Posted on 03/31/2011 7:51:22 AM PDT by MissTed
American girls own dolls that pee, dolls that suck on a bottle, dolls that burp or sit on a potty -- and all are accepted as appropriate by most adults.
But a new doll that breastfeeds has pitted expert against expert and mom against mom over whether this toy has gone too far.
The Bebe Gloton doll is currently sold only in Spain, though Berjuan, the company that makes the toy, said that it will be marketed in the United States next year. The doll allows children to imitate the act of breastfeeding by using a special halter top that comes with the toy. The halter top is made from a colorful material with two flowers positioned where nipples would be.
When the mouth of the doll is brought close to a sensor embedded in the flower, the baby makes motions and sounds consistent with suckling.
Cesar Bernabeu, director of sales and marketing for Berjuan, wrote in an e-mail to ABCNews.com that psychologists and teachers were consulted in the development of the toy, and that it has garnered the approval of the Asociacion Pro-Lacttancia Meterna de Espana, a pro-breastfeeding organization in Spain.
"We realized that the reaction was so positive with the girls when they were imitating their moms and saw that they react to the doll like it was a little sister," read Bernabeu's remarks, translated from Spanish. "Their faces of happiness said it all."
However, a viral video demonstration on YouTube has been met with remarks that the doll is over-sexualizing young girls, or forcing girls to grow up too quickly, or teaching young girls too soon about a natural part of motherhood.
I’m confused... they react to the doll like it is their sister? They are teaching little girls to breastfeed their sisters?
If it looks like the Durka Durka puppets I’m sure the EU would be fine with this.
Absolutely. But why stop with the simulation? Chap up their skin and give that doll a couple teeth. Show 'em what it's really like.
/s
This is stupid. Any girl that has younger siblings that were breast feed will already hold their dolls to their chest and pretend they are breast feeding.
Having and caring for a baby indicates sexual maturity, too.
So are you proposing dolls for little girls are a bad thing?
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.
I have observed the child of a friend imitate her mother breastfeeding a newborn sibling with her baby doll.
She threw a blanket over her shoulder and held the baby doll close to her underneath it. Due to her mothers discretion, she had no idea what she was imitating - she was just “playing mommy”. It was sweet and innocent.
This “imitation” goes too far - it removes innocence. It is not necessary. I am appalled.
Oversexualizing young girls? Ever taken a look at those Brat dolls?
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I want one of these dolls. I do. I want to take it into a restaurant and watch the anti-lactates heads explode!
Only problem is... my daughter is 18. Maybe I can find a friend with a young daughter.
Exactly.
Chap up their skin...
Use Bag Balm!
This doll will go great with their Abercrombie & Fitch tween push up bra.
Bottom line here in this case is $$$$$$$$$.
My little girl already pretends to nurse her baby dolls. I’m not going to buy a special doll that imitates what her imagination is already doing. We also don’t make a big deal out of it. She’ll stop when she gets older.
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