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Breastfeeding Doll Sparks Controversy
Filed under: Toys, Breast-Feeding, Opinions
Bebé Gloten, a new breastfeeding doll from a Spanish toy company, is stirring up a lot of controversy. Parents and experts are wondering whether the benefits of playing "breastfeeding mommy" outweigh the age-appropriateness of a doll that requires girls to wear a vest with plastic flowers that lay over their nipples and creates a sucking sound when the doll is next to the area. If you're curious, view this brief YouTube demonstration provided by the manufacturer.
"It's like introducing sex education in first grade instead of seventh or eighth grade," said Dr. Alvarez. "Or, it could inadvertently lead little girls to become traumatized. You never know the effects this could have until she's older."
Dr. Alvarez's analysis is downright silly, especially from a medical authority. One wonders just how much time the doctor spends with young children. As a breast-feeding mom of five, I can tell you that all of my kids, including my boys, have used dolls to imitate me while I breastfed. It's ridiculous to think that this kind of play could "inadvertently" traumatize them or lead to early sexual activity.
It strikes me that desexualizing breastfeeding is precisely the goal of Bebé Gloten and that the more casual and public we are about the need for babies to nurse, the more quickly our society will adopt a normal attitude toward a very normal human function.
While I think Bebé Gloten is harmless, I sympathize with those moms who say that the vest contraption is a little creepy. Both toy companies and parents are guilty of interfering in the magical, imaginative world of children and far too many toys these days are focused on instructing and entertaining, rather than sparking the creativity children naturally possess. Little girls don't really need battery-operated sucking sounds to learn the virtues of breastfeeding (witness this YouTube clip of a toddler nursing an old-fashion babydoll).They just need to see moms, aunts and grown-up friends who breastfeed.Their God-given imaginations will do the rest.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
8-12-2009 @ 12:52PM
Jo said...I would like to ask Dr. Alvarez if the vast array of realistic bottle-feeding dolls also "may unnaturally speed up maternal desires in young girls". I do not recall any controversy over bottle-fed dolls that suck loudly, burp, then sleep. What is the real issue here? Is there unspoken fear that a young girl will choose to be a breastfeeding mother and perhaps lose her ability to be independent? Ask a successful woman what her greatest accomplishment is, and it most likely will be her child.
I agree with Campos-Duffy that the vest is not really necessary. Children will imitate what they see. I would hope that 21st century enlightened parents and a clearly supportive American Academy of Pediatrics would make breastfeeding and childish imitation of breastfeeding a non-issue.
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8-12-2009 @ 1:41PM
Kaara said...While I agree that the vest idea is kind of creepy, the general idea of a breastfeeding doll is wonderful. I actually fretted a bit when handing my 3 year old daughter a bottle with her baby doll, as I almost exclusively breastfeed. I thought it might confuse her as to why her baby had a bottle, when her baby brother ate at my breast. I shouldn't have worried. She figured it out all on her own and began "nursing" her baby doll as well as offering the occasional bottle. :) It's adorable when she asks to borrow my nursing pillow for the purpose.
I have no concerns that this will make her rush out and get pregnant at her first opportunity. What I do have is more confidence that I'm instilling good parenting concepts to her in her formative years that will serve her well if she chooses to become a mother later in life.
8-12-2009 @ 6:38PM
EH said...So is the doll with the vest creepy or not? How else could the doll be designed for a 6 year old to simulate breast feeding "less creepy"? There ISN'T a better idea and the doll IS creepy and inappropriate.
6 year olds DON'T breast feed....6 year olds DO assist siblings and other babies feeding with a bottle. There lies the difference.
"It strikes me that desexualizing breastfeeding is precisely the goal of Bebé Gloten and that the more casual and public we are about the need for babies to nurse, the more quickly our society will adopt a normal attitude toward a very normal human function."
Now THAT is silly, Rachel.
Breast feeding does not need to be desexualized...breast's are sexual... breast feeding is not. I don't recall any men leering at me when I discreetly breast fed in public.
Our society will adopt a normal attitude toward the very normal human functions of Reproduction and Sex, when religious taboo is removed and simple education is permitted in schools at age appropriate levels.
As long as "dolls" and abstinence are the only comfortable teachers many in our our society can cope with then society will continue on this sad path of teen and unwanted pregnancy due to lack of simple education.
I say throw away the dolls and open up the dialogue AND education in our schools. This doll is a silly age-inappropriate substitute for honest talking about a very simple Health 101 issue.
8-12-2009 @ 8:10PM
Uly said..."6 year olds DON'T breast feed....6 year olds DO assist siblings and other babies feeding with a bottle. There lies the difference."
Six year olds don't give birth either, and yet many six year olds do tuck dolls under their shirts and pretend that they had them the normal way. Six year olds don't typically drive, but it's not uncommon to see them still in those little kiddy cars. Six year olds don't practice medicine, but they dress up in jackets and pretend to give shots to their sisters.
In societies where breastfeeding is the norm (aka ALL societies until 60 years ago) six year olds routinely put their dolls to their chests and pretend to be nursing them, in the same way that children the world over rock their dolls to sleep, give them time-outs, and change their "dirty" diapers. There's nothing more normal than a kid pretending to be a grown-up - and so much the better! At this age, imitative play is a big part of how children learn.
8-13-2009 @ 12:30AM
EH said...Ully-
That particular comment was responding to the comment of "why is their no controversy over bottle fed dolls?"
I'm all for imitation play by children, breast feeding included...it's all natural:)
Though, as an agnostic and moderate - leaning more liberal;), I admit to finding it humorous when this conservative blogger see's the natural aspect of a doll with a flower nippled vest for a 6 year old age appropriate but finds many aspects of "feminism" such as sex education,contraception, etc Not age appropriate to females of reproductive age i.e teens....
