equal parents? Probably because the company believes it’s the mother’s decision whether or not to breastfeed? Single dad’s don’t even cross their mind because they’re already paying customers by default? Personally, objectively, (remember, I’m not a mom) I would like to try breastfeeding first and I would hope it works. However, I do realize I may not be able to. My opinions and options are my own and I believe that of everyone. I saw this as a Facebook post and wanted to watch because I was glad to see a campaign aimed at getting to people to focus on commonality instead of differences.
I love this so much. It really makes you rethink how you view other parents, and just simply appreciate them as a parent.
Another opinion to throw into the mix here. I thought the video was great, well-done, loved the message, the inclusion of dads (even a pair of gay dads and some lesbian moms), etc. Tied up in a pretty bow saying how “we’re all parents.” Then to name the campaign “Welcome to the Sisterhood of Motherhood” seems contradictory and/or exclusionary. Why include dads at all if you’re then going to essentially erase them at the very end?
http://designerdaddy.com/2015/01/similac-formula-end-the-mommy-wars/
I am a mom to 3 beautiful little girls. I breastfed and bottle fed my girls and wouldn’t push my views on any other mom. I love how all these women on here say breast is best and that formula is such a terrible choice, but I’m not judging. How is that? Because when I read your hate filled comments about formula being a toxic substance for your child to consume I’m pretty sure you’re telling all those mommies out there that they are terrible human beings for putting this toxic GMO infested substance in their baby. But anyway, breastfeeding is actually now a more modern trend. It actually hasn’t been around for everyday women, but for maybe 15 to 20 yrs. In fact formula feeding was a much more popular option due to modesty back in the 1940’s and 50’s. Heck my own mom didn’t breastfeed due to the frowned upon nature of it. The only women who really breastfed back then were women in more rural settings who couldn’t afford formula. I say to each his own and don’t push your half-cocked ideas off on me. They are my children and no one needs to tell me how to raise them. I don’t recall asking for your advice so you are just wasting your breath.
What a load of garbage. The breastfeeding moms are even all using covers. I don’t judge anyone for using formula; I know bf-ing doesn’t work for everyone. But I do not think this video, selling formula, is the answer! Give me a break. Ilana, I respect that you are monetizing Mommy Shorts and I want it to be successful for you, but this kind of corporate shilling is just awful.
If anyone is looking for a non-corporate, anti mommy wars, pro-mothering resource, I suggest http://longestshortesttime.com/.
P.S. Not to mention, this fake gang stuff is just repulsive to those of us who live with a daily reality of actual gangs.
After a day of wanting nothing more than to cuddle my baby but being stuck at work, that brought tears to my eyes! I love my babies and it doesn’t matter that I physically couldn’t breastfeed or financially be a stay at home mom. I’m a mom, and that’s all there is to it!
I happened to watch this on fb and honestly must have completely missed it was a formula commercial. I laughed hysterically at these women and the typical mommy war comments. They were seriously funny! And how wonderful they all came together for 1 goal in the end. Love is a beautiful thing, and it’s sad to see the mean comments. Businesses are businesses and that’s the world we live in you can only do so much. I choose to do what I feel is best for me and my family. If I want to watch a commercial and enjoy it, I will. If I want to believe in my almighty God, I will. I chose to breastfeed all 5 babies, but it was my choice no one elses. Everyone has their mind and their own ability to make their own choices no matter what goes on around them. We as women should always encourage and be there for one another no matter what a business puts in a commercial. Love it’s a beautiful thing!
Wow. Beautiful.
The breastfeeding mom on the right looks a lot like Julia from Parenthood….anyone else agree?
i didn’t even see that this was a commercial until i can down here to comment and saw a couple people freaking out. i watch youtube moms and #stopthemommywars has been a pretty big topic for at least 6 months now. i absolutely love this video and think it sends a great message. I don’t judge other moms because I know for a fact I don’t do things that some moms would swear by. I also know for a fact that i do things that other moms have probably not even thought of.
Anyone can see that 99% of the moms who love this video are bottle-feeding. They love it because it makes them less guilty to have CHOSEN not to breastfeed. And now someone will reply that I should get over myself. And that mama would be bottle-feeding too of course. Well done, Similac.
No woman should EVER feel guilty for bottle feeding.
Shame on you for suggesting that.
