Kathy asked last week for more ideas about using balloons.  Try this to demonstrate the difference between suckling the breast and sucking on a bottle. Fill balloons with water to about the size of a pear. Water makes them more pliable than air, but you have to use strong balloons.  Water balloons are intended to break easily, so they would not work for this activity. Poke a tiny hole in the balloon with a lancet. Water should not come out unless you squeeze . A small hole will not pop the balloon.    Have the participants suck on the balloon.  If they have a good latch - wide mouth, lips flared, the balloon will fill the oral cavity and deliver a good stream of water to the back of the mouth.  It's an amazing sensation.  Make sure they pay attention to what they are doing with their lips and tongue.  Then have them suck water from a baby bottle with a standard nipple.  If they try the same mouth action here, they'll feel like they're choking.  They will quickly find that by!
 closing the lips tightly around the nipple and thrusting the tongue forward, they can more easily control the flow and the water will be delivered close to the tip of the tongue, bathing the teeth.  (Good time to make a point about baby bottle tooth decay)  Next, have the participants go back to the balloons and try the bottle mouth action.  Of course, the flow is very limited.  Obviously, a balloon is not a breast, but I think the analogy is a good one.

I used this activity with WIC professionals and encouraged them to use it to train peer counselors.  They were hesitant, especially about sucking on the bottle.  It takes some coaxing to get them past their inhibitions.  I would love to hear from anyone who tries this with parents.  Of course, for safety reasons, you'd want to make sure no one allows children to suck on balloons.

It's one thing to talk about nipple confusion / preference, but this interactive activity, really sends the message home.

Barbara Raymond, RD, IBCLC
Missouri WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator
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