credit: berjuan.com
There’s a new breastfeeding doll on the European market that is creating quite the stir on the internet. It bears the unfortunate name, Bebé Glotón, which is actually a term of endearment in Spain, literally translated as “the gluttonous baby, “but if the doll ever makes it way to North America I’m sure that someone is going to have to change it. This doll has all the bells and whistles; it burps, coughs, cries and make sucking sounds; it comes with a soother, and its owner gets a little halter top with daisy-shaped plastic nipples that she wears in order to latch the baby to “breastfeed.” When I first heard about this doll I thought it sounded pretty creepy. After watching the demonstration on YouTube, I was no longer freaked out, but I still wouldn’t buy the doll for my girls.
Why? Because it is a battery-operated plastic toy, and neither I nor (thankfully!) my daughters like toys that make noises. If I wanted to buy my daughters a breastfeeding doll I would much prefer one of these, these, or these. (Please do check out these links for some truly beautiful dolls. Two of the ten or so in the links are pictured below). Okay, it’s true. I prefer homemade. Perhaps that is a bias of mine, but toys made out of natural materials like wood and cloth are just so much nicer to hold and leave more room for the imagination. That’s not to say we don’t have any toys made out of plastic. We do. But that’s a post for another time.
Bebé Glotón is the first of its kind because it is the first breastfeeding doll to go to market, i.e., attempt to become mainstream by stocking the shelves of national toy outlets. I applaud that we are finally seeing a breastfeeding-friendly toy. Toy maker Berjuan, is close to getting it right – I think the world is ready for a breastfeeding doll, but I don’t think that this is the one. C’mon! Could they not have anticipated the negative reviews?
Barely on the shelves, Bebé Glotón has already been accused of the early sexualization of girls (because as we all know breastfeeding is all about sex!). The fake plastic nipples are the culprit. Once a six year girl old puts on some pretend lactating breasts, grown up imaginations run wild. Won’t breastfeeding a doll lead to lewd behaviour with friends, thus opening the door to sexual abuse, thus leading to early pregnancy and the dismissal of all things good and pure in this world? Many people think like this. It’s just a reality of our culture. Different, mind you, of European culture.
The North American general public needs to be eased into the idea of buying a breastfeeding doll. I would rather see one of the above dolls or dolls like them available in shops first. Even if they’re plastic, because let’s face it, Waldorf dolls are not going mainstream anytime soon! I think this would be a better idea because these dolls would include both a mom and a baby. The mom doll nurses the baby doll via velcro, magnet or snap attachments. It takes the interactive role of the doll’s owner right out of the picture. Parents can feel good that their child is exploring the idea of breastfeeding but not worry about her doning perky hard nipples to do it. Future body image issues anyone?
And if a little girl wants to pretend to nurse one of her dolls, she doesn’t need plastic nipples anyway. My two year old is quite content latching her baby doll onto her tummy. And both my girls interchange how they feed their dolls too. Sometimes they nurse them, sometimes they feed them a bottle (Thanks Great-Grandma!). I decided to keep the bottle after it came in a package with other doll items because some babies do drink from a bottle. I run an “all-inclusive” daycare so there’s no denying it. But I do cheat and emphasize that there’s only water in that bottle because their babies breastfeed!
Speaking of bottles, the best way to introduce breastfeeding dolls would be to stop including baby bottles with the sale of a doll. Sell them separately. Let the consumers decide if they want one. They’re an option in real life, why not make them an option in the world of make-believe too?
I hope that North American toy makers watch the revenues of this new breastfeeding doll. I actually hope it does well enough so that someone here develops something similar for our market. But I hope they don’t include a tank top with plastic nipples. While some parents might be able to see past the sexualization thing, many others won’t. And that’s not a good way to try to promote or normalize breastfeeding. We have enough controversy already. Let’s ease consumers into this, okay?
What do you think? Would you buy this doll for your child? What about one of the other types of breastfeeding dolls?
Related posts:
- Monday Musings: Were You Breastfed?
- Monday Musings: Are You Going?
- Monday Musings: Is It Okay To Advertise Baby Bottles To Pumping Moms?
- Monday Musings: A History of the Breast
- Monday Musings: Cloned Breastmilk?
Tags: Baby Glutton, bottle feeding, breastfeeding doll, controversy, homemade, sexualization, Waldorf dolls
I appreciate the intent, I guess, but I wouldn’t buy one of these. To me the whole purpose of a doll is imaginary play, so let the child imagine it all-the sounds, the “nipples”, the milk, all of it. The more they can make up the better. I nursed my two older dtrs (now 12 and 14) for 2 years each. They “nursed” and bottled fed their babies. Now that we have a 5 mos. old dtr, (also breastfed) we’ll have to wait and see how she plays Mommy.
Yeah, I don’t know. I thought the whole thing was odd. I mean, why the little “bra” thingy, with flowers as nipples? Odd. My SON (who will be three this week) has “nursed” his dolly b/c I also have a seven month old and breastfeed.
Frankly, I think it is the bra thing that weirds people out.
What if the baby just started that sucking sound when cradled. That is what they do in real life!
