In Australia we have just been introduced to the latest in the 'artificial milk from the cradle
to the grave' products. This one 'Pedia----'  is aimed at the child who won't eat, but will
drink. What really gets me is the premise that children will surely starve if left without
solid food for a day or so. Parents are often very anxious about the child that won't eat
while it is ill, and I'm sure this sort of product will be promoted to these 'starving'
sick children. Surely, our bodies decline food when we are ill for a reason, (no one pushes
adults to eat much when they are sick), but the opposite seems to be the case for children.
There really seems to be a 'formula' for just about everyone now - right from newborn to the
elderly, and although some sections of the community might benefit from this sort of product,
basically I agree with the 'chew your calories' theme. I feel these sort of products
encourage the use of 'medical' processed forms of food over the good old ones from the
supermarket, and make us less confident about our own abilities to control our food intake
and 'read' our own bodies needs for food. I know this is not really a lactation issue, but
I feel the reliance on the use of artificial foods is just being stretched from infancy into
childhood and beyond.

Fiona Coombes (swimming out of her liquid soapbox now!)

Family Physician  IBCLC
NMAA Breastfeeding Counsellor
Perth  Western Australia