by Mary Jessica Hammes
June 11, 2010

Be careful when you Google “Booby Trapper.” Because there’s a horror movie by the same name that apparently is about a bloody hatchet colliding with some unfortunate campers.

No, the “Booby Trapper” you will want to look for is the latest tent-like device designed to give you privacy while you breastfeed, all the while shielding the eyes of passersby who might faint when confronted with a baby eating.

This Booby Trapper was recently named the grand prize winner of the Progress2Capital business planning competition organized by the Regina Regional Opportunities Commission.

Baby gooroo mentioned the Booby Trapper when it was included in the Golden Globes gifting suite. From the photos, it looks like the women are wearing a gigantic apron, which, frankly, draws much more attention than a latched-on baby whose head covers nearly everything a shirt would cover.

Clever names aside, what does it mean that such a product exists?

It means that women want to nurse in public (yay!) and want to feel comfortable doing so (of course!). It means that some women uncomfortable with breastfeeding in public may give it a go (big yay!). This is something we can get behind: a feeling of empowerment and comfort that encourages mothers to breastfeed.

But it’s unlikely that many women will be encouraged to breastfeed as long as the act remains invisible. Hidden breastfeeding perpetuates the idea that public breastfeeding is shameful, weird, possibly gross, and definitely not normal. And that needless concept is just what the Booby Trapper (along with other similar nursing cover-ups) offers.

Boo. Big, big, boo!