Would You Be Afraid to Breastfeed This Baby?

In Louisville, Kentucky the mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement has produced a series of pro-breastfeeding PSA’s featuring a ‘talking’ baby, espousing the wonders of breast milk and encouraging viewers to appreciate public nursing. “Some people think breast-feeding in public is nasty, but it’s not,” the baby says. “It’s natural. And with Hooter Hiders, slings and the old baby blanket over the shoulder technique, Mom can feed me anywhere.” For a city’s mayor to back public breastfeeding in a nation where nursing moms still get gasped at, censored and arrested, I think this is a pretty huge step in the right direction. The ad’s caused quite an web stir, too (and generated more than one Chucky reference)… but not because of its message; the baby in question has a full set of teeth.

Here, take a look for yourself. Does this scare you?

Okay, so that’s definitely a little creepy (although sans CG that kid is le cuteness), but honestly, it’s not the teeth that freak me out -- lots of babies with teeth, and toddlers, breastfeed too! -- it’s the scary, partially-animated talking baby. I wouldn’t let her anywhere near my tatas. But I can see where the creative team was going with that. I mean, aren’t scary, partially-animated freak-of-nature babies just the darlings of American advertising? Maybe this recent, nursing enthused little tot-bot is related to some of these guys (and Chucky’s a distant counsin?):

You get the idea, and there are lots more where those came from. I won’t cue up any Ally McBeal clips lest I scare you off small children forever (which, since most of you are parents already, would not be a good thing at all). In any case, I still think the breastfeeding PSA’s are kind of awesome, even if they are a little creepy. Maybe when their audiences see public nursing in action now, they’ll just breathe a sigh of relief instead of glaring or staring in horror. Because babies in real life are cute (teeth and all), and breastfeeding really is perfectly natural.

What’s your take?