The second I got wind that the Breast Milk Baby Doll, already popular in Europe, was launching in the US, my first thought was…hoo boy. Here come the crazies. And yep. I was right.
On Cool Mom Picks, the dissenters have, almost without exception, been sane. Because our readers are, almost without exception, awesome. Most of them like the message it sends, but if they don’t like the doll, it’s because they don’t feel that a parent needs to spend $89 for a battery operated Chinese-made doll for a kid to be able to “nurse” her (or his) dolls. I buy that 100%. We don’t have dolls that pee or poop or talk around our house either.
For a brief while, we did own the doll affectionately known as Lead-y Betty, who was rescued off the tough streets of Chinatown in 2007 by a well-meaning relative. She wore a sparkly pink Daisy Duke number dipped in six layers of premium grade lead paint, for extra sparkle. And she didn’t speak so much as she shrieked. In some crazy Chinese-English-Parrot hybrid language. At any given moment, with or without human intervention, she could be heard flailing her arms and legs and yelling WAH-OOH! WAH-OOH! WAH-OOH! before launching into a frenetic rendition of TINKLE TINKLE LITTAH STAH…WAH-OOH!
It was worse than even a Sing-a-ma-jig.
So I do get the point that we don’t need our dolls to actually do the things that our kids’ imaginations already make them do.
What I’m having trouble understanding are the people who say things like “this crosses a dangerous line” or “it sexualizes our little girls” or “Jesus is going to be SO MAD!”
(I did respond to one person who suggested that the doll is upsetting because little girls don’t actually have boobs. I reminded her that little girls don’t actually have babies, either. Still haven’t heard back.)
But really the toughest for me, was understanding my own initial discomfort when I first heard about the doll. I wholly admit: my first reaction was “Hm. That’s a little weird.”
So I asked myself…would I okay with a baby doll that simulates drinking milk from a bottle? Of course.
Would I be okay with a baby pig doll that sucks milk from the mommy pig? Why not.
Would I be okay with my kids simulating breastfeeding under their shirts? They already do.
Hm.
That’s when I realized…it’s a gateway doll.
It’s a doll that leads to other things!
Let your kid have a Breast Milk Doll and the next thing you know, she’ll want a co-sleeping doll. Can you imagine? A doll that is made for you to sleep with it! The downfall of independence in our country! The end of democracy as we know it!
And then? I imagine your formerly sweet little girl will be wanting to carry it in a sling instead of pushing it in a stroller like God intended. Before you know it, she’s feeding that baby doll homemade organic baby food from some communist food CSA, pre-registering it for a Waldorf preschool, selling the family TV, and refusing to shave her armpit hair.
Stupid Breast Milk Baby Doll.
I’m just glad I figured it out.
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i almost just spit out my coffee.
i love gateway babies!
darah recently posted..never a dull moment
You have no idea. Next thing, there will be cloth diaper dolls. Do you have any idea what would happen to our society if Pampers wasn’t filling landfills every day? Anarchy, that’s what. You laugh, unbeliever. You just wait.
zchamu recently posted..Things I Wrote At Care2…
No! Not the cloth diaper dolls! How will the safety pins ever make it through the CPSIA testing?
Mom101 recently posted..Breastmilk Baby Doll launches – it eats, it drinks, it turns people into idiots
They have velcro now…
Leslie recently posted..Hello, Long Lost Sister!
See what I know? I was a Pampers user.
Mom101 recently posted..Breastmilk Baby Doll launches – it eats, it drinks, it turns people into idiots
Or snaps! Snaps are the best!
TheFeministBreeder recently posted..Parenting: UR Doin It Rong
Or a nappi nippa. We used nappi nippas to hold our beautifully folded terry squares together, before we moved onto velcro fastening stuffables.
And yes, my girls have a dolly sling and tiny cloth nappies for their babu dolls, which they nurse. Still can’t get them to stop spoon feeding them though, BLW has not survived the doll accessories brain washing…..
Jehefinner recently posted..Lactivist buy and sell group on Facebook
Just so long as they never get onto the Elimination Communication doll!
