Monterey Bay Aquarium

[LeslieB]

We took a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium today. So we're walking around and decide to go into one of the kids play areas. So we turn the corner and right in front of us is a HUGE baby bottle. I'm like what in the world so I look at it. It's to demonstrate just how many approx. bottles of milk a baby whale drinks in comparison to how much a human baby drinks. It was there to "educate" the children, because you know, um, putting it into to "bottle sense" makes it more understandable. Grrr. I'm considering writing a letter to the aquarium about this, but I seriously doubt they would take down this huge display; I wouldn't even know what to write either. It just seems so strange to take the whale, a wild sea mammal, and to use baby bottles for some sort of comparison.
So, anyway, I took some pictures. You can see them below.
Giant Bottle
Small bottles
Question
And Answer
Another of the Giant Bottle

I had to ETA that I'm actually starting to laugh at the pictures of the giant bottle; it's making me chuckle over its ridiculousness because of the huge bottle labeled "Whale Milk".

[shanti1]

Huh....well that'd make me look twice for sure. Thinking about it though....how else could they demonstrate "how much" milk a whale drinks? I have NO earthly idea how much my kids drank when nursing. I could only gage by how much breast milk they took by a bottle at day care......so.....I guess, as far as an example goes they could have just used a regular container to show the amount.

[MomInSanJose]

LOL I just learned something about human babies. I had no idea how much babies drink. I wonder what age of human baby drinks the equivalent of 6 bottles, and I wonder how much my one year old drinks--a lot more than that, I'm sure. It's hard to imagine that much liquid coming from my body.

[Belle]

Originally Posted by MomInSanJose

LOL I just learned something about human babies. I had no idea how much babies drink. I wonder what age of human baby drinks the equivalent of 6 bottles, and I wonder how much my one year old drinks--a lot more than that, I'm sure. It's hard to imagine that much liquid coming from my body.

I had no idea either.

[amandaleigh37]

Wow, that is strange...

But I will give them credit on the sign, it says "When you were a baby, you drank enough milk to fill 6 bottles a day." It could have said something like "... you drank 6 bottles of milk a day." Yeah it's a stretch....

I think a letter might be a good idea. They probably won't change it, but I agree - why involve a plastic bottle & nipple when teaching kids about mammals?
They could talk in terms of ounces/cups/etc. without using a bottle at all... I dunno..

[Sugermama]

How else will they show the amount in a picture form? What are some alternatives that could be suggested as a visual for the kids. They imply that babies drink breast milk by the phrasing 'drank enough milk to fill..." as well.

[bellymama]

bottles have measurements. breastfeeding is hard to measure. i'm not sure how they could have used it in the example in a way that made sense.

[Unoppressed MAMA Q]

It's so abstract anyway, if the point can't be made without a bottle, then why make it?

That's just my own weird little brain, though. As a PP said, I don't even know how much a human baby drinks in a day, why would I really need to know how much a whale baby drinks?

And I say 'boo' to the bottles as well. Yuk. I'd try to talk to someone about it, with the understanding that it might not be 'gotten' at first.

[ulla]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the bottle analogy. It gets the point across in a visual way that children can easily understand. The giant bottle is kind of funny. Besides, a giant plastic breast 6 feet in diameter wouldn't go over very well.

[Unoppressed MAMA Q]

Originally Posted by ulla

I don't think there's anything wrong with the bottle analogy. It gets the point across in a visual way that children can easily understand. The giant bottle is kind of funny. Besides, a giant plastic breast 6 feet in diameter wouldn't go over very well.

But I think the question here is, Why not?

[pumpkinyum]

Originally Posted by ulla

I don't think there's anything wrong with the bottle analogy. It gets the point across in a visual way that children can easily understand. The giant bottle is kind of funny. Besides, a giant plastic breast 6 feet in diameter wouldn't go over very well.

Yeah that!

[ulla]

A giant bottle is much funnier to kids.

This is not a lactivist issue as far as I'm concerned. It just seems like someone looking for an excuse, any excuse, to complain.

I suppose one could argue (but I'm not) that it is sexist or misogynistic to have a giant breast on display that everyone can touch because it is disrespectful to women and communicates that it is acceptable to fondle random breasts at will. I would find that argument just as weak as the argument against the giant bottle.

