August 14, 2009
Do we really need breastfeeding dolls?
In the news:
Today’s dolls leave little to the imagination. They pee. They’re anatomically correct. And, to the astonishment of some parents, they can even breastfeed.
One such doll, called Bebe Gloton, was created by the Spanish toymaker, Berjun, to promote breastfeeding. To nurse Bebe Gloton, your child slips on a halter top that features sunflowers over the nipple area. When the doll is lifted toward the sunflowers, it makes a suckling motion and sound and must be burped before it can fall back to sleep.
Many breastfeeding advocates are thrilled by the product. After all, if it’s OK for children to mimic bottle feeding a baby, why shouldn’t they be encouraged to breastfeed a baby?
Filed under Breastfeeding News by Jessica
Comments on Do we really need breastfeeding dolls? »
Very interesting! When my oldest girls were much younger… they would pretend like their babies were nursing because they saw me nursing their younger siblings. I think it should be left at just that.. pretending. I do not think I would ever invest in a doll that actually made suckling motions. Just my opinion
I agree! Hannah nurses her doll, Sam’s bear, everything! I prefer to encourage imagination. She ‘knits’ too and does all sorts of pretend things without help. Yay for imagination!
i think the toy is a great idea!
I like the idea of the doll. I do agree that it’s preferable for little girls to play “nursing” by watching their mothers, but that’s not always possible. such as in my case, I am the youngest in my family so there were no more children after me that I could watch my mother nurse. And then there are many families where there is only one child.
Breastfeeding isn’t easy in the beginning, and I think that something that would help to encourage girls to choose breast over bottle is a good thing.