Friday, November 09, 2012

Your Turn


There is a new doll which makes suckling noises to simulate breast feeding. Good idea or not? Would you buy one for your child?


112 comments:

  1. I wouldn't buy one, but I can see where this would be popular with La Leche League advocates.

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  2. Look, the little girl has a mini-Boppy pillow!

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  3. I wouldn't buy one for my kids.

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  4. I would, but every kid I know that's been bf has simulated breastfeeding with a regular doll.

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  5. That's seriously disgusting and makes me vomit in my mouth a little.

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  6. That's seriously disgusting and makes me vomit in my mouth a little.

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  7. Ok what is that little girl wearing!? Is this an ad from the 80's?

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  8. Would not phase me, any child that has seen a sibling or baby being breastfeed will do it with their doll.

    If anything maybe it will help de-sexualize breasts in this country. The purpose of breasts is to nourish a baby.

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    1. I couldn't say it better!!!! I totally agree.

      And yes- I'd buy one for my daughter- but all I have are boys. :(

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    2. I would agree that seeing breast feeding desexuslizes breasts, however that function is age inappropriate. Wait till these kids let these dolls suckle at school? Hypersexualization does not need to be exploitative to be inappropriate. Why would we want little kids pretending to do adult things beyond holding a doll and changing its diaper--things separate from using their own organs. Someone down the line is going to have a kid put that doll to her bare nipple. Watch the unanticipated results of this doll ensue.

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  9. I thought dolls that pee were nasty. This is ridiculous.

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  10. I remember when I was a kid I pretended I was breast feeding my baby dolls; copying my cousin feeding her baby...

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  11. Absolutely. I pretended with my dolls when I was little. I bought my daughter that prego Barbie she begged for back when everyone had a cow about it. It's life. What's the deal?

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  12. No, hell, no. There should at least be some modesty for children. Like another poster said, kids will do it, so if they want to mimic b/f, let them. No need to buy a special doll!

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  13. The big deal is that they are "titties" ...no one sees this as an innocent child playing mommy. They see an innocent little girl pretending to have a baby suck her tit. THAT is what I find disgusting.

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    1. (I don't think it is a big deal.)

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  14. I agree with @nolachickee, I don't like bodily function type toys (including the game that's out now with dog poo).

    Do I think it is gross? No, just not for me.

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  15. Ok...to address goes in circles above, I don't in any way think this stimulates tit sucking...yes, that is technically it but the girls (or boys) using it are simulating FEEDING. Your comment implies that breast feeding is sexual and it totally is not.

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  16. Anonymous10:23 AM

    Meh .. I wouldn't necessarily buy one.. But I also don't see the big deal. It's funny in 2012 how people are still so freaked out by .. Wait for it... Boooooobs!

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  17. Not a big deal, but I can understand why others might be uncomfortable with it.

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  18. Jules
    I don't think it is sexual, I was being facetious. Other people think it is sexual and see it as unnatural.

    If modesty is the issue then at what age do you insist little girls wear a shirt at all times?

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  19. Ugh, no.

    Jules, I'm sure no one thinks breastfeeding is sexual, just that a tit is out, regardless of the reason.

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  20. I probably wouldn't buy one for my kid, but I don't find it particularly gross or weird. There are other dolls that do the same thing when you put a little toy bottle to their mouth. People are only upset about this because it makes them think of dirty, sinful nipples.

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  21. Ah, then I must have misread, sorry I am trying to read and work at the same time (pesky job)

    And I would never buy one because I have boys and don't buy them diolls (which is a whole 'nother fight, haha)

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  22. I have to think this is a European toy, Americans would not go for this. Breast feeding is great & if your little girl wants to simulate everything mama does, great. I wouldnt take this toy out of the house. I can't imagine this would go over well at a restaurant where other people can put their two cents in. Major controversy attractor, in toy form.

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  23. Jules
    I have a boy, he is 2. He has a doll and a few Barbies. He plays with his "boy toys" a majority of the time. But he puts his baby to bed and feeds her with a spoon. Nothing wrong with sending a message that boys can take care of babies and be good daddies. :)

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    1. @goes in circles- omg too stinking cute!

