![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thealphaparent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/breastfeedingbooks111.jpg\")
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Have you ever counted the number of bottle-fed babies portrayed in your child\u2019s books? Yet children\u2019s books depicting lactation are more elusive than your pelvic floor after a vaginal delivery. \u00a0If 95 percent of the books available to children contain only bottle-feeding images, this perpetuates the myth that bottle-feeding is the normal way to feed babies.<\/p>\n
Thus I\u2019ve set myself the challenge of scouring the bookshops and libraries of the country in search of breastfeeding in children\u2019s books. I will be presenting my findings in a series of \u2018parts\u2019. Welcome to part one.<\/p>\n
From the \u201cnew baby\u201d genre, this book explores the emotional ups and downs experienced by a young girl when her baby brother arrives. It\u2019s the usual business of jealousy, fear and ultimate acceptance. Breastfeeding is shown, as it is commonly in this genre, as an inconvenience to the older sibling, an act which keeps her mother in a state of occupation. \u201cHe wanted to be fed… he wanted it right\u00a0now<\/i>\u201d the text explains. On the other hand, the mother is shown happily nursing in the two illustrations that feature breastfeeding. Her hair is spruced, she is wearing earrings, a necklace and feminine clothing. This groomed appearance is a breath of fresh air compared to the haggard, exhausted depiction of breastfeeding mothers commonly seen in media.<\/p>\nWhat Do Cows Do?<\/b>
\nTicktock Media Ltd<\/h2>\n
I was hesitant to feature this book here as it doesn\u2019t contain breastfeeding per se. Rather it features animals nursing. However for a book that only has 10 pages, to feature nursing so centrally is worthy of mention. Needless to say the content is very simplistic. The book begins by describing that cows live on farms, they eat grass, they go moo, you get the picture. Then the text explains that cows make milk inside their bodies and the milk comes out of \u201chere\u201d with an arrow pointing to an illustration of udders. The next double page spread shows cows nursing their babies with the accompanying text \u201cThe calf drinks milk from its mum\u201d. This simple board book could be seen as a celebration of what connects us as mammals.<\/p>\n
Martha, a little girl, is excited at the imminent arrival of her baby sibling, however when the baby is born, she learns the terrible truth \u2013 newborns don\u2019t do anything. They\u2019re boring. \u201cAnd worse, it seems to take up all of mum\u2019s time and attention\u201d. The baby takes no notice of the puppet show that Martha and her friend Sam perform, it sleeps right through the song they sing, also it cries and scares away their pet bird. At one point Sam suggests \u201cyou should send the baby back\u201d. Eventually Martha goes crying to her mum, who is breastfeeding. Martha sobs, \u201cYou\u2019re always with\u00a0her<\/i>\u201d. Then we see the cosy Hallmark moment where her mum scoops Martha into her arms and explains that the baby will grow into \u201ca proper sister\u201d. Predictably the baby does just that, and all is well again.<\/p>\nJust Like You Did<\/b>
\nMarjorie Newman and Ken Wilson-Max<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thealphaparent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Justlikeyoudid1.jpg\")
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More of the same. This is the typical formula of the new baby genre: newborn arrives, existing sibling feels rejected, relatives fuss over the new baby, Mum and Dad are forever occupied with the new baby, existing child has a stroppy tantrum, cue reassuring hugs from parents. Breastfeeding is yet again shown as one of the chores that keep the parents occupied. On a positive note, books such as this one, which depict breastfeeding as burdensome, often show Dad getting on with chores whilst Mum relaxes to feed the baby. A good book to purchase for new Dads then.<\/p>\n
Bob Graham is a legend and you\u2019ll see his work sprinkled throughout my investigation into children\u2019s books. However the cover of this book features a bottle and there are bottles scattered on the inside covers so I wasn\u2019t holding out much hope when I picked it up at the library. The story begins with a lot of emphasis on pregnancy, including a particularly humorous illustration of Mum being hoisted off the sofa by her children Edward and Wendy.<\/p>\n
The family prepare for the new baby and \u201cDad helped too\u201d by ironing the baby\u2019s tiny clothes (I have issues with media that depicts Dads doing normal childcare activities as \u201chelping\u201d but that\u2019s for another blog entry). When the new baby is born the other children turn up at the hospital dressed as Batman and Wonderwoman – a nice touch. A mother in the neighbouring bed can be seen bottlefeeding her newborn.<\/p>\n
When the new baby arrives home it\u2019s the same old story: he\u2019s boring, he sleeps a lot, Mum and Dad never have time for Edward and Wendy, \u201cmum was always busy feeding the baby\u201d. One illustration shows Mum on the sofa breastfeeding the baby, another illustration shows the baby crying in its moses basket with a bottle on the floor nearby (combination feeding? Expressed breastmilk? Or lazy illustrating?) The story concludes with a sudden change of heart from Edward and Wendy and they start helping out with babycare, although it is not mentioned what prompts this transformation.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thealphaparent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Brandnewbaby2.jpg\")