[bellymama]

Originally Posted by Unoppressed MAMA Q

It's so abstract anyway, if the point can't be made without a bottle, then why make it?

That's just my own weird little brain, though. As a PP said, I don't even know how much a human baby drinks in a day, why would I really need to know how much a whale baby drinks?

And I say 'boo' to the bottles as well. Yuk. I'd try to talk to someone about it, with the understanding that it might not be 'gotten' at first.

why go to an aquarium if not to learn about marine life?

[bellymama]

also, a friend of mine who also has seen this exhibit pointed out that there is an image of a whale nursing a baby whale. so it doesn't seem like the aquarium is trying to promote bottle feeding. i think this is making a mountain out of a mole hill. this is the kind of stuff that makes people think that lactavists are kooky. let's pick our battles.

[bellymama]

Originally Posted by Unoppressed MAMA Q

But I think the question here is, Why not?

well, it wouldn't be a breast, it would be a whale teat. and there are no measurements on a whale teat, so it would defeat the whole point of the exhibit.

[karina5]

Originally Posted by Unoppressed MAMA Q

But I think the question here is, Why not?

Uhhh, even if a whale teat were shown, the whole point of this specific exhibit was about "measurement of milk: whales vs. humans" so you would still be stuck having to show the measurement.

Last I checked my own teat, it just didn't do that.

[karina5]

Originally Posted by ulla

A giant bottle is much funnier to kids.

This is not a lactivist issue as far as I'm concerned. It just seems like someone looking for an excuse, any excuse, to complain.

.

Yes on both counts.

[Sugermama]

Originally Posted by Unoppressed MAMA Q

It's so abstract anyway, if the point can't be made without a bottle, then why make it?

That's just my own weird little brain, though. As a PP said, I don't even know how much a human baby drinks in a day, why would I really need to know how much a whale baby drinks?

And I say 'boo' to the bottles as well. Yuk. I'd try to talk to someone about it, with the understanding that it might not be 'gotten' at first.

Actually whale milk and nursing is fascinating. Their milk is thick about the consistency of toothpaste, and a baby whale will pack on a whopping 60 - 300 lbs every day (depending on what breed of whale the baby is ) just from drinking their mother's milk. For example a baby blue whale will drink around 50 gallons of milk in a day, that is a LOT of milk.

So how else should they teach children in a measurement that they can show children this AMAZING fact of marine mammal life?

Watching other mammals nurse is always interesting, beautiful, and makes me feel connected to the world. For some reason marine mammals nursing seems even MORE interesting to me. I know my five year old didn't believe me that Dolphins and other marine mammals nurse their babies just like i do his little brother. We spent about an hour watching different mammals nurse, everything from whales to lions to cows. He loved it. It also reinforces how normal breast feeding is when I connect the lines that ALL mammals nurse their babies and it is a wonderful natural thing.

Still though if I wanted to show him the various AMOUNTS different mammals make in a day I would have to put it in a form that could be measured. I guess the other option might be to use a giant measuring cup? That won't seem as cute or funny though to most kids.

[menomena]

The replies to this thread are blowing my mind. Seriously, this ISN'T a lactavist issue? The OP is just looking for something to b*itch about? REALLY? :

Showing bottles (and an illustration of a human baby drinking from bottles) implies that that is the default way to feed babies. NO ONE was suggesting that we show breasts/teats relative to each other, or that we have human boob displays for children to fondle (???). I seriously can't believe that no one here (or there, apparently) can figure out how else to show the relative volume of milk drank by the two species besides bottles. Which humans don't NEED to use and whales certainly don't.

So how else should they teach children in a measurement that they can show children this AMAZING fact of marine mammal life?

How about just two differently sized containers? How about "X" many ounces vs. "Y" many ounces?

I appreciate the "drink enough milk to fill" semantically correct wording, however I think with the bottle and the illustration that it is lost on most people.

I just don't understand how an entire exhibit devoted to babies drinking from bottles with a HUGE whale-sized bottle is NOT a lactavist issue. I guess that makes me a kooky, whiner.

[karina5]

Originally Posted by menomena

How about just two differently sized containers? How about "X" many ounces vs. "Y" many ounces?

There are two differently sized containers, which happen to be bottles. Like someone said, that is more fun for kids than any old container.