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    2. Very cute, and I was really joking, we would buy our boys almost anything if they asked for it. They have stuffed animals that they care for like this :)

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  24. This is old news, they made fun of this on one of those World's Dumbest shows a year or two ago, still horrifying either way.

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  25. The only thing I find particularly creepy is that it produces a sounds which are unnatural. I don't recall ever hearing suckling noises while nursing my child. Is it just me?

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  26. *sounds
    The inclusion of a nursing pillow and perhaps a blanket would be enough for one to market the doll for pretend play in my opinion.

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    1. Nope. I have a perfectly healthy kid and had ZERO desire for breast feeding. I'm not wrong, a bad mother, gross or any other kind of delinquent, I'm just a woman with a choice. I hope you're not that zealous and judgmental with other parents your kids may come into contact with. Do you tell them they shouldn't have kids because they disagree with your principals? Do you survey other kids to see if they've been reared in your standards before they enter your kids' life? Holy Shit that's some small minded thinking.

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    2. Bravo @napassasin, another non breast feeder and my kids have turned out just fine.

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  28. Right on Crazy, but ita with the suckling noise. Lol

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  29. Breastfeeding is natural, and I'm not offended by this. Why shouldn't little girls learn about it? However, it strikes me as an idea concocted by the radical anti-formula lobby. those people are bonkers.

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    1. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!

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    2. And I'm not breast feeding my second one either! Or maybe my third! I can have kids and CHOOSE? Stop it! Modern medicine, free will and the sense that evolution gave us are just to much! Whew! What a world we live in!

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    3. My daughter refused breast milk and I couldn't keep up with my always hungry son but I still tried regardless and I don't think that makes me or anyone else less of a mother or a person. I spent hours and hours crying because I couldn't make enough milk, to read your comments make my heart ache all over again. My children are bright, loving, charismatic and quick thinkers. If us non breast feeders shouldn't be allowed kids then I feel your vagina should be sewn shut.

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    4. @kewi- girl, I know that must have felt horrible.
      @napassain- good for you!

      To bf or not to bf that is the question- and a personal choice that each mom must make for themselves. They should not be ridiculed or defeated because they can't or won't. Some women simply are not comfortable with it. As long as the baby is taken care of and loved does it really matter in the long run?

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    5. Thanks for the support ladies, I see someone decided to get out of the cdan kitchen, good for her :)

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  31. Lol at a breast feeding debate on a gossip site.

    How are my kids any less prepared for life because they drank formula?

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  32. I dislike the name of this doll.

    That said, I mimicked breastfeeding my "Tiny Tears" doll when I was playing with dolls (for the brief time I was doing so) back in the 1950s. I don't find this doll to be shocking or disturbing. I just don't like the name.

    That said, no, I would not buy one for my children, but only because I had boys. :)

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  33. OK Breast Feeding zealots. Enough with the lectures about the right thing!!!! Self righteous much?

    Aren't we lucky to live in an age where maybe more than ONE thing could be the right thing to do.

    I remember my niece trying to breast feed and she had such trouble with it and felt bad. Made me want to smack every breast feeding zealot right upside the head.

    Why can't women be more supportive of each other? Why does everything have to boil down into "huh, I am right and so much better than you". It's really sad. The world would be a much better place if mothers exercised more compassion with each other even if their viewpoints and strageties are diffetent. Aren't most mothers trying to do the righ thing?

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    1. Not true. My sister had the hardest time with it. She works in a hospital and worked closely with a lactation consultant there. It wasn't laziness.

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  36. What a freak...my 6'2" 16 year old senior who is the captain of the wrestling team with straight A's and actively involved in the community is truly just fine, but thanks for your concern. At 3 and 7, the other two have a ways to go before we are sure they don't have any lasting negative effects from the formula but I have a feeling they will turn out fine too.

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  37. i see nothing wrong with it. just because women's breasts have been sexualized so much in this society doesn't change the fact that they're the source of the very best nutrition for a human infant.

    as an L&D nurse, i think it actually might be helpful in impressing on little girls that this is what those things are for---and i think it's better than giving them little baby bottles to feed their doll. maybe it will stick when they grow up.

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  38. This just gets better and better. And funnier. @Lurkey, sorry for your niece, that's really stressful for the mother and baby. Im sure both ended up thriving!

