|
 When my son was a newborn baby, he used to breastfeed so much that I could have done with an extra set of boobs to fill him up. Consequently, this meant that much of our first few weeks together were spent pinned to the sofa, feeding 24/7.
This wasn't much fun for my oldest child, who was three at the time. But then she started to join in: playing a game with one of her own baby dolls, lifting it to her chest and pretending to feed it "mummy milk".
Now a Spanish toy manufacturer, Berjuan, has taken this sort of game a step further, with the launch of Bebé Glotón, the breast-feeding doll. The name translates to mean Glutton Baby (charming!), and the doll comes with a special halter top - adorned with daisies for nipples - that little girls wear while they pretend to breastfeed. According to thingamababy.com, the doll makes sucking noises when lifted to the daisies.
The doll, which comes in boy or girl versions, is designed to be around the same size as a real newborn baby. It burps and cries for more if mummy's feeding technique isn't up to scratch. I take it that the flowers don't get the battering that breastfeeding nipples do - maybe they should include a cabbage leaf and a tube of Lanolin in the set to make it really lifelike.
Toy baby bottles have been around for decades, so is this just a natural next step? Or another example of toys becoming overly complicated and getting in the way of a child's natural imaginative play? I am all in favour of anything that encourages and normalises breastfeeding but I do find that there's something slightly odd about this one.
KXAN News; Austin, Texas
What do you think of this? Would you buy a Baby Glutton for your child? It would be great to hear your thoughts.
|