Thank you Brina! I was one of these moms that had gone in determined to breastfeed. It was a struggle from day 1. I had a complicated c section, PCOS, and inverted nipples. Instead of enjoying my newborn I cried my eyes out feeling like a total failure at least 3 times a day. I saw lactation consultants for weeks, took supplements, pumped for hours on end. I finally reached a breaking point and let it go. I was having to supplement with formula anyway. It wasnt a simple oh I just quit. I would tell myself I will pump one more time for weeks before I finally did stop. More tears because now my poor helpless baby was getting this horrible chemical laden crap because I couldn’t hack it as a mom. I hung my head in shame when I pulled out bottles in public. I never felt it was okay to bottle feed and this commercial does not make me feel better about it either. Hearing the “good moms” talk about how horrible formula is just takes me back to all the tears and overwhelming frustration. Now I am expecting my 2nd baby in less than a month. I have ordered my pump and my storage bags but I also have formula samples in the cabinet because this time I will not put my baby or myself through the misery we went through before. They are only babies for a little while and I lost so much time with my daughter that should have been happy not crying or frustrated. If my milk comes in great. I will pump and give her what I can get but if it comes to formula so be it. I will not hang my head in shame or listen to other moms put me down. They can try to educate me all they want but they do not know my situation or what I have gone through to try to breast feed so their words are wasted on me.
Wow, the other ladies were right. The advertising totally worked! I want to formula feed my 3 and 6 year old now because of Similac’s effective marketing!
I regret reading the comments here. How I chose to feed my babies had no effect on any other parent, ever. Babies need to be fed. Period.
Goddamn breastfeeding mafia.
Word.
I watched the video, thought it was sweet and funny. Then for some reason I started reading the comments. *sigh* Wow. Thank you for just cementing the fact that the Mommy Wars will never end. Also thank you for pointing out it is an formula ad (I never would’ve been able to figure out the marketing and what they are trying to do by myself, luckily the People of The Internet opened my eyes), I was also in my car already on my way to buy formula for the child I do not have ( that is how effective their mind control was) so thank you for helping me see the light. I don’t know how this (overpopulated) planet manages to raise so many children without your help. Your parents must be so proud.
I will never forget my DAD’S advice when I was an emotional wreck after battling for 3 months to breastfeed my first born.
He asked me to look at every adult walking around and tell him which ones were bottle fed and which were breast fed…..
He was right …..there is NO difference.
My older daughter was exclusively on formula because she just wouldn’t latch, tried pumping, and that didn’t go well either. But that didn’t make any less of a mother because I knew I was giving her what she needed most…my love and time. My second daughter is exclusively breastfed. So every child is different, but they both get my love equally and that’s all that matters. So be happy regardless of your child breastfed or bottle fed.
I breastfeed. I enjoy it. My 1st baby enjoyed it As does my 2nd. I couldn’t formula feed, im not organised enough and im too selfish to want to share the feeding time. Breastfeeding helped me loose my baby weight. It also helps to reduce my chances of breast and ovarian cancer which run in my family. Bottle feeding was never an option for me. Once we breastfeeders stop getting glared at etc we’ll stop feeling the need to stand our ground. I wouldnt eat my tea in a dark dingy corner or a toilet so why should our babies. If you Had to bottle feed. Welldone for feeding them. We all tgink our way is the right way and it is. It was a nice ad if you ignore all the hidden stuff.
Hated it! It perpetuates the myth that mothers are mean to each other. In my experience no one cares how you feed/diaper your baby. Moms are happy to see other moms! We’re all proud of ourselves for having managed to get out of the house with our babies!
The only thing any mum can do is the best that they can in their given circumstances and situations whether working, staying at home, breast feeding or bottle etc. You cannot do anymore than your best with what you’ve got. I know mums who had to work to pay the bills, I know mums whose body couldn’t produce milk, they did the best they could and that is THE BEST that anyonr can do for their child. However, I genuinely don’t understand mums who choose to bottle feed because their boobs will not be so pert, or go back to full time work within weeks and sometimes days of giving birth when they are finally able to go part time or stay at home and pay someone else to care for and nurture their little one. It IS choices that people make and maybe I’m missing a brain cell or two but I
don’t understand how those choices for those reasons are the best for the child? Make your choices but I don’t think that all mums make them for the best interest of the child. So as much I try not to judge, (again I’m not talking about doing what you can in a given circumstance), don’t hide behind ‘I’m doing the best’ clearly for those example I mentioned, having pert breasts is NOT in the best for child.