They have the EC pants doll already in China.
And the baby doll I got my daughter for Christmas that wets? He totally came with a cloth diaper.
And he has a penis. Of course, now she’s ONLY going to want sons. Daughters will never be enough, because her doll had a penis!
LOL, my grandmother made cloth diapers for my baby dolls. And look at what it did to me as an adult!!! I’m a cloth diapering hippie!!!
I’m a 36 year old preschool teacher, and I remember a baby doll when i was little that had a penis. It really didn’t phase me.
I’m not saying we need to promote breastfeeding at a young age, but it is a natural and beautiful part of being a female. I’d rather have my daughter aspire to be a breast feeding mom than an anorexic barbie doll!
Ben, you said, “I’d rather have my daughter aspire to be a breast feeding mom than an anorexic barbie doll.” THANK YOU!!
BWA HA HA! That was totally awesome.
Erin L. recently posted..Capturing the Everyday: where things pile up
Exactly. And if we let people marry who they want to marry regardless of gender, they will start marrying animals and inanimate objects.
That little girl will want to marry that doll for God’s sakes! AND IT’S A GIRL DOLL.
Ann recently posted..I need help with some questions I have. Here they are.
I WANT TO MARRY A CHAIR. YOU CAN’T STOP ME, RELIGIOUS RIGHT.
Mom101 recently posted..Breastmilk Baby Doll launches – it eats, it drinks, it turns people into idiots
Oh God Ann! And it’s family too!
I smell a TLC fetish show in production!
Ann, I adore you. <3
Rachel – A Southern Fairytale recently posted..It Only Takes ONE
I’ve decided to tell my MIL that my daughter really wants this for Christmas. My MIL who, when hearing that I was going to breastfeed said “Why? Who does that?”
I’d rather have her spend money on a plastic China-made doll that breastfeeds rather than one that poops or pees.
Oh wait, she already did that.
Oh you are genius! I am telling my MIL the same thing. LOL
Does it come with a pump…for when you are too busy coloring, watching Dora etc….
*DEAD*
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+1
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I heart you, Noelle.
Mom101 recently posted..Breastmilk Baby Doll launches – it eats, it drinks, it turns people into idiots
Noelle is the winner of everything.
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That’s. Awesome.
HA! Too funny! If I had girls instead of boys, I would get them one (the doll, not a pump)
Noelle, I just about peed myself!
I wouldn’t buy this doll for my kid ($89 in a depression, give me a break), but I do think it should be in every motherhood store for those first-time moms!
Noelle-
I figured that even commenting on this was astronomically stupid, but then I saw your comment and realized that a great sense of humor is the answer to everything! You made my evening!!
Clearly I was ahead of the trend. I made my daughter a baby carrier to carry her Cabbage Patch doll in nearly 20 years ago. And I don’t even particularly LIKE to sew. I’m not sure that the breastfeeding doll is necessary, though. Most little kids I’ve known with any particular experience with breastfeeding seem to nurse their stuffed animals, their dolls, etc. without any special equipment. Grosses out some non-breastfeeding grandmothers though.
It is particularly distressing when your little girl is wearing a dress and decides that her baby koala is hungry in the middle of Stuff Mart and then lifts her entire dress to get at her chest…. yes, can you imagine the looks?? Yes, it does gross people out who have no idea…
Well no wonder! Humans feeding marsupials? Horrifying.
See? You were right! Now they’ll start breastfeeding *anything*; puppies, a cup… even humans… O.0
HAHA!! I have a son with one on the way. I wish I had a babygirl to give this doll too. Its ROCKS!! If people cant see the REAL message behind it, then they are missing the whole point. I also like the cloth diaper baby as well that you guys was talking about! WE can start a movement!
My son always gave his babies to me to feed. <3
My son had two anne geddess dolls…he named them “hot dog” and “ikea”. Not the most stellar name choices, i’ll admit. But he did nurse them, often at the same time!
Many adults can’t pull off nursing twins…so i’ll give him credit for that.
My son nursed nursed his babies with his belly button because his boobies don’t make milk.
