Motrin bashes baby wearing

onlygirls · 11-14-2008, 09:32 PM

I saw an advertisement in Real Simple magazine today and could not believe what I read. Motrin claims that (baby) "Carriers put a ton of strain on your back and shoulders". What about the baby buckets? I fell better with my baby close to me in a sling instead of that big hunk of plastic.

Here is a link to their website with their new campaign:
http://motrin.com/?utm_campaign=Adul...tm_term=Motrin

My initial reaction was that they were wrong and it is easier to carry your baby in a sling and I love to snuggle my kiddos.

But then I thought about all the moms-to-be who will see that and think that babywearing has to be painful. Like some of the breastfeeding myths.

This just makes me sad.

AngelBee · 11-14-2008, 09:32 PM

Getz · 11-14-2008, 09:40 PM

Being condescending will help them sell product? Ok, whatever. My boobs weigh more than any baby I wore, and I have my boobs on me 24/7! Where is their condescending ad about that??

jjawm · 11-14-2008, 09:44 PM

They should be complaining about those dang bucket seats! But then, all the car manufactureres would have a fit.

AngelBee · 11-14-2008, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Getz

Being condescending will help them sell product? Ok, whatever. My boobs weigh more than any baby I wore, and I have my boobs on me 24/7! Where is their condescending ad about that??

I thought about my boobs too!

woodchick · 11-14-2008, 09:46 PM

Wow. That was horrible. And my carriers never hurt my back unless I'm wearing them incorrectly. Where's Motrin when I need an extra hand to adjust my sling?

**Arwyn** · 11-14-2008, 10:03 PM

Oh... my...

No words.

:

dougandsarah · 11-15-2008, 11:28 AM

y'all should send them an email, thats the stupidest commercial they could put out. I tried but i'm in Canada so for some reason i couldn't get it to go through.

EviesMom · 11-15-2008, 11:37 AM

It is quite stupid, but... most mainstream moms I've seen baby wearing have the bjorn, like I did with my first kid years ago. And that thing does cause a lot of shoulder and back pain. The ad does talk about how it's better for baby to be carried. Women are going to ask each other "hey, does that hurt your back?" like many women ask me when DS is in the mei tai, and I say, "oh, no, it's got great back support, much better than the bjorn, which is what I started out with. This has a great center of balance, blah blah blah."

So I dunno, that ad doesn't really bug me in comparison to stuff like anti-cosleeping ads.

transformed · 11-15-2008, 11:47 AM

I am not saying you shouldnt carry your baby in a carrier, but it seems to me that they do cause a huge strain on your body. (And if Motrin was doing this just to make money, you'd think they would be advocating babywearing.)

Do they not cause back problems? Biologically I don't see how it wouldn't cause issues.

It strikes me as odd that motrin even has a position on this topic.

My carriers hurt my back like heck though! Maybe its just me.

syd'smom · 11-15-2008, 11:56 AM

I assume they're speaking of the typical box store front packs (ala bjorn) which I had when dd was born and hurt my neck and shoulders 20 minutes after I put my 8lb dd in it.

I've since discovered much better (and even cheaper - bjorns are quite spendy here in Canada - $200 for the active w/ lumbar support) carriers (mei tais, sscs, etc.) that I can where my 20lb+ daughter in for 2-3 hours with no strain. I think that if you have a carrier that fits you and your babe properly, and is positioned correctly for you and baby, then there should be little to no strain for at least upwards of an hour.

syd'smom · 11-15-2008, 12:00 PM

Sorry for the OT, but, Tansformed - just wondering which carriers you have used? How old/big is your baby? I love helping people find the right carrier - it helps me feel better about the number of carriers of tried if I can help point a mama to one that will work for her. (and no I don't make or sell anything, I just love talking baby carriers!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by transformed

I am not saying you shouldnt carry your baby in a carrier, but it seems to me that they do cause a huge strain on your body. (And if Motrin was doing this just to make money, you'd think they would be advocating babywearing.)

Do they not cause back problems? Biologically I don't see how it wouldn't cause issues.

It strikes me as odd that motrin even has a position on this topic.

My carriers hurt my back like heck though! Maybe its just me.

transformed · 11-15-2008, 12:03 PM

i'll pm you.

sapphire_chan · 11-15-2008, 02:31 PM

They only show a toddler facing forward on the front and out on the hip. I mean the legs are freaking dangling and the "baby" is a 1/3 as big as "mom".

Erica09M · 11-15-2008, 03:52 PM

Well, I'm glad to be an "offical mom." That ad is just.... well, there are no words.

Oh, and, as a person who has rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, none of my 3 carriers hurt my shoulders or back. I think that says a lot.

lolar2 · 11-15-2008, 03:59 PM

Well, I carry 35-pound DS on my back in an Ergo and yes, after an hour or so my back does hurt and I do need some ibuprofen; this has been the case since he hit 30 pounds. Most Motrin campaigns, it seems to me, talk about "everyday" aches and pains from normal daily life. So it's good IMO that they are treating baby-wearing as normal daily life.

Calidris · 11-15-2008, 04:04 PM

Soo, the overall message of that commercial is, babywearing hurts your back, so take Motrin instead of trying to find a better way to wear the baby?

:

Brilliant idea, I'll take permanent back damage over here please.

MadameXCupcake · 11-15-2008, 04:21 PM

My sling hurts my back and hips horribly now that my daughter is bigger. Almost 16 pounds..

But the add is putting yourself before your child I would never do that. I am a mom I chose to have a baby, Baby will always come first.

So if you guys dont have pain someone please help me with a carrier?

:

syd'smom · 11-15-2008, 04:26 PM

hmmmmm....we may need a spin off thread in bwing! DD is 2 in December and almost 25lbs and I can still comfortably carry her for at least an hour, and I know mamas (IRL too) who carry much older and heavier babes too). So...what kinda carrier do you have? How can we help?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadameXCupcake

My sling hurts my back and hips horribly now that my daughter is bigger. Almost 16 pounds..

But the add is putting yourself before your child I would never do that. I am a mom I chose to have a baby, Baby will always come first.

So if you guys dont have pain someone please help me with a carrier?

:

MadameXCupcake · 11-15-2008, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syd'smom

hmmmmm....we may need a spin off thread in bwing! DD is 2 in December and almost 25lbs and I can still comfortably carry her for at least an hour, and I know mamas (IRL too) who carry much older and heavier babes too). So...what kinda carrier do you have? How can we help?

I just have a ring sling right now, Maybe I am using it wrong? I dont have anyone to show me how. I think I would do good with a back carrier but I dont know if I would be nervous or not about not seeing my daughter.