Breastfeeding Mamas! Would you allow your daughter to use a bottle with her doll?

Question

I wouldn't since I think it sends the wrong message. I was considering maybe if she was old enough to understand adoption, but at that point, she whould be old enough to understand inducing lactation too.

What are your thoughts?

It isn't about being overboard or unneccessarily guiding play.

Little girls have dolls so they can be little mommies

It will be important to me that she learns breastfeeding is the normal way to feed a baby, not a bottle.

Answer 1

I hate that my girls play with bottles when they visit other houses. They didn't know what bottles were until I started using hourly day care. They both love to give their dolls bottles. My younger baby has never had a bottle, but she rarely nurses her dolls. My older child used to nurse her dolls all the time. Now she would rather give bottles. I know that it's completely innocent and that they're just mimicking what they see. I just don't like it.

I throw out any bottles that come into our house as gifts, but I allow my girls to play with bottles elsewhere. I discourage it, but I can't say too much because my sister bottle feeds and she's often around when the kids have toy bottles.

I just read through the other answers. I am sincerely surprised at how many moms don't get it. I understand. I think that we know that we're overthinking this. Who hasn't gotten too worked up over something our kids did or said? You'll get over it when you're ready (or you won't) and that's fine. Relax, people.

Answer 2

LOLLLLL. Oh my goodness if my sister could read this question!

You have to raise YOUR kids they way you see fit. No one can tell you how.

But honestly, LET HER PLAY> goodness. Let her play without having to worry about the extremely adult questions that she will have to face as an ADULT. Nothing is wrong with educating a small child about breastfeeding but that is taking it a bit too far. So what if she uses a bottle and so what if you catch her feeding the baby with breast.

Would you be upset if she through the doll in the corner when its snack time. Or maybe not feeding the DOLL at all. Would you get upset. Come on. Of course you wouldn't. Are you gonna make her take responsibility and take her DOLL everywhere she goes and wake up in the middle of the night for her breastfeeding.

This poses so many questions.

But you wouldn't cause it's a doll. You have to be consistant as a parent. Just don't pick and choose what you think is cute cause you feel you have an opinion about it.

If she becomes a mom one day and CANT breastfeed what will you do. what will you say"oh hunny I'm sorry you can't do the best that most moms can do for your baby"

Please do not try to write your childs life before she is able to live it. Just be there and educate along the way with ALLL the knowledge you can. Then you still have to pray that they turn out wholesome healthy well rounded individuals.

Answer 3

I would let her use a bottle... at that age it is more that she is learning how to care for a baby... not how to "feed" a baby. She isn't going to grow up and one day say, "oh no I can't breastfeed because I learned how to bottle feed as a small girl."

I think that teaching her the benefits and importance of breastfeeding is very important and you can start that as soon as she is old enough to understand her body. She will learn quickly and completely forget about playing with the baby and bottle as a young girl.

In addition though, if she was walking around "breastfeeding" the baby I would not stop it. It is wonderful if she is thinking that way, but I think the bottle is ok too.

Answer 4

Of course I would. Just like I'd let her play with plastic toy food and feed it to whatever she wants.
Even breastfed babies often drink from a bottle filled with breastmilk sometimes, the bottle isn't the issue it's what is in it. Teach your daughter that breastmilk is best, from the breast or when it's in a bottle.

Just so you are aware inducing lactation is not always possible.

Answer 5

My daughter nursed for 4 years, and watched her younger brother nurse as well. When she first started playing with dolls she bottlefed and used pacifiers because it was what she saw others do.

Now she is 7, and recently she has taken to nursing "baby pony" because it is her "daughter". It offended my mother, so I just told her she can play with baby pony that way at home but not around others. She became upset because baby pony may get hungry and need to nurse wherever she is. She still uses bottles on some of her other dolls, but I think she will be fine. ;)

Answer 6

no, i would not. i dont think they should come with them in my opinion. i feel sad when i have to explain to little girls that my son doesnt use a bottle that he eays from a breast- even my 4 and 10 year old brothers know that- why cant people just explain why mommies have BREAST? it does send the wrong message and they dont learn anything from it- if they learn about breastfeeding then they will be learning about the female anatomy as well. it sends the message that al babies eat froma a bottle and thats they only way to feed them when its not- my neice is only 4 and shee knows that abbies coem from the vagina and the get breastfed adn you have a period- my sister doesnt agree with the whole making up stupid stories things- breastfeeding is not shameful- i breastfeed in fron of nother my brothers and they dont even notice because its natural and normal

Answer 7

I don't want to make a huge deal out of it with my family but no I don't think bottles are appropriate toys. Then again many breastfeeding mothers use bottles because they work out of the home (Of course bottles aren't the only way to feed a baby EBM either) and of course a doll can't "pee" without a bottle *lol*. I tried figuring out how to make a "nursing" bra that would let a doll pee and seriously I can't figure it out.

However if my child really wanted to bottlefeed her doll I don't think I'd make a big deal out of it. My son has a bit of an obsession with bottles even though he almost never had one (I used them for gripe water) and wouldn't drink milk out of them he still likes to carry them around and pinch the nipples =))

I think that trying to keep a middle road is important. Try not to have toy bottles around but if she gets one and really seems to like it I wouldn't make a big deal out of it either. Afterall many children scalp their dolls, write on them, dismember them, throw them, beat them up, etc and never do that to their own children when they are adults.

Answer 8

Children, learn by what they see, not what they play with.

as long as she is brought up to know and see how breastfeeding works, then i don't think a toy bottle will do any harm.

but then pretending to breastfeed the doll, won't do any harm either.

infact, children who are brought up around breastfeeding are more likely to dump the bottle themselves and try to imitate "mummy".

Answer 9

I LOVED using a bottle to feed my baby dolls and I breastfed my son and plan on breastfeeding the baby I am pregnant with. This is really a ridiculous question...No kid is going to overthink this like you are.. It's just play and yes my kids can feed their babies with a bottle.

Answer 10

The only message it sends is that babies need to be fed. How do you propose she feed her doll???

I think you need to chill out and stop worrying about things that your child would never even think about.

I fed my dolls with bottles and nursed all my children. Don't try to overwhelm your child.....let her play and be a child!!!