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  39. @crazy- your comments are chock full of logical fallacies. The fact that a person doesnt breastfeed doesnt make them lazy or a bad mother, nor does it mean that they feed their kids mountain dew and cookies.

    Anyway, I think the doll is a waste of money, as kids that are going to mimic breastfeeding will do it without a special doll. I can see how some might want it to help normalize the process for kids with new siblings, but it isnt necessary.

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  41. Wow, you truly are "crazy". And not a nice person.

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  42. I can only imagine how many perverts are going to try and stick their penises in it's mouth.

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  43. That's it. I'm leaving early to go home, drink a greyhound and MAKE A MOTHERFUCKIN' BABY. LET'S DO THIS!

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  44. Ok, I think we can all are on the fact that that is gross. The question is, were the perverts formula fed? Because that might explain things...

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    1. Haha..Referring to @timebob, not at the baby making

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  46. Wow people are really crazy when it comes to breast feeding!!! Titties are for breastfeeding - a special doll is not needed for it but hey if it sells then good for the doll maker!! America, what a country:)

    I used to have the baby alive doll when I was younger and I loved that it peed and took a dump after you fed it!!

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  47. Wow, I am a breastfeeding advocate, but this got nuts.

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  48. made by mormons or christians? or just stupid people?

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  49. Crazy Cady...

    I'd venture a guess that your Mom used formula and you've never recovered from the gross injustice.

    THE HUMANITY!!!

    Honestly, the bullshit you're peddling has no place here. You are uneducated in this and you will lose.

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  50. I wldnt go out of my way to buy it, but i wldnt freak out if my child came across it at another's house and played with it. My five grandchildren were breastfed, so aping that behaviour is natural to them. Also 5 children; 5 diff experiences breast feeding. Milk fever, unable to produce enough milk, no problem, baby drank better from bottle- so i wld never judge anyone else. You hv no idea why they arent breastfeeding. We had a patient who within 6 wks of f giving birth was found to hv breast cancer, and had to stop. So cut each other some slack :)

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  51. Little kids pretending to nurse dolls isn't a problem at all--what squicks me out is that the damn doll makes sucking noises! Call me old-fashioned, but dolls are supposed to cry, or maybe talk when you pull the string, but sucking? Does it burp and fart, too? (This reminds me of a great story Billy Bragg told in concert 20+ years ago; his keyboard player at the time, Cara Tivey, was a new mum and brought her baby on tour with her, and Billy declared that this had given him an entirely new perspective on the phrase "slept like a baby." "I slept like a baby last night--I had the urge to suck on someone's tits, and I shat the bed!" When you put it like that, Bill... ;-)

    Also, I see the rabid nursing advocate has deleted all of her posts, which strikes me as pretty cowardly...I have a number of friends who've had children over the years and who've done their damndest to breast-feed, and who had an awful time of it. One had had a much-needed breast reduction years earlier, where a number of the ducts had actually been cut; another one's baby had a tongue-tie, and even after it was taken care of surgically, he just never got the hang of actually nursing (she spent 2+ years expressing milk for him, and he turned out fine, but it definitely wore her out); others have had different troubles. They're all loving, devoted moms who want the best for their children and were trying to provide it, and all of them got crap from busybodies--some of them actually had the nerve to tell the first woman that she "just wasn't trying hard enough." Um, hello? If the ducts have been cut, there's no way milk can even get out! (FWIW, she did manage to get some breast milk from a milk bank, along w/donations from Mom #2, who kept a lot milk on hand in the freezer and was happy to give some to the cause.) It's BS like this that makes me thankful I never had kids, because it seems as if no matter what you do or how you try to raise your child, you're going to get endless grief from other people who think they have to right to criticize your decisions regarding your own child...and the sad part is that, based on what I've heard from my own mother and other older women, it's been going on since time immemorial. *sigh*

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  54. Crazy is very well educated in this, although she forgot the WHO.
    She's just very judgy.

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  56. I'm not convinced that posting about breast feeding (which is, after all, a perfectly normal process and not at all "dirty") constitutes "adult" postings--are you sure it isn't because you don't want your daughter's friends to see how much of a batshit crazy loony lacking in compassion and simple manners you are? You're exactly the kind of person I was talking about, who isn't happy unless they've managed to make someone else feel bad about their own parenting decisions, and thrives on other people's issues in order to boost their own self-esteem...which, frankly, must be pretty fucking fragile if you have to resort to ad hominem attacks on people you don't even know. Kindly pull that redwood-sized stick out of your ass, and go somewhere else where your hateful rhetoric is more acceptable, OK?