I just HAD to share this link. I love all the comments on here! Cracking up. Men breastfeed. Read the article. My hubs said he would NEVER do this for me, but since I read this article, I’ve been sharing it all over!
http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/miscarticles/milkmen.html
My son breast fed his dolly when I was feeding his brother. My hubby thought it was weird and would show him “how daddies feed their babies” but at home with me, I let him. I thought it was sweet. He is 12 now and hasn’t been permanently damaged nor is he gender confused. he was TWO!
All of you have me splitting at the seams! bahaha
great post 
Jesus is going to be so mad at you for this post… But it was worth it because it’s awesome.
Vickie @Demand Euphoria recently posted..How Your Child Is Like Your Bladder
wow, i had kind of the same reaction that you did to this doll. my first reaction was not to be angry or anything but to think that this is a little bit creepy (and also, who needs a $90 piece of crap toy). but ultimately you’re right – i don’t find the baby dolls who drink from a bottle creepy, and probably not the baby animals who feed off the mommy animals. so when i really think about it, this doll isn’t creepy, it’s just overpriced. luckily i’m certain my son would think this toy is “for girls” and would not want it.
when i was a kid, i actually had a stuffed sheep who gave birth to a baby stuffed sheep – there was a velcro pouch and the baby came out. the baby actually came out of the mommy sheep’s butt so not really anatomically correct. frankly my friends and i always thought that was pretty creepy and weird. haven’t thought about that in a long time so thanks for bringing back that memory!
haha! Never gave it that much thought. But, yeah…that pretty much sums it all up.
Kate @ Kate from Scratch recently posted..Dinner for Four: On the fly
I wasn’t okay with a doll that simulated drinking from a bottle, being pushed around in a pink stroller (yes, it MUST be pink), sleeping in a pink crib (MORE PINK!), and being carried in a pink car seat.
So we bought a doll. A simple doll that came with nothing but some clothes and a (SHOCK!) a cloth diaper. She nurses the doll. She sleeps with the doll. She wears the doll in a sling.
We’re doing our part to make mainstream society crumble apart without having to rush out to buy the breastfeeding doll.
Annie @ PhD in Parenting recently posted..Conferences, Conferences…
you go on with your bad society-crumbling self, Annie.
Hey my son has a pink stroller to push baby elmo in! He loves it!
It’s interesting really, I remember hearing from my lecturer in sociology that it wasn’t to long ago when the whole ‘pink for girls, blue for boys’ was actually the other way around; pink (and red) were considered far more masculine colours, being more intense, and light duck-egg blues feminine. It intrigues me the symbolism people place on colour. (Please don’t eat my prosthetic ‘u’, I’m from Australia lol)
omg, LOVE where you went with this! Still giggling over ‘gateway baby’! awesome stuff…
awesome! I would totally let my little girl (if I had one.. I only have boys) breastfeed her doll. my sons have either asked if they could breastfeed their baby brother or have pretended they were nursing my shoulder. ha! and I remember trying to nurse my doll when I was 2 as my mom breastfed my younger sister. might as well let them pretend. why not? I think it’s the fact that it’s a doll made specifically for breastfeeding (if I’m understanding correctly) that freaks everyone out. a little weird, but whateva..
My son used to bring his trucks (and plastic lizard) to bedtimes and they had to ‘have some minnou’ (his word for breastfeeding) before he could. I’m not really into the doll specifically for breastfeeding, but then neither am I for the peeing pooping doll.
But bet your sweet bippy I would’ve been at three or four!
Well we shouldnt leave the boys out ! Next we will have a Fertilization Doll, where your son can put decals on his privates and fertilize an egg. Why not, its natural. Sure he will figure it out eventually but why not give him a head start like everyone else does.
See also: Marrying chairs.
Brilliant!
These comments are almost as brilliant as the post. Thanks for the laugh!
red pen mama recently posted..The Difference Six Years Make
LOL! Love this!!!!!
Can you get a replacement if your doll has a bad latch?
