I may be a little late on this issue but I found out about a doll last week and it really has been thinking.
When you think of a normal doll in the stores and what said doll should come with in the packaging I'm sure you think, 'bib, diaper, bottle', right?
In the box is a "nursing tank" for the little girl to wear, with flower petals over the nipple area. When the baby is placed hear the flowers a censor goes off to make the doll moves its mouth and makes suckling noises!!
I personally think yes, it's a little weird. Yes, breastfeeding is normal and I'm COMPLETELY for breastfeeding. M always saw me pumping so she knows that's how K got her milk. But I don't think at 5-8 years old girls/boys should be playing with this doll. Some think it will promote early sex and having babies early just so they can breastfeed, others just think it's plain inappropriate. <<---- I do not agree with either of these statements just to clarify. I read that from numerious websites.
I do know I would never let Makenna carry this doll around to her chest though. I think it takes away the innocense of a child and is almost making them grow up too soon. If your child sees you breastfeeding then fine and can be talked about it. They may even see another mommy feeding her baby in public or at a friend's house, fine, again talk about it. But to let them also do it? I don't think it should be done.
Dolls like this make me think, "What's next?" But, what I thought wasn't out is....Did you know there is an actual doll that is anatomically correct! The doll was sold in the United Kingdom for about £40 a few years ago, but appears to be purely an eBay item now.
Step 1. Feed the baby from his special bottle.
Step 3. Watch the doll wave its hand over its crotch as pressure mounts in its plastic bladder.
Step 4. Your daughter pulls down the doll’s pants and lets the doll pee into a toy potty, sitting down… or standing up.
YES, you are seeing that correctly. That is a flaccid plastic penis on a doll!
Check out the small youtube commercial for it!
This doll freaks me the hell out and there is no way in hell I'd ever let my kids play with him!
I just do not like that there are dolls out there like that. Call me neive, I don't care. I'm not sheltering my daughters in any way and when it comes to breastfeeding like I said, my daughter knows about it and how you can pump to get milk out as well. But I'm not going to promote it with a doll, I will talk to her about it and IF she wants to when she's older then she can. I'm also not sheltering her when it comes to education about sex and our body parts. I don't think that not letting her play with these dolls is going to harm her since she's getting the knowledge from me about the world.
All I'm trying to say is can we let kids be kids and stop introducing them to adult things so early.
I hate "about me" sections. Who can honestly break down who they really are in 1 or two sentences.
I'm a junk food lover who is trying to say "no", I love to sing and dance. I am pretty shy and not really the talker of the group. I have two amazing daughters who I cannot get enough of... but I love "mommy time" alone. I'm now a stay-at-home-mom trying my best not to go crazy.
19 commented:
I take absolute offense to this post. There is NOTHING wrong or perverted about either one of the dolls or what they promote!
I think it is absolutely WONDERFUL that there is a doll promoting breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the absolute BEST way for your child to get fed and provides perfect nutrition for them. Why should we be ashamed of our daughters wanting to imitate a natural thing? I don't think that it would promote early sexualization for girls, but rather help foster the motherly instinct in them. If anything, you not letting your daughter play with this doll the way it is intended is putting negative and shameful thoughts in her head about breastfeeding and could prevent her from doing so when she does have children. How sad :(
In terms of the boy doll with the correct anatomy, what a great idea! News flash...every boy has a penis...and news flash...every boy goes pee. what about those things is "introducing them to adult things so early?"
As a child development major we always promote honesty and proper terminology in terms of gender differences. We do not give penises or vaginas stupid nick names like va jay jay or wee wee. Girls have a vagina and labia and boys have a penis and scrotum. When I was a student teacher in a preschool last year we had plastic dolls of many different races/ethnicities as well as boy and girl dolls. And yes, the boy dolls had penises. Were any of the children scarred? Nope...they didn't even blink an eye. We also had puzzles of the body parts in both boy and girl varieties, including a drawn penis/scrotum on the boy one. The key is to be honest when children ask about differences between boys and girls and don't talk about things like genetalia as if they are forbidden and gross.
