Comments on: Wordless Wednesday: My Toddler Nursing Photo

By: LisaD

LisaD — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:26:30 +0000

Breastfeeding a beautiful 15 month old girl, and I’m going to continue until she wants to wean. For everyone who has said that extended breastfeeding is in someway self-serving, please understand that when your husband is a stay at home dad, you work 50 hours a week, and pump two times a day, plus wake twice a night for overnight feedings, the only thing that is self-serving is the gratification I get knowing that my daughter is comforted, happy, healthy and getting all the milk she needs…from me
What’s wrong with carrying around clean, ample drink wherever we go? I think it’s rather convenient.
There are too many people out there who succumb to our society’s overtly sexual imagery of breasts, which serve in all other mammals this one and one purpose only. To think that we have the need to be comforted well into our toddler years by sucking, and a prominent need for milk fats does indeed show that breastfeeding holds a place for the older toddler.
I think your picture is beautiful and your advocacy is admirable.

By: Sussie

Sussie — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:40:04 +0000

Here is the mom of a nursing 34 month old lively ramboncious boy. Yes, for those of you concerned, he is almost three years old, 37 1/2 inches and 32 lbs. He speaks english and spanish, counts to 20 in english and to 10 in spanish, knows all the letters all the colors and all the shapes, says please/por favor and thank you/gracias, spontaneusly, (many times before and after nursing) has had only two short tantrums his entire life, and is hardly ever sick. How much do our continued nursing and co-sleeping contribute to his incredible emotional stability? I think a lot.
Only those of us that have known both nursing and non-nursing toddlers know how wonderful the “terrible twos” can be.
I say it is OK to call me selfish for wanting to have the happiest, healthiest, best behaved kid on the block…
Incidently, my mother in law, who already protested my INITIAL breastfeeding (”my kids grew up fine on cow’s milk, he will get addicted” she used to say when he was born)and who finds our continued nursing relationship “embarrasing” and “excentric”, commented recently that her youngest son had used a bottle until he was SIX. And that was reasonable….

By: Mika

Mika — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:01:17 +0000

Before I had my daughter, I was very much against breastfeeding, at least in public. And this was mainly due to my own issues with body-image, etc. Well, I have nursed my 15 month old until last Thrusday, went she went on strike. And I am currently trying to return her to the breast. I have weathered family disapproval, in fact, even being told breastfeeding was like having sex in a resturaunt and I was “disgusting” (at the time my daughter was 10 months). I was ill when my daughter was first born, so breastfeeding has been a very hard fought and won activity. And I am devestated that my daughter is on strike.
Obviously, breastfeeding is natural, or women wouldn’t have breasts that make milk. Society has put restrictions on what is acceptable, not mother natrue. Do I want to breastfeed my daughter until she is 5? No. But I want to ensure that she has the best start in life, the best nutrition that was intended for HER (i.e. made by me becasue of her), and that she stops when she is trully ready. I am trying to woo her back to the breast, but it may not be.
I think that these comments reflect on our times – if we truly want to progress into a more tolerant society for our children’s happiness in the future, we would learn to be more respectful of each other’s choices. So those who choose to breastfeed, to whatever age, BRAVO. As long as parent and child is willing. And for those who never breastfeed- you will make the best and most healthy choices for your children, BRAVO. Please, lets not destroy either of these beautiful things. Or we are just teaching our children intolerance and hate.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:44:31 +0000

Just want to pop in here! I am currently tandem nursing my 20 month and my almost 3 and a half year old sons. They are very healthy, and are thriving on mother’s milk instead of cow’s milk. (while I do appreciate those mommy cows’ donations, I can provide my own!) You don’t see other species drinking the milk of other species so why should human babies? I will wean my sons when THEY are ready, not when people who don’t understand are ready. Just recently my sons contracted Rotavirus from a friend and continued to nurse throughout the illness. My pediatrician praised me for nursing them and told me that he had hospitalized so many children this season that drank formula and/or cow’s milk because of dehydration. Breast milk is so easily digested (because it is the perfect food for babies) that my sons were able to get nutrition even while vomiting constantly. As all of us know, cow’s milk and solids are not usually good foods to eat while sick to your stomach. Anyway, don’t judge someone unless you have walked a mile in their shoes. And to the person who said that a mother nursing a child older than a toddler is doing it for themselves is wrong! Believe me it takes committment and sacrifice to meet the breastfeeding needs of my sons. I am doing what is best for my children.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:25:42 +0000

