Breast Milk Baby Doll…Seriously??

First, click HERE to read the full story about this breastfeeding doll I came across yesterday when simply trying to look up the local weather.  The best part truly is reading all of the comments.  So then I googled “breastfeeding doll” and found this article as well – click HERE to read it.   

I did breastfeed all three of my children…but I also used bottles.  Stella and Charlotte openly watched me feed Henry and asked questions and then mimicked the behavior.  I had no problem with any of it.  In fact, I kind of love this doll.  The only real thing I hate about it is the price – $90!!

Some of the articles and comments are just too funny not to share with you…along with my own thoughts:

• American girls own dolls that pee, dolls that suck on a bottle, dolls that burp or sit on a potty — and all are accepted as appropriate by most adults.   I do NOT want a doll that pees.  Baby Alive frightens me.  I change enough diapers already.
• The doll allows children to imitate the act of breast-feeding by using a special halter top that comes with the toy. The halter top is made from a colorful material with two flowers positioned where nipples would be.  When the mouth of the doll is brought close to a sensor embedded in the flower, the baby makes motions and sounds consistent with suckling. Seriously?  I have no problem with a breastfeeding doll, but not so sure I want my girls to think that milk comes from HALTER TOPS. 
• “They don’t understand they just see other moms doing that. Let kids use their imagination and play with a doll and not deal with what it can do,” Ewen said. “There’s no need to turn it into something that’s anatomically correct. Not at this age.” Yet, back to the first bullet – we want dolls to PEE and POOP?
• “My take is that anything which reminds young girls that their bodies are something other, and more, than sex objects, is a very good thing,” said Dr. Ronald Cohen, medical director of the Mothers’ Milk Bank in San Jose, Calif.  “On the other hand, encouraging young girls to want to have babies at a very young age may not be so great,” said Cohen, who is also the director of the intermediate intensive care nursery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University.  WHAT?  So by allowing Charlotte to be OBSESSED with baby dolls, I am encouraging her to have her own baby?  hehehehe
• “As kids get used to instructive toys, they need more structured toys,” Levin said. “We take the creativity away.”  This was a completely political response.  Great way not to be for nor against the “breastfeeding” part of the toy…almost a cop-out.  Just take another stance and blame it for not allowing a child to be creative.  Nice.  Not that it might not be true, I just love the creativity of the statement.
• Best Comment: We’ve done just fine for decades and centuries giving our doll babies a bottle, and then, when we grow up, THAT’s when we learn all about breast feeding. They even have breast feeding coaches at the hospital now when you give birth. By doing this now, it just seems like THEY are making this into something sexual, and yes, before they need to learn about it. Little girls will THINK it’s ok to bear their breasts, to play with themselves in public, because this doll says it’s a natural thing. Um, no.  First, my 3-year old can tell you all about breastfeeding and she completely understands it.  And no, it’s not sexual.  And finally, the doll feeds off of the halter top, right?  How is that encouraging flashing of breasts?

So, what do you think?  And no, I don’t want a debate on breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding.  Let’s start from the idea that both are real and acceptable…what then about the doll??

And now completely digressing…Surviving Motherhood has a question for locals:   Would anyone be interested in joining an Infertility Support Group in Cincinnati? If so, email Kim for more details at: jennieandkim@gmail.com