I would love if my daughter or son had these dolls. Yes... I would get either one of these dolls for my son if he wanted and they were available to me...do you have a problem with boys and dolls too because it's not the norm? We have go to be careful with how we are propetuating gender stereotypes and stigmas to the future generations. I think by acting weird about them and saying that you would never let your children play with dolls like these you are doing much more damage to your daughter's view on sex and a normal body image/functions.
Please, think about what you are saying and doing and what consequences they could have on your daughters. I'd be happy to discuss it in more detail if you want.
Sorry if this comes off as mean or harsh, but this topic really gets under my skin.
I agree with you, I don't like the idea of the breast feeding doll although I don't know exactly why. I wouldn't mind if my daughter would mimic breast feeding with a doll, but I just think that making a doll to do it is going too far. As for the peeing boy doll, having worked with preschool children for 16 years, I am horrified by that doll and just thinking what it would inevitably lead to.
If you see breastfeeding and/or a breastfeeding doll as sexual, YOU are the one with the problem. I grew up playing with an anatomically correct baby doll (yup, it had a penis) and am planning to dig it out of storage for my son when he is older. Why wouldn't a boy doll pee? There are girl dolls that "pee" after drinking.
Keeping your children ignorant does not keep them innocent. In fact, it makes them more likely to be molested or abused when you don't teach them about their bodies.
As a male and a father of a 6 month old I take this as an insult. I was raised with anatomically correct dolls and was taught about the human body at a very young age. People aren't Barbie and Ken dolls, we have vaginas and penises. To neglect your children the information about their bodies now can be more detrimental later in their development. Also these type of dolls have been around for a very long time and hopefully they we come back strong!
I have no issue with either doll. I am, however, confused about the comparison you made between a breastfeeding doll and a urinating boy doll? Are the 2 functions somehow related? Also, what's the issue with the baby body doll being uncircumcised?
We, as parents should be the ones who should be normalising the human body and the way it functions, not making it taboo and getting all precious about gender roles. There is nothing wrong with a girl playing with a doll with a penis or a boy playing with a baby girl doll.
Children are like sponges - they absorb whatever is around us including our prejudices. How the breastfeeding doll strips a child of it's innocence is beyond me -it's not a sexual thing so how can it harm a child's purity?
Sadly I think the world has gone mad - its ok for young girls to dress like strippers and boys to have toy guns but outrageous for them to play with something anatomically correct.
I see no problem with either doll. I think it's important for children to grow up knowing that breastfeeding is normal and natural, as well as what the human body actually looks like.
Thanks for the post though, I'm sure it will get people talking! :)
I love that this doll is coming out. Every doll I've seen has come with a plastic bottle and I think it's Great that there's finally a doll that shows the way babies are meant to be fed. I feel that dolls like Bratz dolls are way more 'sexualizing' than this doll. Every one of my children, both boys and girls, have brought baby dolls to their chest before to imitate me nursing. I think it's cute.
I have no problem with either doll. If someone doesn't want their children to have it then don't buy it. The market will decide whether it's continued to be produced or not.
I was really surprised so many parents got up in arms over a breast feeding baby doll. Really? My daughter emulated what she saw when I breast fed her sister. Soooo not a big deal! I don't think she's going to start having sex earlier because of it. Seriously people!
I personally have no problem with either doll {as well as female dolls that urinate}. I would not have a problem with my son playing with either any of these dolls. If I had a daughter, I would not mind her playing with them either.
I actually think that the male doll would be great for little boys who are of the age to learn how to go potty and are struggling with it {for whatever reason that may be}. They would be able to see the process: drink, wait a bit and then pee...and where it comes from and how easy it is to pee {I know some kids are afraid or think it will hurt to pee}.
With the breastfeeding doll, I think it comes down to whether or not you as a mom {not you Jen...I mean mom's in general} breastfed {or tried to} your baby. I have a 4 year old cousin who has a regular dolly and she pretends to breastfeed it as if it were her own baby. Her mom breastfed her and my cousin was seen doing this at about a year old...so she learned early that it's natural to breastfeed and was only emulating what her mom did. It's definitely a shocker sometimes to see a little boy emulate bread feeding. But, if he was breastfed or saw it on a daily basis, I could see where it would be a natural response.