@Kimberly – I definitely think it’s the bra thing. Good point about having a baby that just makes sucking sounds. Maybe we should draft a list of things we do and don’t like about this doll and send it off to Mattel or something!
I wouldn’t buy the doll, for more or less the same reasons you list. It’s plastic and it makes noises, and I consider that unnecessary.
Plus, I’ll admit it, I find the halter and flowers weird. Why do you need artificial breasts for a breastfeeding doll?
I think its a lovely idea to have a doll that breastfeeds rather than just comes with a bottle. I do think its the little top that has upset people and a litte magnet badge would have been ok. But what amazes me is we think nothing of giving little boys guns, tanks, swords, bows and arrows, violent video games, doctors and nurses sets and yet there is major negative press for a little doll.
Maybe it shows how society really does view breastfeeding and that the worlds view of breasts really are so sexually linked that it offends people to see little girls even acknowledging this area of their body.
How sad that we have made someting so natural seem so seedy and almost dirty.
I don’t like the idea of my kids “putting on” a breast accessory for the toy to work. It seems to set up the belief a baby and a breast are not enough for success…when, most of the time, that’s all a woman needs to breastfeed!
Hmmmm … I don’t think I’d buy it – mostly because it seems a bit silly to have to put on the halter top. I think, like a previous commenter suggested, that it would be awesome to have a doll that begins sucking when placed in the proper breastfeeding position – that way you could use it to teach positioning! LOL But, like you said, it’s plastic and makes noise (and loud ones at that), so I wouldn’t buy it based solely on those criteria. The halter thing does seem weird – but I don’t think it’s going to hyper-sexualize little girls. It kills me that that’s the first thing to get brought up … how about using women and sex to sell cars? Think that’s maybe a problem too??
I’m with Heather Cushman-Dowdee on this – every doll is a breastfeeding doll … just throw away the bottle! http://www.mama-is.com/throw-the-bottle-away/
I have mixed feelings about this. Bravo for intorducing little girls to the concept of breastfeeding. Boo for telling them that they need buy something special to do it. They don’t need fake plastic breasts to feed their babies.
I love the photo of your little girl feeding her baby and I love that Mama and baby doll pair. That is a great breastfeeding doll.
i don’t like the idea of using flowers as “breasts”. creates weird association. i wouldn’t buy it as it is – but would probably buy if it was “simpler” – something like the magnet badge as emma suggested.
My issue with the doll is this: I think it causes us to miss out on a great opportunity to teach our girls about thier OWN nipples, and what they do. The fact is, milk comes out of nipples, NOT out of halter tops or bras. My son doesn’t need a special doll or halter top to mimic breastfeeding. He just picks up the nearest doll or stuffed animal, lifts his shirt, and plays “mommy.” Now, if I had a daughter, I would show her where the milk came out and teach her what it does for the baby. As I have a son doing this, it makes that just a little more complicated, but it’s still a lesson in what’s mammalian and natural.
I’m kind of a purist when it comes to breastfeeding, and I’m not big on the marketing of things related to breastfeeding. Breastfeeding doesn’t require a dollar, and neither does teaching girls about it. That’s my two cents.
This is a very good thought provoking post!. I have to say that my whole thought process on this, coming from many generations of baby dolls is most like @Emma’s above. I was very happy to see this doll come out… for the sheer positive thought process of making it obvious that breastfeeding was how the baby doll was fed, not by bottle. My perspective was different than that of “we don’t need a pretend bra and nipples”.. I mean …. of course we don’t!
I agree with Melodie that this type of thing needs to be eased into the market here. I viewed it also as an interactive type doll. And I looked at it as a positive step in the right direction. The public is NOT ready for a pretend anatomically correct breast complete with pretend letdowns for the little girl or boy to wear. Many people hated the anatomically correct little boy doll when he arrived. People were happy with a large round hole for Betsy wetsy types to pee.
The vast majority of breastfeeding mothers I have worked with have seen their toddlers and/or young boys and girls “nurse” their baby dolls at times all on their own accord. It is a norm for their children. It isn’t a norm for most of the western culture. I understand how the halter bra thing can be a viewed as weird. I do. But I for one thought the idea, the concept, although not perfect, was positive. I also wish no doll came with bottles. Most parents don’t throw them away like mentioned above. The doll that starts sucking when held properly to nurse is the best ever idea!
I also love the idea of a “mainstream” toy that promotes breastfeeding. So cool! I told my husband about all the fuss when I first heard and he just laughed.
My girls also nurse their babies all the time. My 4yo even argued with a friend about how to feed a baby! We do have a nursing mama doll (with baby and toddler nurslings) that I bought when I was introducing the idea of a baby sister to my oldest during my pregnancy and talking in advance about tandem nursing. She came with a sling too, which I love.
I’m generally more into non-plastic toys that don’t make noise too. I like pretend play to require more imagination and creativity. I don’t like plastic babies in general b/c I don’t like to hold them as much. And it’s those aspects of the doll I don’t care for. I LOVE the idea of bottles always being sold separately!
I don’t mind the idea of the bra/top, even with the flowers. My kids know I wear a special bra (nursing bra) when I’m nursing baby or toddler out and about, so I know that is what they would probably relate it to.