Kim Z. recently posted..observacious: Feed on this! RT @TestKitchen: America’s Test Kitchen Feed, a new destination for free recipes and food stories: http://t.co/CohrhPy
Maybe there’s a hotline you can call for 24/7 assistance.
That would be a “warmline.”
That is fantastic! Bad latch lol!!
This doll is TERRIBLE and RIDICULOUS. If I EVER got this doll for my daughter, which I WOULDN’T, she would have to use it while locked in her bedroom because breastfeeding should be done in PRIVATE and little girls should know that from day 1! Anyone who gets this for their daughter should WATCH OUT because it sends the wrong signal that breastfeeding is OKAY, which is surely isn’t.
I would write more, but I’m tired of using ALL CAPS. Plus, I need to go drink some milk that came out of a cow’s boobs (that’s perfectly natural) and then go to the toy store to buy a barbie for my daughter, so she can learn what real women are like. And a toy rifle for my son so he can learn to be a Real Man.
Bill recently posted..Dad, Do You Remember This?
Don’t forget the fully hetero G.I. Joes
bwahahahaha love it!
Forget the barbie, bratz dolls are soooo much more realistic!
Aww, how nice you let her use her bedroom, not a bathroom.
I hope that’s RAW cow’s milk not that nasty pasteurized stuff…
You are obviously a turnip that fell WAY off the truck! Sir, I feel sorry for you because you are obviously also ignorant. I suggest you educate yourself on the benefits of a breastfed child, such things as less likely to be overweight as an adolescent or adult which a lot of adults could benefit from and for all I know you are probably one of them. At any rate, I am sickened by your post and that’s what I wanted to say. Oh, one more thing…..I proudly breastfeed my daughter, and I do use a cover but that’s out of respect for my husband for any lurking perverts, not because of anything else.
Proud,
I’m pretty sure he was joking, in much the same vein as the other comments on here.
I’m pretty sure he was being sarcastic.
Normally I wouldn’t reply, but sometimes I feel like I have to. As “A” and Dana said, I was joking.
Also, to Ruthiemari, ha ha, I should have said bathroom dang it! Next time…
Bill recently posted..Dad, Do You Remember This?
In the immortal words of my 7 year old, to the judgemental, silcone enhanced cougar at the school play: “They’re boobs lady! Get over it!”
Epic!
Daisy recently posted..Google Plus, the Dawning of a New Era…
My first reaction was a bit I’d discomfort-only because my kiddos are adopted and what the hell do I know about breast feeding? But I agree the message is a good one.
Next thing you know we’ll have vegetarian mixed race dolls too. I love to watch society fall apart at the uptight seams.
The Dalai Mama recently posted..One In 7 Billion: I’m Donating My Way to 40
I hope it comes with a nipple shield and some Lanisoh cream. Ooohh, product placement!
A nipple shield is a medical device that should really only be used under the supervision of a lactation consultant.
I want a lactation consultant doll!!
Wait… bring on the natural birth doll! Complete with birthing pool and midwife doll (doubles as a lactation consultant). Optional extras can include a picture book version of Ina May’s Guide, aromatherapy set (do not use without an adult’s supervision), and Placenta (TM) for those lotus birth mamas…
If there was a natural birthing doll, I’d probably play with it more than my daughter would!!
This doll gives birth (placent and cord included ), nurses AND baby wears! Craziness! I totally love it, if it weren’t so expensive lol!
http://mamamordolls.com/index2.php#/home/
This is the next best thing to the Hawaii Chair
Gateway Exercise Machine -
The real question is who’s going to start selling nursing bras first, Gymboree or Children’s Place?
Awesome post!
I never in a million years would have thought there would be a need for a breastfeeding baby doll. I am not sure why, but like you, I am initially a little creeped out. It seems odd that it would be necessary for young girls to want to simulate breastfeeding – but then again, there are people out there that want a doll that pees and poops. I personally find all these dolls with bodily functions ridiculous.
Rachael recently posted..My Baby Toe Is Asleep
Every doll is a breastfeeding doll – if you just throw away the bottle it comes with. My sons “nurse” their dolls and stuffed animals. OH NO!!! That means they’ve caught teh gayz! Now they’re making Baby Jesus cry for two reasons.
