When my daughter was young, I just simply threw out the doll bottles and
pacifiers explaining to her that these were not needed since human mothers
breastfeed.  She was older when she weaned, so she probably remembered
feeding at the breast and witnessed breastfeeding when my second baby was
born.  All my kids grew up knowing that toys bottles would be tossed out as
unnecessary and it was probably a valuable lesson for them.  I found my son
nursing a stuffed baby bear once.  I wish I had taken a photo!

Tricia Cassi, IBCLC
LLL Leader - Vermont

-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Liz Cammin
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 9:49 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A picture paints a thousand words


I SO, SO agree with you.  I am looking at it from a slightly different point
of view.  I have an 8 1/2 month old daughter, who will celebrate her first
Christmas this year, and her first birthday in February.  No doubt she will
get baby dolls as gifts.  And we all know what comes with 98% of the baby
dolls... BOTTLES!!!  Even if I ask, I know people will still buy her dolls
with bottles.  And, the bottles are going in the trash with the packaging.
I do not want my daughter to grow up thinking bottles are how babies are
fed.  I do not want to perpetuate ill health in my family.  I personally
will go to great pains to find dolls without bottles, but I know most other
people in my family will not.  I do not have any qualms about pitching them.


I am not anti-bottle.  A bottle can be a useful tool when a mother's BREAST
is not available, for whatever reason.  But, I do not want her to think it's
the norm.  Babies nurse, and she's got her own breasts and can pretend to
nurse her baby dolls all she wants, and I will encourage it.  How else will
she know it's normal without modeling?  And I will not hesitate to educate
the rest of the family when they see her do it. 
Nobody will make her feel ashamed of her body or what its parts are supposed
to do.  She won't have to fight our culture, at least not as hard... she
will at least have the confidence to feed her baby in a NORMAL fashion and I
hope society changes a little bit more in a positive direction by the time
she is a mother herself.

Liz Cammin, RN, LLLL

-- 
I didn't give you the gift of life.  Life gave me the gift of you.

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