OK here’s the rub, I have 3 children. Number 1, Dan, was bottle fed and had a dummy (pacifier)

Number 2, Shannon, was born weighing 4lb 140z and WOULD NOT take a bottle. When the midwie was going to tube feed her I decided to try the breast. 50 minutes later she came off and rested her little head on my breast. 2 and a half years later she self weaned. Oh and she would never take a dummy.

Number 3, Annabel, is 16 months and is still nursing frequently, day and night. She wouldn’t take a dummy either.

What I have learned about breastfeeding is how easily a child can be comforted when they’re poorly or hurt, and how breastfeeding reduces illnesses and allergies. My first child had horrendous excema when he was younger, my little girls have had nothing.

And just to comment on the point that women who practise extended breastfeeding are doing it for themselves, that is absolute rubbish. It can be tiring, especially when they feed at night, and of course we get persecuted for doing it and have to explain ourselves to people who don’t understand. Plus I’ve had mastitis 3 times!!

But at the end of the day I know that I am raising happy healthy children, looking after them to the best of my ability and I should not have to justify myself to anybody.

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:31:12 +0000

Hi, I have too stumbled upon your website by accident. I like to say what a lovely photo! It’s truly beautiful! I am still breastfeeding my 2 year old daughter and had breastfed my other older daughter till about 2 years of age. It’s such a shame that there are lots of people like Cindy and Gareth. My in-laws are very much like them; they hated me breastfeeding a toddler so much that they have now completely pushed me and my little girls out of the family.

By: Donna

Donna — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:53:12 +0000

Wow, it is amazing to me how in this supposed enlightened society that there are people still offended by toddlers breastfeeding. Grown 50 year old men want to have sex with 13 year old girls but and our public schools are giving away free condoms to children. But when we let our toddlers act like toddlers and nurse, we are barbaric. It seems to me that the Moms on here who complain the most are probably the ones who send there children off to daycare the quickest. We live in a totally self serving society, so of course we should wean the little annoyance at six months and get on wit OUR own lives!

By: Tara Carey

Tara Carey — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:56:34 +0000

Ms. White,

I stumbled upon this website quite by accident. Thank you for your wonderfully erudite and encouraging perspective on breastfeeding. In the recent past I never would have imagined having an avid 21-month-old nursling. However, with the loving support of my husband, I have allowed my mothering instincts to ultimately supercede all else in our nursing relationship and there are often small reassurances around every bend. For instance, the New Year brought with it our first bout with croup. Nursing was a source of both nutrition (he wasn’t much interested in eating) and comfort. Understanding each child’s needs are unique, we strongly believe our son still needs to nurse-sometimes to find calm and ease frustration or over-stimulation, sometimes for comfort, sometimes to reconnect with me and of course for the unparalleled nutritional value of a tummy full of breastmilk. While his limbs are stretching longer and his face growing more narrow, he most certainly still possesses many of babyhood’s vestiges: at just shy of 2 years old he still cannot hold his bladder to make it to the potty; he’s not yet coordinated enough to pull on his own socks or balance peas on a fork; and I can still count the words comprising his vocabulary. Why do we rush life by? Weaning in our home will be a developmental milestone that our son will accomplish in his own time.
Again, thank you for your validation.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:03:14 +0000

It is a sad fact that some people will never understand that breastfeeding is a nutritional and emotional need beyond 6 months or a year. It doesn’t matter what the AAFP, WHO, UNICEF or the AAP say.

By: Gareth

Gareth — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:15:23 +0000

Amy,
what are you afraid of?Do you just want posters on the site who will just pat you on the back and say what a saint you are for breast feeding toddlers.
Will you be going to school and sitting in the playground to make sure your youngster has a lunch feed?
If you look at my posts you will see I am not anti breast feeding.I supported my wife of twins when my boys were young.Also I gave them all the warmth and comfort they needed without them needing a breast at their lips.
They have grown to be healthy well adjusted boys and love their Dad.