Watch out Newfoundland and Labrador! There’s going to be a new doll hitting the shelves of your local toy store soon.
This doll will be very different than all of the other baby dolls already on the shelves.
How? She’s a breastfeeding doll and she allows kids to pretend that they are breastfeeding. Shocked? Outraged?
I’m not, but some people are…
As far as I see it, a problem with this toy only arises if you see breastfeeding as something sexual. For example, skimpy princess dresses have been marketed to little girls for years, but they don’t cause a stir because they are not viewed as sexy.
My little girl loves to dress up in the frilliest dresses and high heels shoes. If anyone saw her, most people would probably just say she is cute. However, if she were to sit in the middle of Bowring Park playground, wearing a halter top that has pretend nipples on it, pretending to nurse her baby doll, I bet a few eyebrows would be raised.
It’s because we’re all so weird about breast and nipples. They’re supposed to be covered, out of sight, for sexual purposes only. Little girls shouldn’t even pretend they have them. And breastfeeding, well that is something that should be done only under a cover or in private. We definitely wouldn’t want a little girl to pretend she was engaging in that kind of activity.
Like it or not, breasts are for breastfeeding babies. Seeing a little bit of a nipple isn’t going to hurt anyone, just as letting a kid pretend to breastfeed isn’t going to cause them any long term damage.
Pretending that moms don’t have breasts filled with milk and thinking that breastfeeding can happen only in private doesn’t help anyone. If breastfeeding was more accepted by the general public, more women would breastfeed for longer periods of time. And we would all be healthier as a result.
In the end, as much as I like this doll because it promotes breastfeeding, I probably won’t buy it. Why? My daughter already nurses her dolls, even the ones that came with bottles. She can’t wait until she has “nana” (breasts) like mommy and she doesn’t think twice when she sees a baby breastfeeding. She’s a wise four year old. I wish everyone could be more like her.
What do you think? Would you buy this doll?
Felicie is a teacher turned work at home mama to two busy little angels, aged 22 months and 4 and a half years. She is a proud member of La Leche League Canada and has helped to organize three World B[..]
I think it’s great. Anything that promotes the naturalness of breastfeeding.
It drives me nuts that most dolls come with a bottle. The bottle has become a symbol of babies – ‘Baby on Board’ magnetic bottles to stick to your car, gift bags, shower cards, etc…
I love that your daughter breastfeeds her dolls. I’ve had children in my care go home and do the same. We are the best examples to our children and society. That’s why it is so important for breastfeeding moms to nurse wherever they need to: restaurants, malls, parks and grocery stores.
Regardless of whether the doll is a ‘breastfeeding’ doll, it would be great to see children also feeding their dolls in public.
I think that this little doll is a powerful move to empower women and ensure that our nurturing (biological and emotional) is recognized and valued. It is a different approach than “bra- burning” , for certain, but one that celebrates the feminine !
The controversy over this doll is absolutely perplexing. There’s nothing sexual about breastfeeding, so how on earth would it sexualize little girls? It’s silly. I’m not sure I would buy *this* doll for a child of mine, but that’s just because it looks like it’s plastic. My toddler has a couple of dolls. He’s even pretended to breastfeed on occasion, or have me “nurse” his baby doll. (I’ve also “nursed” a crocodile puppet and toy cars). All you really need for a breastfeeding doll is a doll that doesn’t have a bottle attached to it. Simple enough! If a child knows that babies breastfeed, then that is what they’ll imitate/model.
Thank you for the comments ladies! If nothing else I hope this doll will help people to realize that breastfeeding is normal. Msybe this doll is a good start!