I don’t agree with anyone being pressured into breast feeding or made inadequate, but equally are we not allowed to say ‘breast is best’ if possible because it will upset people? No breast feeding doesn’t guarantee good bonding but it helps if you want it to. No you probably can’t tell when you look around who’s bottle and who isn’t but there are benefits to mums milk that bottle cannot provide. No you shouldn’t judge when a mother bottle feeds or breast feeds, but in my experience, not all reasons are in the best interest of the child. If we don’t talk about what is good, how will learn and understand better?
I didn’t laugh. I didn’t cry. I mostly thought about how sad this scenario is. I am a breastfeeding advocate. But when you see me on the playground nursing my daughter, I will also be talking with other parents. I don’t think that the “mommy wars” are as commonplace as everybody thinks that they are. Among my friends, we stand out as different- we use cloth diapers, we wear our children, I breastfeed, we bedshare, I pump while at work, and I enjoy the company of people who don’t do any of those things. I do them because they are best and, as parents, we do what we believe is best for our children. If I could market those things like pampers does, I would. Instead, I admin a busy cloth diaper forum and I offer lactation support to moms who are told that their supply isn’t enough (the pump is a poor indicator of supply), have poor latch, or are struggling with medication compatibility issues (most medications are compatible with breastfeeding but doctors don’t want to do the research to confirm it). I do those things for free. This blogger does not. She admits that she posted a Similac commercial, plugged their name several times, and then annotates that she was compensated for her post. 🙁 Follow the money trail…. It will lead you straight to the source of the conflict.
There’s that quote about how the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. I will say this, the people that benefit from the way our society currently is – the government that doesn’t want to offer family-friendly policies, the businesses that don’t want to change to support their workers, the formula companies who want to make a profit over all else, the baby “experts” who don’t read a lick of research but want to sell their books anyway – have managed the great feat of making us think the real problem is with other moms. Instead of turning against those who benefit from reducing our choices and fighting for a better place to raise our kids where we don’t have to worry about booby traps or sleep traps and where our choices would be true choices, we have turned on each other even more.
Only now those of us who aren’t towing the line and continue to share information are viewed as the “bad guys”. Those of us who want to change things so that families are supported and given real options are accused of just trying to make people feel “guilty” or say it’s “our way or nothing”. We are heading down a path where families will have fewer and fewer true choices if we allow it. We can’t. We have to do something if we want families to really feel supported and cared for, not just given lip service to.
The “mommy wars” don’t need to end. In fact, they need to get bigger and bigger. They just need to be redirected at the real problem: A society that doesn’t support families.
http://evolutionaryparenting.com/ending-the-mommy-wars/
Well said, CJ!
There will always be some people that feel the need to pick everything apart. Was it advertising baby slings as well? What about cloth diapers? What about yoga classes? Does Similac have something against strollers? Absurd!
How about just taking the video for what it’s worth? :While we all approach the care of our children differently, it is still CARE.
If you use formula, use Similac— Who Cares? Give yourselves a pat on the back for noticing the advertising, move on and try to see the GOOD in the message.
People, just ask yourself, who is doing this commercial? A formula company, Yes, they promote their products any way they can.
Trying to make bottle feeding OK.
I don’t care what mother’s choose. Its when I hear things like, baby wouldn’t latch so I stopped, I didn’t have enough milk, the baby cried soon after breastfeeding so that’s why I didn’t have milk. Things like this bother me because these women don’t know anything about breastfeeding and have done no research to make these comments. That is why only 6% of women breastfeed for 6 months and beyond.
I hate to say it but some mom’s take the easy way out. There I said it.
You know nothing.
Are you completely unaware that literally those problems do happen? I did research for months on breastfeeding. I literally make half of what my son is now eating. I’m taking the easy way out? Okay. whatever you say, all knowing person.
For all of you conspiracy seeing, ignorant people…. I breastfed one of my babies for 13 months. My other child would not latch on, so she was bottle fed (she almost died). The point was unity, and y’all are being self-righteous assholes proving that we as women, as mothers, need to get over ourselves and realize that it isn’t about you. Grow up and quit acting like you’re the best mom, and others are not.. We all make mistakes, but as wponen, mothers, parents, we should show support. Not the criticism I am seeing here.
hahaha, great video!! really!!!
It is life itself, sometimes we worry and argue about small things…but at the end… :):):)
What is wrong with you people? We are all doing the best we can with the hand we have been dealt. We all have ben great parents at some point and we all have been “bad” parents at some point. You make your choices and then live with the result, good or bad. Rejoice that you have a child to love.
