Motherhood Marketing

I was thinking again about how much marketing has shaped our personal opinions on raising kids. Americans tend to potty train their kids at a later age than people in other countries. The result of this tendency maximizes profits for the diaper industry, because people are buying disposable diapers for longer.

I hear a re-occuring phrase whenever I'm reading about this subject. It's always something to the effect of: "you have to wait until they're ready". Parenting magazines offer articles that show the ''signs'' that your child is ready to be potty trained. Overall, we have a very relaxed view as to how quickly we should get our kids out of diapers.

When it comes to nursing though, people tend to feel strongly about how long they let their kid latch on. It's very rare to see a mother nursing a toddler. Non-parents tend to think these women are just weird.

Some mothers would like to nurse longer, but find that their milk supply is not enough for their baby. People forget that once you start feeding other food to your baby, you stop making as much milk yourself. They start feeding them food more, and before you know it, many babies lost interest in nursing. When I took Filip in for a check-up at 3 months old, my doctor said to start introducing food at 4 months. Also, formula companies throw samples at new mothers left and right. They know that once you start formula, it's a slippery slope towards using it exclusively.
I'm curious as to where my doctor got the information to tell her patients to introduce food to babies that early. I would not be surprised if it came from a milestone chart created by a leading formula company.

I've heard many people say something to the effect of "If they're old enough to {have teeth; talk; eat; etc} they're old enough to stop nursing." However, I hardly ever hear any similar remarks about rushing potty training.

Hence, we're slow to potty train, and quick to wean. Who benefits? Logically, it is the driving forces behind this cultural view, big business. Our cultural opinions, that we hold so dear, are maximizing profits for businesses, and taking away nurturing, and a sense of achievement from our babies.