TheFeministBreeder recently posted..Parenting: UR Doin It Rong
caught the gayz…I spit tea all over my laptop! LOL
OMG caught the gayz! Crack me up
When KathyLee and Hoda showed the Bebe Gluton on the Today Show a few years ago there was an uproar and I thought, “cool!” but I wasn’t going to spend $100 on a doll when my children already nurse their other dolls and stuffed animals. If you want to buy a good nursing, birthing, sling wearing, mama holding doll, made of cloth, not pvc or other crap, get this doll.. http://www.facebook.com/StewMommy/posts/10150390772954129?ref=notif¬if_t=feed_comment_reply#!/pages/MamAmor-Dolls-Pregnant-Birthing-and-Breastfeeding-Dolls/51965979125
The dolls are gorgeous and they even do custom orders!
I was laughing and crying at the same time reading this!
Indeed…the gateway doll!
~a “friend’s” Facebook status:
the breast milk baby. the latest doll. seriously?
~a response from one of her friends:
sorry but i think thats disgusting! next thing you know they will have dolls with periods!
~my response:
I think they should make one that pees on stupid people.
+1
That one will come with overpriced pretend tampons that change colors when it’s time to change them out. And don’t forget the 5 page warning about Toxic Shock Syndrome. Because, all kids who can’t read and don’t know what a period is need to know it ALL.
+2!
All of you cracked me up
I just snorted VERY loudly at my table at Second Cup!! And I think I may actually LOVE you for writing this!
Off to share everywhere I can!
@Nicole-YES, the peeing on stupid people doll is a brilliant idea!
Genius. Am now a devout Mom-101 follower.
Thanks for the laugh. I needed it.
Cheers,
Kat
Kat recently posted..Sleep on it: Catching Guilt-free Z’s
If people think this doll sexualizes little girls, they’ve obviously never seen breastfeeding breasts. Nothing sexy about them, I assure you.
And for all the religious wackos, how do you think Mary fed sweet wittle baby Jesus? If my memory serves me, Similac didn’t hit shelves until 1000 AD. Idiots.
Btw, I WISH someone had taught me how to breastfeed. Would’ve saved me and my nipples A LOT of grief.
Depends on your idea of sexy I guess.
I think breast feeding breasts are awesome sexy, in the same way that pregnant bellies are sexy, and men cooing over a newborn is sexy.
There’s something wonderfully primal about watching someone nurture.
But that doesn’t have to be creepy…
You know?
*I* think we need to reclaim sexy from the creepers. It is totally possible to appreciate someone’s beauty without needing to make them feel violated! You hear that, society!
Bravo, JMH!! And bravo, Mom101!!
We have breastfed, EC, sling worn, co-sleeping, cloth diapered dolls around here, and they didn’t cost an arm and a leg, just took a pinch of child observation of adults looking after babies, mixed with a dash of child imagination, and a rubbish bin full of unnecessary toy catalogues!!
My eldest got a baby doll for Christmas when she was 2.75yo, and got so excited because it came with a tiny potty also. She decided it was *just* the right size for her 6mo ECed little sister. What more could a girl want for Christmas; a baby doll *and* a potty for her cherished sister!
That was great
Great post! My girls love their dolls, but we do not yet have one that breastfeeds, pees or poops (though my oldest has started asking for a Baby Alive, hopefully she’ll forget . . .). My oldest already breastfeeds her dolls on occasion, usually if she’s playing with one when I’m nursing my youngest. My husband thinks it’s kind of weird, but doesn’t discourage it. He really didn’t like it when she wanted to help me pump! Yet, he was the one who really talked me into breastfeeding in the first place
Wendy recently posted..My Babies
i feel like posting this link everywhere on the internets where people have gone completely off the deep end about a… doll. talk about first world problems.
anna ~ random handprints recently posted..What I’m Thinking About Sunday Night: Pirates, Boardwalks, and All Things New Jersey
Love this post. So smart, Liz.
