Baby Doll's Bottles

As a young girl with many younger siblings, my mom nursing a baby meant nothing to me.  I knew that is how babies ate, and left it at that. When my mom diapered a baby, I diapered my doll. When she breast fed, I lifted my shirt and pretended to do the same. I never had a bottle for my baby dolls, which I later learned my mom tossed - and rightfully so. I will do the same with my daughter, as I want to set an example for her.

The media primarily portrays babies eating from a bottle. This is not natural, and the media is doing a diservice in teaching our children that that is the normal way to feed infants. Unfortunately, it is partly my job as a parent to teach my children about deceptive practices of formula companies. 

Today I saw this article about a baby doll that nurses. The little girl wears a bib type thing and the baby nurses from a flower. The flower was probably the best substitute found for a nipple. Odd, but little girls probably don't want to think about a dark and large areola caused by pregnancy hormones. 

It is misleading that the flower changes when a "nipple becomes cracked." Nipples rarely become cracked if feeding is done correctly. This perpetuates the false notion that breast feeding hurts. 

The manufacturers of this doll had good intentions. It is sold in Spain, so a cultural difference probably exists. Promoting breast feeding to little girls is healthy for their futures and smart for society. The doll maybe needs a modification or two, but it is a welcome change from dolls with bottles.