Controversial breast-feeding doll raises early pregnancy fears among parents

[cynatnite]

Washington, Aug 6 - ANI: A new doll that allows young girls to breastfeed has come under fire as parents fear that it could promote early pregnancy.

Called Bebe Gloton, which means gluttonous baby, the doll comes with a special halter-top for young girls to wear as they pretend to breast-feed.

Developed by a Spanish toymaker known as Berjuan, the breast-feeding doll can be breast-fed by the special halter top, which has daisies that cover the little girls nipples and come undone just as easily as the flaps of a nursing bra would.

The doll makes sucking noises as it "feeds and like many other dolls, Bebe Gloton can cry, signaling she wants more milk.

Although many health care providers promote the benefits of breast-feeding, parents around the world have criticized Berjuan.

Parents have said that the idea of breast-feeding is too grown-up for young children, and may even promote early pregnancy.

Dr. Manny Alvarez, managing health editor of FOXNews.com, said that despite supporting the idea of breast-feeding, he fears that Bebe Gloton might speed up maternal urges in the little girls who play it.

Pregnancy has to entail maturity and understanding. Its like introducing sex education in first grade instead of seventh or eighth grade. Or, it could inadvertently lead little girls to become traumatized. You never know the effects this could have until shes older, Fox News quoted Alvarez as saying.

Alvarez said breast-feeding reduces childhood infections, strengthens maternal bonding and increases the childs immune system.

But he said that introducing breast-feeding to girls young enough to play with dolls seems inappropriate. - ANI

http://www.littleabout.com/news/27406,controversial-breast-feeding-doll-raises-early-pregnancy-fears-parents.html

[carlyhippy]

1. another link to the story

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32314995/ns/today-parenting_and_family/?gt1=43001

sorry, but that is creepy IMHO

[qb]

2. Little girls (and boys, for that matter) have been mothering baby dolls for centuries.

How does simulating this healthy alternative promote teen pregnancy more than just giving the doll a bottle?
Fucking prudes.

[BlooInBloo]

3. I'm all for breast-feeding, but I think this is kind of creepy.

[cynatnite]

4. Creeped me out, too. n/t

[Writer]

7. It's not only creepy, but it's also a very subtle diminishment of women.

Women have choices when it comes to feeding their baby. Some choose to breastfeed, while others do not, and some do a mixture of both. The cruel shaming of mothers who either cannot or will not breastfeed is diminishing to all women.

And to create a doll that encourages prepubescent girls to simulate the activity is beyond disgusting.

[MineralMan]

5. What will they think of next? Dolls that have sex with each other?

Uff da!

[seabeyond]

6. just leave our girls alone. that age, and dolls is not about sticking a plastic mouth

on her non existent boob.

[Ian David]

8. Still better than the Harry Potter Toy Vibrating Broom Nimbus 2000

Harry Potter FAIL Toy Vibrating Broom Nimbus 2000 by Mike Mozart Product Guru of JeepersMedia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvK9Prd57Q0

[Ian David]

9. My guess is that someone at La Leche League (aka "The Nipple Nazis") pushed for this.

They're like PeTA-crazy breastfeeding fanatics.

[carlyhippy]

10. LOL! Never heard them called that before

That broom is hilarious!

[Ian David]

13. You can say THAT again. n/t

[carlyhippy]

11. LOL! Never heard them called that before

That broom is hilarious!

[Ian David]

14. You can say THAT again.. oh, wait. you did. n/t

[ejpoeta]

18. I was surprised when I went to peer counseling training for breasteeding mothers

about all the bs. They apparently got it so that the hospitals couldn't give out the diaper bags with the enfamil samples in them and such. Like someone who is going to breastfeed won't because now they have this neat formula!! I know that I got some of those samples and it didn't stop me from breastfeeding. One of the things about the peer counseling was that I was not going to push anyone into anything. Breastfeeding has to be a conscious decision that you make. It isn't easy, and it is painful!! I have scars from my daughter's teeth!!! You can feel isolated, and try finding a place in public to take your child to feed them. I sure was tempted to whip it out right there out in the open and feed my daughter because I was so mad at the idea of having to go in the bathroom stall to feed her. I wish there were more places for a mother to feed her baby. But I certainly wouldn't try to make anyone feel bad that they don't. I couldn't imagine breastfeeding AND working... Expressing milk just adds another thing on top of everything else you just don't have time for.... I know my sister had told me that the nurse was a real jerk to her because she couldn't breastfeed her son. she tried, but she just couldn't do it. Gee, another thing for women to feel guilty about!!

[woodsprite]

20. Ooooh you're so right, there like PETA.

Breastfeeding support is one thing, but they are worse than the 'closer' salespeople they sic on you at those stupid timeshare seminars. I had some questions after I had our daughter. Neither my Mom or MIL breastfed, so I felt I needed someone to ask. The hospital told me to call the LL and they'd probably be able to help me.

Yeah, they answered my question. Then they took to pestering me to death with calls and visits, pleas to do everything their way. I got rid of them by saying -- look, I weaned her at 10 months - GO AWAY!!!

[ejpoeta]

24. our hospital has a lactation specialist on staff. she was very helpful

when I wanted to breastfeed Ashley. I had a rough time and was about to give up. She was a great help. It's one thing to help when asked, but to be pushy.... that would have just ticked me off. I am glad the woman from the hospital wasn't like that.