I do agree with another person above who stated that Bratz dolls are way more sexualized then these dolls. I think that they are more seductively dressed and are meant to be "bratty" which is basically telling little girls that it okay to be bratty {in my eyes: cocky and rude}.
Anyway, you as a mom have the right to decide what is right or wrong for you and your girls. I commend you for speaking your peace {on YOUR blog} and I am not going to sit here and judge you on your decision. It's not my place. But, I will say, be prepared to defend yourself when others start giving a piece of their mind and possibly attacking you. While this is YOUR blog, it is public and you did post something that is controversial and I don't want to see you get upset or hurt when this happens {considering 7 of the 8 comments posted already where posted by people who think differently then you}.
1. Why is it completely normal for dolls to be sold with a bottle but when it's marketed towards breastfeeding, everyone is up in arms against it?
2. I've seen many kids "breastfeed" their dolls. I can't believe people actually think it takes away a child's innocence. Honestly, I think it's a load of crap. If an adult feels uncomfortable with breastfeeding, that's on them. But to stigmatize a child's understanding of breastfeeding towards "it's sexual" is ridiculous. Children learn and determine opinion based on exploration in play. Negative reaction to creative play may create a negative viewpoint of breastfeeding in general to the child.
Personally, I would not spend that much money on a doll, but I see nothing wrong with my kids fake breastfeeding their dolls. They see me feed their siblings, it's only natural they pretend to feed theirs.
I do commend you for posting your opinion publicly on such a controversial subject.
Both dolls blow my mind a bit. The end. :)
Oh, and you should probably check out the blog at www.JumpingJaxDesigns.com ;) There's a little something for ya!
I commend you for the courage to post your opinion on both dolls (it surely is generating a lot of comments!). I don't have a problem with the existence of a breastfeeding doll - I think it actually may help normalize breastfeeding in our society. What I do have a problem with is the fact that I heard this doll costs $89...Someone is smoking crack to think I'd pay $89 for a doll. I'd rather buy my daughter a $15 doll, throw the bottle away, and let her breastfeed it if she wants too!
I don't see why people are freaking out over the breastfeeding doll. All children do role play! This doesn't make them grow up faster, they just want to imitate what they see in the world. If you think the breastfeeding doll makes girls grow up to fast then don't give them any doll!! All dolls gives little girls the "role" of being a mom and having the child act out adult responsibities. how is pretending to bottle feed any different then pretending to breastfeed. Little girls also change diapers, isn't that an adult responsibility? This is why people in the US are over sexual, we can't just breastfeed or change a baby in public like most countries do.
I would be fine with either of these dolls. Personally, I think it's easier/simpler to just let your child imitate breastfeeding with a regular doll (they probably will, if they see you breastfeeding a real baby). I think male dolls with genitalia (a la Ken) are the weird dolls. But I can live without dolls that pee all together actually (how many times do you think I was called "Betsy Wetsy" as a child?).
I have a 6 month old boy who nurses exclusively. My daughters nearly 3 and 4 and a half both go around nursing their baby dolls without any prompting.
I actually agree with the blogger on this one. I don't/wouldn't mind if my child mimics breastfeeding. I do think the whole nipple part that comes with the doll is crossing the line.
The "wee wee" doll is just wrong.
I think if the child wants to copy there mother that is fine but why make a doll for it? LOL And the boy one lol what will they come up with next??
i liked the breastfeeding doll when i saw it online and i think its a cool idea but im not sure about the boob flowers lol besides that i dont think it would make them grow up too fast or make them want to be mommies any earlier then a regular bottle fed doll... an the boy doll i would not buy it for my daughter, if a little boy wanted a doll that would be the one to help him potty train but i would not let my daughters play with the penis doll
All I have to say is WOW. It's just not necessary.
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