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  57. Where's our Popnursing? .. or is it Popnurse? ... or is it, well whatever. We have our Cdan medical experts that usually comment on this stuff.Come in, please?

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  58. @crazy, you still haven't answered my questions...how are my children hurt by formula?

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  59. Mind you, I do think breastfeeding is preferable if at all possible (and recommend looking into milk banks if you can't produce on your own), but sometimes life doesn't work out the way we'd like it to, and we have to adapt ourselves and our practices to better fit with reality. Yes, "breast is best," but formula's a lot better than it was years ago when my siblings and I were kids, and everyone I've ever known who bottle-fed gave their babies plenty of cuddling and love, so the idea that formula-fed children are starved emotionally for contact doesn't hold water, either. Overly rabid supporters of any cause can end up turning off people who might otherwise be advocates of said cause, simply because they can't tolerate the shrillness and refusal to see the issues in anything other than the starkest black and white.

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  60. i'm not an official CDAN medical expert, but i gave my opinion above. nobody should be vilified for not breastfeeding. all i said was it really IS the best food for your baby because that's the truth. it also helps the body recover from pregnancy faster, and the bonding from it is really nice---any nursing mom will tell you that.

    however, some women don't want to do it or can't. that's not a crime. doesn't make them bad mothers. it's just that this is the food the human body makes for human babies and there are benefits from it that can't be obtained from formula.

    end of story from me. DO WHAT YOU WANT!!!!

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  62. I'm glad my kids were boys and I never had to think about this.

    (disclaimer: not saying dolls are bad for boys, just that hot wheels and legos were their choices)

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  63. My kids would be on the floor laughing their guts out if I brought that home.

    I can think of a couple of men I know who would like the sound....

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  64. Oh ok, haha...I forgot that I don't really love my kids, damn, that was totally the reason I didn't breast feed.

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  66. When women go batshit crazy on the Internet it makes me wonder how stable they are in real life.

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    1. @jules- this comment is full of win. I seriously LOLed.

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    2. Haha, thanks :)

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  67. I know that at the clinic that I work at we stress that people with HIV/AIDs, TB, and some forms hepatitis (B, sometimes C)should not breastfeed. HIV and viral hep live in breast milk, though it is much less common to contract hep this way. The bigger concern for breastfeeding with hep is if the nipples get cracked and bleed. Those are some medical reasons why someone would not breastfeed. Also, my mother was recommended not to breastfeed for my little brother due to medications that she was taking. I was told that milk ducts can also be damaged during breast surgeries, which would make it impossible. When I was younger and considering a breast reduction, that was one of the possible complications that was presented to me. I didnt plan on having kids, so it wasnt a real concern, however.

    Even if there isnt a medical reason not to breastfeed, it is still up to the mother.

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  69. sorry, should clarify...with hep it is recommended not to breastfeed IF the nipples are cracked/bleeding. It is possible, but not probable to contract hep through breastfeeding. I think the number is somewhere around 6% transmission rate with hep c and breatfeeding. Not sure about B. A is generally oral-fecal, so not a concern.

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  71. @crazy, make up your mind...comment or don't comment

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  72. I was physically incapable of breastfeeding. I tried. I really did. Without bottle-feeding, my two very healthy sons would have starved. In my opinion, breastfeeding is better, but you do what you have to.

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  73. It doesn't bother me, but I can assure you, if the thought of my breastfeeding grosses out my kids, they sure as hell wouldn't want one.

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  74. I seriously dislike this for another reason - can't they just be allowed to be children without gender roles? Why is it so important top impose adult roles on the little ones? I am a girl who played with trucks and my brother played with my dolls. When I look at this, the words that go through my head are, "Yep... gotta train them girls up young to be good mommas...". If girls were meant to be mommies at age 4 then they would be able to breast feed for reals. But no - there will be plenty of time for that when they are older and it is more appropriate and they can intellectually and emotionally understand the finer points of motherhood. TMI for their little sensibilities. Just yuck. And just my 2 cents. (okay - going back into my cave now.)