[pipi_k]

12. Well those fearful parents can relax if the doll also

shits and cries every two hours.

Personally, I'm in favor of those teaching dolls they sometimes give to middle school students to teach them the responsibilities of parenthood. The dolls have internal monitors in them to record when and for how long they cried without being cared for. The kids can't leave them home without finding a "babysitter" for them, they have to get woken up in the middle of the night by crying, etc.

Every kid needs to experience what it's like to be a parent, even if it's only through a doll.

but anyway, breastfeeding dolls...I dunno...like other people said, sort of creepy, but if the rest of the doll is as realistic as a real baby, then maybe it's not such a bad thing?

mixed thoughts on this...

:shrug:

[carlyhippy]

25. my daughter had to take one of those dolls home.......

She had skating synchro team practice after school, the health teacher said NO babysitters, so my daughter and 2 other kids who had those babies for the night, who were also at practice, had to stop in the middle of their practice to take care of the screaming dolls, didn't seem to thrill the coach. That doll woke my kid up a couple of times during the night.

[Poll_Blind]

15. Thou shalt not make a toy which mimics an adult body function which stimulates a child's body.

Took a few minutes to boil that one down to just one sentence but I think it holds up. Maybe someone else can better enunciate, in a single sentence, what unspoken rule this toy breaks? I only have boys in my household (and almost all of our friends have boys too- out of 20+ kids there's only 1 girl over 2 years old. So, I dunno, maybe that somehow biases me- I put that up front.

There's no reason why a little girl has to be that in touch with the action of breast feeding. Little girls hold dolls to the area where their breasts will someday be, and that's fine. But while I can't outright say the toy is tasteless, because I sort of see the idea behind it, I think it crosses a line.

I am far less-disturbed by the thought of a little girl who's watching their infant sibling mimicing what they see mother do by letting them suck on their breast (I'm sure this has probably happened in the history of the world) than a person buying a doll which might mimic that behavior. Again, there's no reason why a child has to be introduced to parental functions at that level of detail.

Children often mimic grown-up actions in one way or another, hopefully positive actions. But there's an element of play in it which keeps the behaviors general. They are "practice" for later situations and roles which they may or may not take later in life. And they are basic mimicry. Not specific.

And I can't shake the oogs from a little girl going through this behavior with a machine. I try to realize the world is far less puritanical than the United States and I am a big proponent of breastfeeding.

I guess if 16 year old girls played with dolls I could almost see something like this making sense. As some sort of play-training, I dunno. But not for a little girl.

PB

[ejpoeta]

16. so what do I do then when I am breastfeeding my child?? I had a kid already

when I had my 2nd, and she saw me breastfeeding Ashley. I am trying to remember how she reacted to it... if she tried to imitate it at all. I know that I did go out of my way to not do it in front of other people's children... even if I were in my home I would go in my room. But my daughter saw me breastfeed. As to a doll, I don't know. Is that like the pregnant woman doll that was out a few years ago that got people all mad. If anything, wouldn't it give a person the opportunity to talk to their kids?? I personally don't think I would buy a doll like that for my kids, but instead of thinking it is some obscene thing, couldn't we see it as an opportunity??

[seabeyond]

21. in my days, decades ago, breatfeeding was a norm and women didnt hide.

it was natural. i dont know how many times i ran up on a woman breastfeeding and we would just say what we had to say, or even watch, cause wasnt an issue

today the breast only function seems to be entertaining men. now breatfeeding must be hid. it has all become messed up

[JitterbugPerfume]

22. It is normal for your child

to see you breast feeding your baby. It she mimics you, that is also normal .

What is not normal is the subliminal message of this doll that little girls are breeders

FYI I have five children , all grown up with babies of their own.

[ejpoeta]

23. i wouldn't buy a doll like this... my daughter loves her baby dolls and

plays with them. SHe is almost 4. I tend to be of the belief that if my kids ask me a question i will answer it... and Emily (10) LOVES to ask questions. She has a thirst for knowledge. I never told her babies come from storks... When she asked how the baby would get out I told her... didn't elaborate, but I told her.

I don't particularly agree with a doll that breastfeeds or whatever... I just think that some of the issues people (not you, but some) is having to explain things. Though I do agree that I wouldn't really want my kid to have a doll like this.

I think from the time I was quite young I never really liked barbie dolls or tea sets or things... I feel the social engineering involved when I get dolls and my brother gets video games... I liked cars and stuff boys liked, i guess... but i always got dolls... know your place, i guess. I make sure my girls know that they can be anything they want to be!! Not that anyone told me I couldn't do things... but I understand the powerful message that is sent. I don't appreciate it, either. When emily tells me she wants to be a vulcanologist... I tell her she sure can. If she works real hard, she sure can be a vulcanologist... or anything else she wants to be. And I tell her don't let anyone tell you any different!!!

[JitterbugPerfume]

17. I think it is a subliminal message

that little girls are created to breed . I played with dolls as a child , just like little girls always have, but I find this offensive at a time when multiple births are glorified on TV
and Right Wing religion is on the rise.

[KamaAina]

19. Can I have mine with furikake, island-style?

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[JerseygirlCT]

26. I don't understand why they fear this will bring on early

pregnancies. It's not as if many little girls don't already have maternal urges at an early age. I know I certainly did.

In fact, it's a little creepy to me that a little girl's maternal urges are automatically connected to that same little girl becoming sexually active at a young age. I guess we should discourage kids from playing house, too?