Where did 10,000 steps a day to better health come from? The 10,000 steps concept was initially formulated in Japan in the lead-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Because the Japanese character for “10,000” looks like a person walking, the company called its device the 10,000-step meter. Thus the 10,000 steps a day was not based on science, but a marketing strategy to sell step counters. Modern research has actually shown that 4,00-7,500 steps a day can be just as beneficial to health and a more realistic goal without discouraging people from walking fewer steps than the elite 10,000.

So what does this have to do with breastfeeding? You are being marketed to. Almost everything related to infant sleep and feeding (bottle AND breast) is a pitch to get you to buy something in your sleep deprived state at 2am from Amazon. Don’t fall for the marketing. Is the bottle marketed to look like a breast? Yes!! But in my experience the ones that look like a boob often don’t promote a breast-like latch at all. A cookie guaranteed to make milk? A cookie is just a cookie if you’re not actively moving that milk. A crib guaranteed to help baby sleep longer? It may work for some, but at what cost to development and the breast milk supply…

Yes, it is a fantastic time to be alive. We have more gadgets and gizmos than any other time in history. Some are amazing miracles of science and some are just downright times money suckers that will end up in the back of the closet to gather dust. If a products works for you, awesome!! Not every item will work for every family or every baby. Because we are all unique individuals