I asked why, and her response, "Dora gives the baby bottles, so does Super Why."
I almost cried.
We talked about how babies drink milk from their mom's breasts, and she knows that and used to do that all the time, but she just kept going back to how the people on her shows didn't, so that must be how it's done.
I understand that breasts are seen as mostly sexual objects now, with only that function. That doesn't mean it's right or I agree with it, but I understand.
I just have a huge issue with shows made for children that show artificial feeding as the norm. In the US, yes more women use bottles and formula than breastfeed, but that doesn't make it right.
I try very hard to teach my daughter that breastfeeding is normal and natural, and love when she is able to see it since I probably won't be able to show her myself. I want her to be completely comfortable with her body and everything it does. At almost five years old, she is enthralled with things "important" people do, and that is seen as the coolest thing in the world to her.
Watching Dora (shudder) and Super Why with her and then watching them with bottles just makes me want to write nasty letters about how they are, from the very beginning of children's lives, showing that bottle feeding is the normal thing to do when one has a baby.
I am in no way saying that bottle feeding is wrong, just that by showing bottles automatically on children's shows, you are making another generation that feels breastfeeding is weird if only from the early experiences they have.
After each time she sees this, we talk about why people sometimes need to use bottles, but babies drink milk from their mother's breast. I hope this is enough, because I am being ambushed by everything around me.
How do you deal with the ads, pictures, images, and everything else children see that make bottle feeding seem superior and more normal than breastfeeding? Is there really any other way to combat this than to talk all the time about how the body works and to show women feeding their babies the natural way?
