Parents, Calm Down About This ”˜Inappropriate’ Baby Doll’s Penis

In the past few days, the Internet is abuzz about none other than a baby doll’s penis. The anatomically correct You & Me Mommy Change My Diaper Doll line available at Toys ”R” Us has parents in a tizzy over the fact that the doll is not ”smooth down there.”

This seems to be one topic that parents are prone to freaking out about, perhaps because they have nothing better to do? One tiny penis on a baby doll does not a disaster make. And for extra bonus points, a few of our amazing Mommyish readers pointed out that this baby doll is not circumcised. (Judge that as you will.)

This innocent little boy doll has been called ”inappropriate” and ”unnecessary” for kids:

Some parents called the doll inappropriate and unnecessary for kids, while others joked it could be a unique way to conclude a “gender reveal” party. Some users on Facebook just wished the doll’s box came with a warning label.

Writer Monica Beyer of SheKnows.com, however, doesn’t see a problem. “How on earth is it inappropriate for a child to see a naked baby? What about a baby makes a penis or a vulva dirty or sexual?” Beyer writes. “Because that’s what it sounds like when people say that it’s wrong for little girls to see it. The truth is, when a child points out the body part that she doesn’t have, all a parent is required to do is call it by its name.”

As a note, the original Toys “R” Us Facebook thread, the site of the online parental freakout, has been taken down. Most parents who commented on other news sources have responded more rationally to the baby doll penis.

I have to agree that this baby doll’s junk is really no big deal. It certainly isn’t keeping me up at night, and it’s a little pathetic that the manufacturer is being shamed by parents for attempting to provide an accurate doll, for once. If parents demand a warning label on the doll, that’s fine. I’d still buy a baby doll with a giant sticker on the box that read, ”THIS BABY HAS A PENIS.”

Oh, RILLY? Baby penises have yet to bother me. My sons have two of their own at home. In the great debate about how to handle a plastic penis on a doll, I agree with sexologist Dr. Logan Levkoff. Parents should be able to talk with their kids about body parts and use the word ”penis” when necessary. As Dr. Levkoff puts it so eloquently””banning the word penis around your house is a ”parenting fail.”

(Image: Toys “R” Us)