Yes, that’s right, it’s a dolly that breastfeeds. Earlier this week, Berjuan Toys, a company located in Spain, introduced “The Breast Milk Baby” to the U.S. market. Along with this particular new product, comes much controversy. Parents are outraged! They can’t believe that some would even consider showing our young daughters (and don’t kid yourself, boys could ask for this toy too) how to breastfeed!!!??? Gasp!!! MyFoxBoston.com aired a feature story about The Breast Milk Baby, and their commentary was definitely not in favor of this new product.
According to their website, Dennis Lewis, U.S. spokesman for Berjuan Toys, says “the whole purpose of The Breast Milk Baby is to teach children the nurturing skills they’ll need to raise their own healthy babies in the future. Breastfeeding is good for babies, it’s good for mommies and it’s good for society. We really don’t understand why this has created such controversy.” The Breast Milk Baby is a serious product, created by a small family owned Christian toy manufacturer who strongly believes in the benefits of feeding babies the natural God given way.
You can find these babies on their website. There are six babies to choose from, marketed toward girls five years and older. You can purchase your baby from the website store, where they have cute descriptions like, “Savannahis very outgoing. She's a little fussy just before it's time to nurse, but then she's ready to cuddle!” These babies move, coo, and make sucking noises, and sell for $89.00 plus $15.00 shipping and handling.
They come with an apron-like halter top for the little mommy to wear, that has small flowers where mommy’s nipples would be, so the baby has something to ‘aim’ for. Some may find it refreshing to see a dolly specifically designed to promote and educate; after all, this is the most natural way to feed your baby, right? Some may find this rather disturbing. Some would contend that it’s the parents’ role to teach the little girls about breastfeeding, rather than a toy manufacturer. Many would agree that parents DO teach their children about breastfeeding, especially those who are already breastfeeding. Most dollies, up until now anyway, have come complete with a bottle, possibly promoting bottle feeding as a preferred method to breastfeeding. Maybe this sheds light on why the breastfeeding laws of Nebraska were faced with such controversy. Some would argue that there are many bodily functions that are perfectly natural, but are private and should be left for discussion when the children are much older, including breastfeeding.
What are your thoughts? Why do you think this product is so controversial? Do you support or oppose this type of product?
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