Breastfeeding Doll

[AnnaNova]

so my husband and me were watching the local news tonight and they had a bit about spanish toy makers that came up with this breastfeeding doll...
it latches on to a little flower to clips to a shirt and makes sucking noises and then needs to be burped in order to 'fall asleep', it is only available in spain, and of course they had a comment on how some "parents find it offensive" and toymakers state it promotes bfeeding...

[Ahappymel]

I saw this too:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/Par...8271555&page=1

I also saw a clip of it on the Today show. The hosts are kind of shocked and saying it's inappropiate for a 6 yr old girl to be mimicking breastfeeding.
Give me a break. We are such a prudish nation, I swear.
Breastfeeding is NOT sexual and the reason people are uncomfortable is they are associating the breasts with SEX and watching a 6 yr old mimic what they see as a crass and sexualized act is unsettling.
Bleh.
And for the record, if I see one more 6 yr old with a feather boa, little high heels and "princess" in rhinestones on the butt of her pants, I think I'm going to throw up Now THAT is sexualization of a young girl!

[CC_muffin]

I have seen clips as well-doesn't the dolls name translate to "baby glutton?"



In all seriousness though, what IS the big deal with a little girl pretending to nurse her dolls? I remember pretending that way with my dolls as a child, simply because that was how the babies I knew ate. I bet I would have loved a baby doll like that! I wonder how people are reacting elsewhere in the world where breastfeeding is much more accepted?

I agree with PP, I find it WAY more inappropriate for a little girl to walk around looking like a burlesque dancer than for her to mimic the most natural act in the world.

[HappiLeigh]

My aunt just sent me an e-mail, saying there was a new breastfeeding doll and maybe I'd want to get one for me DD since we have a new baby coming. I assumed it was already being marketed--but now I guess maybe she saw it on a talk show or news segment! I just googled it and was horrified over the coverage. All this talk of early sexualization and inappropriateness. Gag! I know I'm not the only mom who gets offended and throws away every single stupid baby bottle that comes packaged with a new doll! :

[furfeet]

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/323149...ily/?gt1=43001

there's another one. I think it's no more "strange" than a little girl dressing up like a bride or pretending to feed a bottle/change a diaper, etc.

[PiesandAbrosmama]

my local news station is fired up about this, and not in a good way. I really can't begin to understand why so many people comment that it's to sexual for our children to handle, and yet Bratz type dolls don't seem to be nearly as offensive. I posted to ABC and to my local news. This is what I said.

"Most certainly this toy is a good learning tool, if we want to normalize breast as best, because it is and is promoted as such by The World Heath organization and others, and since it is the way nature/God intended our species to live we need get comfortable with being honest about how babies are fed. Bottles are plastic reproduction nipples to mock the REAL thing and should be as offensive or more as a pretend nursing and nurturing doll seems to be. It's insane to me that we have become a generation of people who accept chemical replacements as superior forms of nourishment not to mention equate feeding a baby as a sexual expression. Real questions we should be asking ourselves is why this bothers us so much and why we have allowed the media and hollywood to skew our view about the human body so vastly that we are shocked by our children mimicking REALITY! My children have all been nursed, and my children have all wanted to "pretend' to be little mommies especially when I have been caring for the baby. My children already pretend to nurse, but they are so less judgmental and will even play nurse toy trucks and puppies! Maybe the newest generation will have more sanity about the subject. . . a mama of 4"

[fruitfulmomma]

I love watching my little girls pick up and give 'nummies' to their dolls and assorted stuffed animals. It is just something that naturally picked up from being breastfed themselves and watching the younger babies eat. One of my memories of my fil is when I saw his reaction to one of them doing that and he was laughing.

[kkar]

Aside from the obvious (which everyone so far has addressed) here are the other two things that really make my blood boil about this story:

First, the toy isn't even being sold in the USA! It's a Spanish doll that you can only get in Spain... So are you telling me that we have ANY right to make judgements about another culture's/country's toys???? I wonder how many countries had a cow over dolls like the Bratz that clearly encourage young girls to mature faster than age appropriate. Sure, it's ok for us to impose our (twisted) values on other cultures, but by all means, let's show outrage over toys they make and aren't even trying to sell to our children.

Second, having BF'd three children now, it's pretty normal for younger children to play nursing mom. So...what's the difference from buying a doll that does it and pretending that any other doll is breastfeeding? I can't see a difference at all.

I just want to tell people to grow up! When will we, as a culture, ever accept that breast is best?

[Eeyore35]

I think it's a dumb idea. The fake boobs for little girls are weird. My daughter nurses her dolls/stuffies without any props. Not needed.


I also don't see this as sexualizing,either,though. Then again,I have zero issue with the princess on th butt,heels/feather boa. it's cute. I don't know any grown women who do that to be sexy!

[Lillitu]

there are TONS of dolls out there that have bottles to feed to it. why is this any different (other than being better?)

[Eeyore35]

Originally Posted by Lillitu

there are TONS of dolls out there that have bottles to feed to it. why is this any different (other than being better?)

Um,the fake boobs?
You can nurse any doll.

[kkar]

Originally Posted by Eeyore35

Um,the fake boobs?
You can nurse any doll.

Ironically though, from what I've heard on local media outlets, the main complaint is that it is a breastfeeding doll, and setting girls up too early to have babies - not the fake boob part. (At least that was the slant on our news last night).

[Purple*Lotus]

I didn't even know the doll came with fake boobs. Our news did not mention that part at all.

[SashaBear]

The doll comes with a halter top with flower petals for nipples. The flower petals hold sensors that cause the baby to making sucking movements.

I love this. I wish I could get it for my daughter. My daughter loves her doll bottle (thanks to my mom) and it drives me nuts. However I decided that it makes the play more realistic and its a prop. Feeding that way is more interesting than pretending to nurse.

The only positive complaint I read is that it interfers with the pretend-play and that nursing the doll should come about naturally. I get this but I think in the world of toys that we have today this is mote point.

[TopHat]

It was Twittered about a lot yesterday and I talked to my husband about it. His reaction was, "The only problem I see with the doll is it might give girls the impression that latching on is easy." LOL. I love that man!

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by TopHat

"The only problem I see with the doll is it might give girls the impression that latching on is easy."

- what an awesome guy!

[PiesandAbrosmama]

yeah it's not fake boobs it's a halter style bra thing. I mean we have had peeing dolls, eating dolls, burping dolls, crying dolls, anatomically correct dolls, all kinds of dolls so why all the fuss over a nursing doll? The comments in my town are appalling! Really everyone posted thinking this will lead to early sex, promiscuity, strange sexual pleasure from the desire to nurse a baby. yikes ola I was shocked!

[Porcelain Interior]

The breastfeeding haters on The View hated the doll, calling it creepy, perverted you name it so I officially love it.

I do think the halter top tie on nipples IS weird, and I don't like the creey suck suck suck noise, but the idea is not bad at all. It's about time- though no child ever needed a special baby doll to do this with.

[Youngfrankenstein]

I'm not keen on the doll but it's infuriating that anyone would even lean sexually or perverted....don't people have any brains???

I hate how our "news media" (the view, today show) clips everything down to 30 seconds of crap. Can't we just pretend we are educated?

[DQMama]

I was curious so I Googled "breastfeeding doll." Look at this adorable Waldorf set I found!!! I want to get it for my daughter.

http://www.waldorfdolls.com/soft_mom...eding_sets.htm


I don't think the toy being discussed here is perverted, just unnecessary for kids who naturally nurse their dolls.