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Here we go again, another story of sibling rivalry where breastfeeding is featured in the saddest scene of the book (there\u00a0are<\/i>\u00a0some positive depictions of breastfeeding in\u00a0some<\/i>\u00a0children’s books, and I will get to them, honest). Written and illustrated by the same duo that created \u201cSophie and the New Baby\u201d this book features another little girl whom is about to pass into big sisterhood. The text is composed in first person narrative, from the perspective of the girl (who isn\u2019t given a name). In one scene, \u201cDo you think he looks like me or like Daddy?\u201d asked Mummy. \u201cI think he looks like a raspberry\u201d the girl responds matter of factly. In the next scene the baby is described further, \u201cHe can\u2019t talk yet, but he can cry alright, especially when he\u2019s hungry\u201d and Mum is seen breastfeeding happily in bed. Lots of people come to visit the new baby, and they all say to the older sibling \u201cAren\u2019t you lucky!\u201d The girl then explains: \u201cBut sometimes I didn\u2019t feel lucky at all\u201d and she is shown sitting on a chair looking miserable, whilst her Mum breastfeeds on the sofa. It\u2019s the most damning illustration of breastfeeding I have seen in a children\u2019s book. Not until the baby is significantly older and weaning does the little girl become accepting of him. \u201cIf only I had someone who could help me. I wish I had a big girl who could feed my baby\u201d sighs Mum. The little girl responds, \u201cI could do that\u201d, and she is seen spoon feeding the baby pureed banana.<\/p>\n With a bottle to breast ratio of 4 to 1, I was disappointed with this book, although perhaps the bottle on the cover should have given the game away. The book follows the usual pregnancy timeline. First Mum and Dad are shown in bed with no explanation, then a little bean is depicted growing inside naked Mum\u2019s tum (surprisingly as the baby grows bigger – Mum\u2019s breasts don\u2019t), then the ultrasound scan (complete with foetus waving back), the obligatory eating of copious amounts of cake by the mother, Grandma knitting outfits and Dad putting together the nursery. Finally comes the (as per usual) hospital delivery, with Dad, camcorder at hand, filming as Mum lies naked in stirrups (I\u2019d have walloped him). Mum is shown breastfeeding once, and then all other feeds are done via bottle. This is sadly realistic of course. The page that induced the most eye rolls features Dad feeding the baby via bottle whilst Mum sits beside him, cleavage heaving with pride; and yet despite the immediate presence of Mum, baby is sucking a silicone teat.<\/p>\n With text adapted from the words of the Bible, this book has everything you would expect from a nativity story: angels, wise men, oxen, Jesus, a stable and all that jazz. Mary is seen breastfeeding the newborn baby Jesus in not one, not two, but three illustrations; one of which shows her nipple as Jesus latches on. The illustrations are gorgeous and my simple scannings of them cannot do their vibrancy justice. Various gold enamels are used which produce a distinctive glow and the drawings are detailed enough to spark numerous re-readings. Breastfeeding is not mentioned in the text.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Baby\u2019s First Year is another non-fiction title similar to The Baby\u2019s Catalogue but using photographs rather than illustrations. This book follows the life of baby Jack from one day old to his first birthday. Dad and siblings are shown happily taking part in babycare. On the page titled \u201cOne week\u201d the book describes that \u201cJack drinks milk from his mummy\u201d accompanied by a photograph of breastfeeding. Curiously there are bottles at the top of this page, presumably to show the alternative. I find it interesting that weaning onto solids is not shown until 8 months. Overall the book is a decent exploration of babyhood, with some baby-wearing thrown in for good measure.<\/p>\n Have you ever counted the number of bottle-fed babies portrayed in your child\u2019s books? Yet children\u2019s books depicting lactation are more elusive than your pelvic floor after a vaginal delivery. \u00a0If 95 percent of the books available to children contain only bottle-feeding images, this perpetuates the myth that bottle-feeding is the normal way to feed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u00a0![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thealphaparent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Arentyoulucky4.jpg\")
<\/div>\nThe Baby\u2019s Catalogue<\/b>
\nJanet Ahlberg and Allan Ahlberg<\/h2>\n<\/div>\nThere\u2019s no bottles adorning the cover of this book, however there is one on the inside cover and several within. The book features non-fiction descriptions of various babycare items: highchairs, toys, prams, baths, and so on. There\u2019s a page entitled \u201cBreakfasts\u201d which features water in a bottle and *shudder*\u00a0juice in a bottle. Breastfeeding is also shown throughout the book. On one page titled \u201cDinners\u201d, breastfeeding is shown alongside bottlefeeding, only the bottlefed baby is crying and appears to be refusing the bottle. Also featured are dummies, sippy cups, and interestingly, tea pots(?) It\u2019s a pretty eclectic mix in a book that covers all bases.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAll You Need to Know About Babies<\/b>
\nAgn S Vandewiele and Charles Dutertre<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thealphaparent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Allyouneedtoknowaboutbabies3.jpg\")
<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thealphaparent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Allyouneedtoknowaboutbabies2.jpg\")
<\/div>\nThe Story of Christmas<\/b>
\nJane Ray<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thealphaparent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/thestoryofchristmas2.jpg\")
<\/div>\nBaby\u2019s First Year<\/b>
\nDebbie Mackinnon and Anthea Sieveking<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thealphaparent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Babysfirstyear2.jpg\")
<\/div>\nJump to\u00a0Part Two<\/b><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"