I’m thinking of marketing a C-section scar bandaids that girls will be able to apply to their tummies.
Marinka recently posted..We Don’t Care About Casey Anthony
This xInfinity
Hey Jen recently posted..Wordless Wednesday-Pond Inhabitors
Beautifully said! I just wish I had said it first!
I am the gateway parent. I am giving myself a title. Great articles and point. You did make one mistake the doll would be unschooled or home schooled. Everyone is doing it
Okay you guys, stop! I keep startling my nursing baby, who needs to have a nap, with my laughing!
My initial reaction to this doll is exactly why it needs to exist. I reacted to the halter actually, that it was innapropriate…
My kids all breastfed their babies, my daughter would pull up her dress in the grocery store to nursey her bear.
I remember having a dolly that came with a soft carrier when I was young, and breastfeeding her. I was so mortified when my Mom came in and said, ‘What are you doing?!’ that I never did it again. My mom breastfed us, was nursing my baby sister at the time, (not the norm then) but was always so uncomfortable with anything that sexualized us or meant we were becoming women… (I didn’t have breasts yet, she was uncomfortable with me pretending to have them)
Sadly, after nursing 6 babies, I am still uncomfortable nursing in public, but we need to. We need to normalize it for our kids, for our daughters and their children. And if an over-priced breastfeeding doll helps to do that, then I am all for it.
Awesome, Kristen.
How much does the indignation and contempt from the bottle feeding 3 year olds cost? Or is that free with purchase?
A friend posted about this doll on FB this morning, saying she didn’t want to see her daughters breastfeeding their dolls, because she’s trying to teach them how incredibly difficult it is to raise a baby at a young age. O.o Not exactly sure how breastfeeding dolls gives the idea raising babies is easy, but bottles make it a real experience and show the difficulties. Hope she just doesn’t have dolls in her house at all.
Lovin this post!! I want a co-sleeping doll for my daughter!
We got the most awesome co-sleeping doll for our daughter – a little sister!! They love sharing the bed in their room, and the older often refers to the younger as her “special wheat bag” coz they can cuddle up and keep warm on cold nights! (They are currently 5.5yo and almost 3yo)
My only issue with it, is that it’s $89. I do believe that kids have enough of an imagination that they don’t need dolls that do things. Maybe that’s me being a brat though….I always wanted the peeing doll and my mother would never go for it.
There are people still arguing about it on Twitter. Whatever. It’s a doll.
My favorite argument is that it’s “not necessary.” Unlike those other, oxygen-dispensing dolls.
Marinka recently posted..We Don’t Care About Casey Anthony
Hilarious post! Yup, these kids might just spoil their dolls by holding them too much!
Gaby @ Tmuffin recently posted..INSPIRATION THURSDAY: QUESTIONS FOR THE VILLAGE
Amen! Kristen. I agree breastfeeding should not be seen as taboo! I covered my first 4 practically head to toe while nursing, lol! With the last 2 I ‘ve been a little more laid back. I do jokingly say “Don’t worry I’ve never had a wardrobe malfunction or a Janet Jackson moment”. Half of the time no one knows that I am even nursing. If I had daughters(God has blessed me with all boys) I would buy this doll.
The post… the comments… priceless. Liz, I hope it’s okay that I say that I love you and your readers. (trying not to get between you and your chair)
You do know the next logical step is a polygamous marriage to inanimate objects, right? So maybe me, you, the chair…
I want in on this. I have been having *feelings* for that scuff mark on the wall recently…
Hey Jen recently posted..Wordless Wednesday-Pond Inhabitors
I have a recent photo of my 4-year-old “nursing” her teddy bear. We were getting ready for bed (we co-sleep) and she had to nurse her teddy bear before bed. She pulled down her sleep-tank and nursed. It was precious…and natural.
I think the Breast Milk Baby is a good way to make breastfeeding more accepted (as we know, some people think breast feeding is anything but natural). However, my daughter certainly doesn’t need an $89-nursing-baby. She has good ol’ stuffed animals and dolly’s that have already taken to the breast
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