8-12-2009 @ 2:30PM
Jamie said...I have no problem with children imitating the act. I breast fed my two boys. However, I think the vest is a bit much. I think the kids can pretend without having fake boobs placed onto their bodies.
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8-12-2009 @ 4:16PM
Sandyone said...Yeah, sometimes I wonder what these doctors have in between their ears!
If the doll is pleasant to hold and has a cute face, I'm all for it. I'm not a fan of all the gimmicks and there have been plenty of nursing reenactments in my house, none of which were with a 'breastfeeding doll'.
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8-12-2009 @ 7:01PM
EH said...Also, if your going to quote a doctor at least give his clear thought...he did not say it would speed up maternal "desires"
but that it might speed up maternal "urges". Urges being a physical involuntary reaction rather then a thought of desire that you paraphrase and sprinkle with interpretation.
That makes sense considering breasts fill both a sexual and non sexual service and experience both urge and desire.
“Pregnancy has to entail maturity and understanding,” Alvarez said. “It’s like introducing sex education in first grade instead of seventh or eighth grade.”
That makes sense...maturity and understanding go along with every step of sexual education....I say this doll is going to add a whole new element to the simple and natural child's interest of playing doctor!
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8-12-2009 @ 8:00PM
Heather said...I found the vest creepy . It also had flowers on it which was just weird.
My son breastfed his babíes with out the vest, without the sucking noises. He even breastfed his stuffed dog. They will imitate what they see no matter what you do.
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8-26-2009 @ 4:34AM
bleebug90 said...~heather~
youre right, kids will imitate it if theyre curious, and this stupid vest with all the unnecessary sound effects and 'sucking', will create questions that im sure parents wouldnt want to answer when their childs that young.
its just a fact not only this but every where from clothes to jwelery to make up kids just cant be kids hardly any more it sucks, and its sad.
8-13-2009 @ 9:52AM
Donna said...I am sick to death of the sexualization of nursing. Breasts are for one purpose; to feed your baby. Grow up people. Stop the childish reaction to the female breast, as long as a woman is nursing discretely. I respect all women who nurse in public and celebrate their decision to do so.
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8-13-2009 @ 8:52AM
SKL said...Does anyone else find it odd that you have to categorize dolls as "breastfeeding" or not? I mean, don't all babies potentially breastfeed? Why not all dolls?
Little girls have breasts, they don't need fake ones to flaunt; and they can all pretend to breastfeed any doll. A mom who believes breastfeeding is positive doesn't need a "special breastfeeding doll" to pass that belief on to her children. And people who promote breastfeeding because it is natural and environmental and all that should balk more than anyone over this doll. Hence, I can't imagine who the target audience might be. Probably wacko "rebels for a cause" that they don't fully understand.
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8-14-2009 @ 5:27PM
Sifrina said...Agreed 100% (esp on the toys not letting children fully use their wonderful imaginations)! And Dr. Alvarez's ridiculously speculative statement: "Or, it could inadvertently lead little girls to become traumatized. You never know the effects this could have until she's older." Huh?! This joke of a doctor is grasping at straws without even pretending to have any basis in medical science for his statement.
But then, this is Fox News, also known as the Comedy Network!
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8-16-2009 @ 1:23PM
Beth SG said...Re "6 year olds don't breastfeed...."
When 6 year olds play with dolls, they're not pretending to be big sisters, they are pretending to be mommies. Who might nurse their babies.
6 year olds don't cook dinner or drive cars or wear makeup (I hope!) or become veterinarians or soldiers or any of the other zillion things kids PRETEND to do in their every day play.
A kid playing with a doll is pretending to parent it. If parenting in your family includes breastfeeding, why on earth wouldn't you expect your child to include that in her (or his) play?
And Re the mom who worried about handing her daughter a doll with bottles: Why not just get rid of the bottle before giving her the doll? That's what I plan to do.
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8-21-2009 @ 8:33AM
Sarah said...Rachel - Here is the book review I promised! I LOVED your book Stay Home, Stay Happy! Great insights and fun life examples. I'll post it to Amazon.
http://www.genesismoments.com/awritersjourney/2009/08/book-review-stay-home-stay-happy-by-rachel-camposduffy.html
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8-26-2009 @ 4:13AM
bleebug90 said...omg! shirts with nipple tassels, breast feeding babies, theyre just kids!!! can they just be kids? you know if a little girl plays with something like that she will ask questions that shouldnt have to be answerd so soon. Ofcourse say it all you want breast feeding is natural, its beautiful, its apart of life, well can we just wait till they get older to really explain such a part? why dont we just get dora the exploe to start making sex education videos? Gah just let the kids be kids quit trying to get so as close to the line as you can get without barely crossing it! what father finds assurance in knowing his 5 yr old daughter has experience in Breast feeding???? lets stick to the bottle shall we???
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10-11-2009 @ 7:23PM
vickyll said...It's seems a bit weird at this age but i like that kids are learning about this(too ealry tho). It shoudl be at about 4th or 5th grade in my opinion.
I was reading this story about an undergraduate student not knowing that the reason for breast is to breastfeed babies. it was funni though.
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10-25-2010 @ 3:11PM
Shannon said...If a young child likes to play with a baby doll, they are not playing with it as a friend or a sibling. They are playing mom. If they know what breastfeeding is they obviously understand that the breast is for FEEDING. I do not think it will bring unecessary questions. I think it is perfectly fine. Although, the little vest with flowered nipples is a little much. They already have breasts, even if they are not developed. There is no need to give them a vest to flaunt thier breasts. The vest would be the only thing to cause issues, in my opinion.
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