Controversial Breastfeeding Doll Hitting Toy Stores

(Newser) – A new baby doll that little girls "breast feed" is giving parents heart palpitations. The doll, created in Spain, is now heading to US toy stores. Creators of the "Breast Milk Baby" insist the $90 toy triggers a perfectly natural pretend-play process that... More »

(Newser) – A new baby doll that little girls "breast feed" is giving parents heart palpitations. The doll, created in Spain, is now heading to US toy stores. Creators of the "Breast Milk Baby" insist the $90 toy triggers a perfectly natural pretend-play process that teaches girls the very valuable lesson that they should nurse their babies when they become moms. Some outraged parents say it's creepy and obscene watching little girls clutching the babies to their chests for a noisy suck session. The doll set comes with small vest girls wear with two breast-positioned "flowers" where the doll's lips move to "suck." The dolls also suck pacifiers, cry, and burp.

Children "have played 'parent' with dolls for centuries," one child psychologist tells ABC News. "But I'm always a little disturbed by products that have the impact of accelerating childhood identification with being a full-blown adult." The medical director of a California mothers milk bank hailed "anything that reminds young girls that their bodies are something more than sex objects. On the other hand, encouraging young girls to want to have babies at a very young age may not be so great," he adds. A representative of toy maker Berjuan calls breast-feeding "completely natural," and says the toy allows girls to imitate their moms, which is "part of growing up." Less »