Breastfeeding Doll Introduces Adult Concepts to Small Children

I recently heard about a doll that is unusual even by modern standards – it can be breastfed. Back when I was a kid, toys were a whole lot simpler.  I couldn’t have even imagined owning a toy with the capabilities some of them have today.

The doll is called Breast Milk Baby and manufactured by Berjuan Toys, a Spanish company that is planning to bring the toy stateside. The doll works by making motions and sucking noises when a sensor in its mouth gets close to a child’s shirt, as seen in an advertisement.

Breast Milk Baby has made over $2 million so far in Europe.  Parents in the United States, on the other hand, seem to be a bit more wary.

While there are some breastfeeding advocates who support the doll, saying it helps teach children how to feed a baby in a natural way, other parents are more disturbed by the toy’s implications.

Personally, as a father who watched his own daughter play with dolls growing up, I’m glad this kind of toy wasn’t around back then.

Don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly recommend the idea of breastfeeding. I just worry that a toy like this may speed up maternal urges in little girls who are exposed to it.

The thing is, pregnancy and child rearing, which includes breastfeeding, both require maturity and understanding. You wouldn’t teach sex education to a first grade after all; you wait until the child is old enough to properly grasp the concepts.

Meanwhile, I’m afraid dolls like this could confuse young girls. They may even inadvertently traumatize them, and there would really be no way of knowing until the girls grow older.

Again, I want to reiterate that I am not anti-breastfeeding. In fact, I encourage mothers to do so. Breastfeeding can reduce childhood infections, strengthen maternal bonding and increase the child’s immune system, among other benefits.

However, I believe that introducing breastfeeding to girls young enough to play with dolls is inappropriate, and it may even be harmful to them in the long run.