A doll that mimics breastfeeding

So what? A company in Spain went out and manufactured a doll that when held up to a special top worn by the child it will mimic a baby sucking. Why is this a problem?

Women have breasts to breastfeed babies. Luckily we live in a society that supposedly allows you to choose whether or not you use your breasts to feed your baby. And you shouldn’t be chastised for whatever decision you make. Sadly we still need to work on this – for both breast and bottle feeding.

In my house right now, I have many baby dolls. My daughter loves them. We have bottles for these dolls. We have a sling for my daughter to carry them around in. We have a stroller – or two – for their ‘walks’.  We have a miniature bassinet for a dolly to nap in. We have a baby who pees AND if you leave the diaper off of this baby who pees – when she’s ready – it shoots across the room. My son thinks this is hilarious. Me? Not so much.

We also have a baby who crawls, a baby who coos, and a baby who cries. All normal behaviour for a baby right? In my world, breastfeeding is normal behaviour for a baby. So why should a doll who mimics this behaviour be a problem?

Some people are arguing that this doll sexualizes our little girls by giving them a chance to pretend that they have breasts. Who has sexualized breasts? We have them for feeding. There are some perks – ha! Pun intended – but really, they are designed to feed a baby.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but in mine, if my daughter can have a doll that pees than she sure as hell can have a doll that mimics breastfeeding. My daughter doesn’t have an issue with breastfeeding. It’s a natural thing. Unfortunately, it’s certain adults that have a problem with it.

We have a lot of work to do on a society that is ok with padded bras for little girls, string bikinis for toddlers, makeup for preschoolers, dolls that are dressed like street walkers but that is NOT ok with a doll that mimics breastfeeding.

Newsflash: Little girls will mimic what their mothers do. Whether or not they have a “breastfeeding” doll – guaranteed that a little girl will pick up the doll that pees and hold it up to her breast.