I LOVE SIMILAC!!!! My son was born with a severe birth defect that required him to be on life-support moments after birth and that resulted in 3 surgeries in his first year of life and a two month NICU stay. I lost countless hours sitting at his bedside so that I could sit alone in a freezing pumping room to pump every three hours. Despite my best efforts with constant pumping, and eating weird milk producing things, and meeting with lactation consultations my milk gave out completely at 6 weeks.
Thanks to the amazing nutrition that Similac provided by offering a range of formulas to fit the high calorie needs of my child, he managed to stay on the growth chart, fight off infections, recover from surgeries, and learned to take a bottle (instead of ending up with a g-tube like many of his peers.) He is now 3 1/2 and is advanced cognitively when compared to “typical” children.
And thanks to all the commenter’s above who even years after the event still attempt to make me feel like crap for feeding my son the BEST food available for him (note my deep sarcasm.) I hope Similac’s stock quadruples and that this ad campaign reaches every NICU mom who has enough to deal with when she is stressing about whether her child will live or die. Those mamas shouldn’t feel one iota of guilt about the fact that their bodies (which usually have not yet gotten to even hold their newborns) will eventually decide that they aren’t a milk factory. And may Similac use every dime of those proceeds to develop even better formulas for the sickest and weakest among us. #TEAMSIMILAC #BLESSEDTOBOTTLEFEED
It is interesting that a commercial – and a blog post – meant to bring mothers together to be more loving creates more controversy.
I get it, that many are worried that by not taking a stand and pushing the “right” thing to do we are in effect letting the other be okay (breastfeeding vs not). I get that a lot. It’s called tolerating. And tolerating leads to acceptance and acceptance leads to embracing. So much of that in other areas of our lives- esp gov!- is happening. The problem with that (in this case) is that it becomes used for more than just the exception or emergency it was originally intended for. And then people are offended.
However, is it possible to make a stand while still being loving? To leave out the sarcasm, the name-calling, the rude comments? I’m talking to whichever side your on. Do you think someone else would be more willing to listen and understand if you shared your thoughts and feelings (and hopefully more facts than not)? I know I would. Otherwise you’re only fanning the flames.
Jeepers! I am not a mom, and my eyes welled up at this clip. Well done Similac, well done.
Lovely. Truly touched me. It is sad that the intent of the commercial (which, of course, is also to sell formula) has been lost to some of the commenters, here. There is no shame in bottle feeding. What? Bottle feeding is okay, but it can’t be because a mother “chose” to bottle feed? Really? I met a mom who went on and on about how I should be bottle feeding and then SMOKED a cigarette just before she breast fed her baby! Poisoning her baby with arsenic. Yeah. Best for that baby. Also, what do you feed the child once off the breast? Healthy food, lots of veggies or Mcgarbage and soda pop? Now, this commercial made me laugh and cry. Will we ever reach the “sisterhood of motherhood?” or will the parental police keep blowing their whistles at those who don’t do as they do?
PS: What is “best” for the baby is to have a happy, loving mother who shows her love for her child in many ways. Feeding is a small part of motherhood. I have a five year old who is happy, healthy and thriving in school. She is reading and I’m told she is excelling in all areas. So I must be doing something right now and I must have done something right when she was an infant. Peace and out.
thank god..another sane person..
Why “This video is not available in your country.” in Canada?????
Yes!!! Why are Canadians not permitted to view this video????
[…] Last week, at the Mom 2.0 Summit in Arizona, I led the “Sisterhood of Motherhood” roundtable discussion with Lindsey Delco from Abbott Nutrition. “Sisterhood of Motherhood” is the name of Similac’s campaign which went viral earlier this year. If you haven’t seen the video, it’s amazing and you should watch it now. […]
I am glad this was done. As a woman who wanted to breastfeed and wasn’t able to do so for very long with either child due to not producing enough milk and being completely dried out by the time each was only 6 weeks, I faced a lot of criticism from people who didn’t know my story. I didn’t enjoy having to supplement and hated having to go full bottle. I am all for breast or bottle because I know what’s it like either way. I had a lot of support from people close to me who knew what was going on and that is what helped me through it.
The video has been granted a prestigious award for effective product advertising. http://www.breastfeedingcomoxvalley.com/and-the-award-goes-to-similac/