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  75. I have not laughed this hard in a long time and I seriously needed it. I may not get to laugh often, but it has my sides hurting.

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  76. They sell baby dolls with bottles, so why not this? It also teaches the child that bottles don't have to be the norm.
    Also, while I don't agree with every stance La Leche League has ever taken, in my experience they are very non-judgemental and genuinely want to help women who are interested in breastfeeding. Their advice helped me when I was about to give up!

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  77. Just trying to guess what those deleted comments said. Forgot to include in the above.

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  78. I don't see anything won't with this. It's not a sex doll.

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  79. I lost my breath when I saw that. Please, please say it isn't real. My head hurts. She's a child. A CHILD, people!!!! There was never this nonsense when I was a kid for Christ's sake. Geez. So what do you, the supporters, really want from these children? Why can't they be left alone to be kids? Why can't they laugh and play outside without having to deal with this? This is so unbelievable....SMH. Let the kids be kids and let their parents be adults and handle their own damn issues.

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  80. About the suckling noises: My son was SO NOISY when he breastfed, there were suckling sounds up until he was probably 3 or so months. Is that not normal? I did get told by people that he was a noisier baby in general, but I have nothing to compare him to.

    Anyway, I don't see anything wrong with the doll, but I agree with the people who said there's no need for a special one. Just use a regular doll.

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  82. Totally. I grew up seeing women breastfeeding all over the place and as a child was mildly fascinated with the whole proess. It is the most natural and beautiful thing in the world. People who have an issue with it are the same fucking idiots who think a pregnancy from rape is a "gift from God". Grow the fuck up.

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  83. Bad day - that last thing was not meant towards anyone here.

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  84. lol@breast milk baby. It would get laughed out of my home.

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  85. I missed the trolling, too bad. :-(
    But just to add my bit, I tried my damndest to breastfeed, alas, I produced nothing. My oldest losrt a significant amount of his baby fat in the first few weeks, and I hated myself for months for something I had no control over. Luckily everyone around me, including the various medical professionals I saw, were nothing but supportive.And my oldest is five, extremely healthy,and towers above kids his age by at least six inches! (I'm considering starving him now so he stops growing so fast)jk :-)
    Point is, you do what you have to to feed your baby! Don't let anyone make you feel like less of a mother for it!
    As for letting kids being kids, they are little parrots. They like to emulate mommy and daddy. It doesn't matter what kind of doll they use. A little girl will copy what she sees.
    That being said, any "real baby" doll freaks me out. Whether it cries, pees, or spins it's head around. The ones with the blinking eyes, *shudder*

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  86. CandaianMiss - you didn't miss anything.
    "Crazy Cady" - basically stated you must breastfeed your child or you are bad and you don't love your children.IT was the old "I am right, you are wrong, etc, etc and more etc". IT deletes all remarks but then reappears saying IT was using her child's internet account but then continues to comment using..same name . So, Crazy Cady and childeren are all sharing the same name= Crazy. Must have gotten faulty breast milk.
    PS: It wasn't about breastfeeding in public.
    PPS:.This was a reader who possibly was not supposed to be on the computer ............

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  87. I have a 12 yo who makes stupid comments about his sisters' Barbies, so no, I'm not buying it. LOL

    I didn't BF. I didn't produce enough milk. All three of my kids are smart and healthy. I don't feel guilty. They ate, and that was all that mattered.

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  88. Aw, man. I missed everything.

    Boobies.

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  89. This is so repulsive and inappropriate. Its one thing for kids to see their moms do it---that's natural---but teaching a child to breast feed is hypersexualization...when will this stop? Buy your kid a freaking microscope set. They are more than just burgeoning mammary glands. Baby dolls are fine but let them keep their sex organs innocent. I NEVER breast fed my baby DOLLS.

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  90. I think it's hysterical. I teach middle school science and coincidentally had to teach reproduction unit while the Home Ec class had their annual "flour baby" week. The kids make a flour baby and have to carry it around school do they understand parenting or whatever. Anyway I had 7th grade BOYS pretending to breast feed their flour babies in class!!!

    They had a lot of questions about breast feeding. The doll doesn't bother me at all because trust me there are far more disturbing, sick things your kid is being exposed to daily besides a little boob.

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