Using photos of babies to market baby formula could soon be banned in Sweden, as the government bids to discourage mothers from choosing powdered milk over breastfeeding. 
 
 
 
 The law, under preparation by Sweden’s ministry for rural affairs, would mean that ads for infant formula could only be published in scientific journals and in publications specializing in infant care.It would also ban infant formula makers from featuring babies on the packaging, to avoid idealizing use of the product. Instead, packaging should feature a graphic description of how to prepare the product.Offering free samples of infant formula or selling the products at a discounted price would be strictly forbidden. And the packaging information could not suggest that formula was a good alternative to, or better choice than, breastfeeding.The packaging should also clearly state that parents should not give formula to babies without a recommendation from a person with the appropriate training, according to the memorandum from the ministry.For 30 years, the Swedish Consumer Agency ( Konsumentverket ) and the baby food industry have agreed not to actively market infant formula, according to a report in the journal Riksdag och Department.The new legislation will incorporate an EU directive into Swedish law, superseding the agreement.The 2006 directive aims to ensure infant formula is used in the right way, based on accurate information and through appropriate marketing.The new law would come into effect on August 1st 2013, according to the memorandum from the agriculture ministry. 

 Moms in Sweden who choose to formula feed their babies instead of breastfeeding them may feel like social outcasts pretty soon, because the country is considering banning babies' images from all baby formula ads. 
 
 No more adorable blue-eyed babies on formula cans, no more formula ads in magazines because they'll only be able to be published in medical journals, and going one step further than the ads -- Sweden also may ban giving out formula samples and selling formula at a discounted price. 
 
 And as for the containers of formula that do make it into parents' hands? Yeah, there will supposedly be a warning label saying they should not give formula to their baby without the recommendation from a professional. (Wow. It's almost like they think feeding a baby formula is some sort of crime.) 
 
 Ok, so I get the whole "breast is the best" thing and I'm sure the lovely folks over in Sweden have the health and well being of their babies in mind -- but going so far as to not even put a picture of a baby on a can of formula to get the point across? (Really?!?) 
 
 For the sake of moms around the globe who are either unable to breastfeed or simply choose not to (because it's THEIR decision and nobody else's) -- this just seems so outrageous and unnecessary. 
 
 Sadly, it seems like as time goes on, moms who don't breastfeed are "frowned upon," if not flat-out scolded, more often than not. I can still remember the lactation consultant pacing back and forth outside my hospital room after I had my son like some sort of Nazi. And yes, I did breastfeed him at first, but I wound up switching to formula a few weeks after his birth, and guess what? He's perfectly fine. Couldn't be better. 
 
 I don't care where in the world you live, a mother should never be made to feel like she's doing something wrong because of how she chooses to nourish her child. And honestly, banning a baby's image from a formula ad or package isn't going to deter moms from making sure their child gets fed. If they want to promote breastfeeding and get more moms on board with it, they're really going about it the wrong way. Making moms feel like bad parents if they don't feed their babies the way the government wants them to isn't going to accomplish a damn thing. 
 
 What do you think of babies being banned from these ads? 
 
 Image via nerissa's ring/Flickr
– Sellers of infant formula in Sweden will likely face a tough marketing problem soon: They won't be able to use images of babies on their products. A new law being readied for 2013 would make the practice illegal, reports the Local. Health officials want to encourage breastfeeding over formula, and they think images of cute babies idealize use of the powder mix. Manufacturers also wouldn't be able to sell the formula at a discount, and packaging would have to clearly send the message that breastfeeding is the preferred way to go. All of which strikes Mary Fischer at the Stir blog as way over the top. "It's almost like they think feeding a baby formula is some sort of crime," she writes. "For the sake of moms around the globe who are either unable to breastfeed or simply choose not to (because it's THEIR decision and nobody else's)—this just seems so outrageous and unnecessary." Read her full response here.