My daughters aren’t big on baby dolls. The 7-year-old cared more about Thomas the Tank Engine than “feeding a fake baby,” while my 3-year-old is too into her stuffed animals to take notice of the neglected Cabbage Patch Doll that Santa brought her last year. (The poor thing hasn’t had a meal in months!). While my girls’ play habits are much to my mother’s chagrin, she is still holding out that the right doll will come along and win one of them over. Could this latest doll that’s a hit in Europe do the trick? We’ve seen our fair share of dolls over the years, but nothing like The Breast Milk Baby. Who knew that a play doll could hit upon a sensitive area of parenting: being breastfed vs. bottle-fed? Before your mind starts whirling as to how little girls will play with this doll, consider its design. This baby comes with a halter-top vest to be worn by your child. When she brings the doll’s mouth up to a flower decoration on the vest, the doll will make a soft, suckling nurse to mimic nursing. Naturally, a doll like this raises questions about how moms feed their babies and the possible choices they make. Not a biggie if you live in a more relaxed European country, but for Americans, this doll could either be at the top of holiday gift lists, or something that moms and grandmothers don’t want to buy. Think what you like: There’s no denying that the Breast Milk Baby is a tremendous departure from the dolls some of us grew up with that could only drink from a bottle or wet their diaper. Now we’re on to bigger stuff…
In a Nutshell: Move over, Betsy Wetsy…there’s a new breastfeeding baby doll in the nursery.
