To contribute to the discussion of toddler words for breastfeeding - of
course the biggest euphemisms, to avoid saying "breast (shock! horror!), are
"nursing" and "feeding".
    I find one of the bonuses of being a lactation consultant is that I get
to nurse most of the babies - and I sure as h--- don't breastfeed them!  The
Dads also nurse the babies when the Mums have finished the breastfeed.  As
for "feeding" as a euphemism for "breastfeeding", in another generation,
older women in Australia would ask new Mums, "Are you feeding the baby
yourself?" or in shorthand, "Are you feeding the baby?"  (I used to bite my
tongue, metaphorically,  to stop myself making facetious replies to the
latter!)
    Mothers (and others) can "nurse" a baby and never ever breastfeed,
either just nursing (holding) the baby in their arms, or feeding her/him
with a *nursing bottle*.  Then there is *nursing bottle* dental caries.
Sure, mothers need to nurse the baby in the process of breastfeeding
her/him.  It is such a broad word. Even if we want to emphasise the
nurturing factor, the word "breastfeeding" should do so as it describes
situation in which *both* physical closeness and milk transfer are occurring
and are inseparable.  ("Breast milk feeding", i.e. EBM by bottle, is a
different situation and isn't the *act* of breastfeeding that I'm talking
about.)
    Semantics!
           Virginia
            in sunny Brisbane

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