Some Parents Upset Over Breastfeeding Doll
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - There are already dolls that eat, sleep, and need their diapers changed. But now there's a doll, that some adults say, goes too far.
North Texas parents are speaking out about the doll some say puts too much in the hands of a child too soon.
Many baby dolls come with a bottle, but this one breastfeeds.
The idea for the first breastfeeding doll was birthed in Spain. Berjuan, the European company that makes the dolls, which are also available online in the United States, says a breastfeeding advocate asked them to make it.
The doll comes with a halter-top or bib for the child that has two plastic daises on it with motion sensors inside to activate the doll.
"I thought it was ridiculous," said North Texan Abbey Robinson.
Robinson is a breastfeeding advocate in North Richland Hills. "I don't think they need the bib, or the motion, or the sounds or, you know, all of that," she said. "I think it's bizarre."
Katy, Robinson's 5-year-old daughter, didn't like the daisy top. "No!" the little girl said, when her mom tried to put the halter top on her. "Okay. Okay," Robinson told her.
But Robinson tried again. "Not even on your tummy?" she asked her daughter. "No!" Kay said.
As far as the doll itself, Katy loved it. "Do you like the way the baby nurses?" her mother asked. Katy shook her head yes and smiled. "You do?" Robinson said surprised. "I want to keep baby!" Katy said.
Parents can expect to dig a little deeper in their wallet for the doll, as much as $110 on Amazon.com where reviews were mostly positive.
But the reviews weren't so glowing on Facebook page of MetroplexBaby, a webpage for North Texas parents.
In their defense Berjuan, the company that created the doll said, "We honestly believe that our beautiful dolls can help improve the acceptance of breastfeeding in a society which has somehow turned the healthiest way of feeding a baby into something shameful and taboo."
When the motion sensors in the doll are activated it makes a nursing sound. "I think that's loud, but it gets their attention," said Roanoke mother Christa Teller. "I'm very pro breastfeeding."
She's also pro breastfeeding doll. Teller has four and a half year old fraternal twins. She calls her daughter Alyvia Grace the nurturing one.
"I have to say, I'm not sure if I'm keen on the daisies. I can see where parents would be put off by that," Teller said.
Unlike Robinson, Teller didn't have a problem putting the halter-top on Alyvia. "You can put it right over the top of your shirt," she told her. Alyvia smiled as the baby begins to nurse.
The little girl's twin sister, Ashlyn, was another story. "I don't want that on!" she shouted.
The halter-top seemed to be the only point of contention. Both girls loved the doll and fought over it. "My turn!" Ashlyn said. "No! My turn!" Alyvia said.
Teller found the doll online for $89 but didn't like the thought of having to buy two of them.
Another feature making the doll seem more realistic is a loud burp that the sensors trigger. The children thought it was funny.
