Few roles in life leave you as open to judgment as parenting. And nothing is quite so heated as the battle over the breast.
Vancouver's Nicole and Kim Critten found that out when they began distributing a line of nursing covers through their company Bug & Pickle (http://www.bugandpickle.com). The name of the product didn't help, either: Hooter Hiders.
Created to allow mothers to nurse in public without exposure, the California-designed cover is more effective than the old receiving-blanket standby. It has a strap to keep the cloth from sliding off, and a rigid collar holds the fabric away from the mother's neck to maintain a clear view of the baby.
But it's sparked a storm in Vancouver circles, in newspapers, blogs and even on radio. The Nik and Val Show on CFUN 1410 recently devoted an afternoon to the debate.
"Our callers were split right down the middle," co-host Val Cole says. "There were people who like it and then there were those who thought it was the most ridiculous thing they'd ever heard of."
"Some people felt that you should be able to pull out your boob whenever you wanted to, and that this thing was sending women back to the Dark Ages," says co-host Nikki Renshaw.
"A woman feeding her child the best possible meal he could ever get is the most beautiful thing," Cole counters, using the "breast is best" mantra.
"Yeah, but not everyone wants to see a dinner plate-sized nipple in public!" Renshaw says. "My niece was just given the Hooter Hider as a baby shower present and she said it was a bit embarrassing -- like setting up a tent on your lap. But I support people breastfeeding more discreetly."
Bloggers have also weighed in on both sides of the issue. While the The Lactivist loves the product, baby blogger Honeybunch gave Hooter Hiders her "vote for the most ridiculous product." She writes, "If a woman's uncomfortable breastfeeding in public . . . she'll go to great lengths . . . so she's in a quiet place at the right time and doesn't that really make this bib, er, nursing cover-up useless?"
"Some women say you shouldn't hide it," Nicole Critten says, "but we've actually had more women who say they're just not comfortable showing it all. They don't want to be forced to sit in the washroom, the car, or to have to leave a social setting to feed their baby. We looked at it this way -- if you're a mom who wants to use it, then it's here."
She and her sister point out that it doubles as a stroller cover and can be used as a change pad in a pinch.
And they have no plans to change the name, even though the company that makes the product also markets it under a far more innocuous name south of the border: Bébé au Lait. After all, in retail, buzz is best.
$45, 1-877-672-5666, bugandpickle.com.
