Back some time ago I requested nursing toddler stories and said that I
would send copies of some to the Lactnet list.  I always find it
interesting to hear how they think about nursing at this age since they are
verbal enough to start expressing some thoughts.  I've been really busy and
am just now getting around to posting this.  So, for your enjoyment, here
are a few of the best (thanks to everyone who sent them to me, I couldn't
include them all):

>From Patricia:

I have become pregnant with my 3rd child. At 8 weeks I began talking
with the two older ones (4 years and 2.5 yrs) about the baby. (They are
familiar with the fact that mommy helps ladies have their babies). I ask
them where the baby is, and what the baby will eat. As my 2.5 year old is
still a nursling, I have begun discussing the nursing of the new baby as
soon as possible. One night as we settled down in mommy's bed to nurse to
sleep, I begin a discussion. I ask.....

Where is our baby?   answer: in your tummy (smiling)
What will baby drink?  answer: milk!!!!! (with a bit of a squeal)
Well, where is the baby going to get the milk?  answer: from the booby
(laughing)
Well if the baby needs to have milk from mommy's booby what will you do?
Answer: (Pauses, has deep thoughtful expression, suddenly smiles and
states)
Share.

this sent me into a deep laugh as I realized how easily he put two and two
together. Now being as I nurse from one breast only due to a burn injury,
I'll have to enforce taking taking turns!!!!!


>From Joanne:

One little friend of mine, 26 months, was having a particularly difficult
afternoon.  He knew how to comfort himself and said to his Mommy, "I know
that some Mommy-milk will help me feel better."  If only we were all so
self-aware and had such healthy habits to turn to!

>From Ruth:

I was tandum nursing my 4 1/2 year old  son and his 2 year old sister. He
wanted a special toy that I told him he could have it when he  no longer
needed to nurse. He said he would stop in 7 days. After the count down he
stopped nursing and said now he was ready for the toy.
Three week later  with his toy in hand, he was watching his little sister
nurse and looked at me and said " don't you think she is too old to being
doing that"

>From Katie:

The other day, after nursing my one year old and three year old off and on
all day long, I told my three year old that she would have to wait a while
to
nurse because "mama's nurses (her word) are sore." She looked at me and
said,
"Well, I'll kiss them better for you and *then* I'll nurse."

She has also taken to dramatically putting her hands on her hips and
announcing that she will "simply *die* if she doesn't get some mama milk
*right now*.

>From Claire:

My almost three year old daughter makes a habit of asking female
relatives/close friends if their "na-na's work."  Then she'll pat their
breasts and say, "my mummy's na-na's work."  I think this came about from
once asking my mother if she could "have na-na" and my mother told my
daughter that her na-na's didn't work anymore.

>From Carmen:

Here is one story of my now 6 year old from when he was 3...he was
in pre-school and the teacher asked how many kids were still
bottlefeeding...mine was the only one who didnt raise his hand...his
teacher
gave him a sticker and when I came to pick him up his teacher came to
congratulate me that he was the only one that was "weaned" from the bottle.
I smiled and when I got to the car he told me..."mommy...she said
bottlefeeding not breastfeeding"... (he weaned at 4).

>From Lori:

Just this morning my 23 month old son and I were lying in bed still nursing
and talking.  Mostly talking because he has really started to have a lot to
say now.  Suddenly he rose up and pulled on my nipple and said "Mommy, how
this meme thing work anyway?"  (MeMe is our code word for nursing)  I said
(after trying not to laugh) "well, John Ross you nurse and Mommy's body
makes the MeMe."  He said "OK" and went right back to nursing.
He is my first boy.  I figure it must be a boy thing.  I don't know.  This
is a precious age.  I am so glad we are still nursing!

>From Serina:

My Samarra is 29 months old and nurses a lot.  6 times a day or more.
 Whenever she sees breasts, such as bra ads, ect.  She says "Nunnies!"
she'll run over to me and pat my breasts, "MY nunnies!".  She does the same
thing when the 18 month twins I babysit watch her nurse (with longing!)
she'll come off and tell them, "mine, you nunnie Beth!" (their mom).
  She also plays around and will nuzzle my breasts through my clothes and
make lound sucking noices, "yummy!"  and she'll giggle.  It's so cute!
  Her nwest thing is when I'm busy and she wants to nurse, she'll come up
to
me and hold up her little fingers and go,"nunnie this many please"  and
she's
so serious about it.  Like she's negotiating with me!  I just can't put her
off when she does that!!

>From Rachel:

My friend's youngest (of four) was a hard-core nurser at age 3, as well as
the smallest of her children.  When my friend tried tactfully to hint that
a third birthday might be a suitable milestone for weaning, Julia gave her
the puppy-dog eyes and said "But I'm so little and skinny!"  Weaning was
postponed, and eventually happened gradually about 6 months later, with no
apparent trauma to either one.  Julia is now in second grade and just as
good at arguing her cases...

Another friend of mine was away for a weekend when her daughter was nearly
4 (I believe).  When she returned, she called out a hello on entering the
house, which prompted her daughter to shout exultantly "Daddy!  The boobs
are home!"

My own daughter had to learn Norwegian when we moved here from Seattle when
she was 3.  Her daycare teachers told me one day when I came to pick her up
that she had told them she didn't need the milk they served at lunchtime
"Because I get milk from my mama's breasts!"  They were so overcome with
laughter at this obviously ridiculous claim that they could barely recount
the episode, and were appropriately astonished when I matter-of-factly told
them it was true.  They had never seen a breastfed toddler.  I felt it was
important that they know my daughter was only offering them what to her was
a logical response to their offer of an unneeded beverage, and not relegate
her comment to the realm of cute childhood fantasy.

>From Judy:

    My fourth child was still nursing at the age of 3 1/2.  As he climbed
on
my lap for a "pip" his grandmother was teasing him about how big boys don't
do that.  At the time he was going around calling himself Jason even though
his name is really Billy.  Jason was his favorite Power Ranger cartoon hero
character.  Grandma said Power Rangers don't take "pips".  He looked at her
vary seriously and then turned away from nursing.  He never nursed again.
 He
would come up to me often afterward during the day and at bedtime as if to
nurse.  He would unhook the bra and sniff the breasts.  He would say, "it
smells so good!", then turn away.  I would tell him it was o.k. to go ahead
and nurse, but he never would.

>From Jamie:

My son will be three at the end of December; I'm expecting at the end of
October.  I've been trying to prepare him for the baby's birth, looking for
the
right balance between "This is a really exciting thing for our family" and
"Your life will never be the same, kid."  I was telling him how much the
baby
will need to nurse, and he said, "I think she could have baby food and I
could
have nana."

>From Alicia:

When my now 8-year-old was just a couple of months past her 3rd
birthday, we were down to one or two nursings a day.  I was in the "don't
offer, don't refuse" mode.  One day we were snuggling together and she was
getting ready to nurse and got a sort of quizzical look on her face as she
was about to latch on.  She looked at me, and said "Mommy, how do we
nurse?"  I had noted that in the last few nursings, she wasn't all that
interested, and seemed to be mouthing the nipple rather than actively
nursing.  I said "I guess now that you're getting older, you're not so
sure how to nurse anymore."  She nodded, nursed one or two more times, and
then stopped altogether.

>From Trish:

We had had Chicken fried steak for supper, and she was nursing.  I asked
her if it tasted like the gravy.  She shook her head no, still latched.  I
asked her if it tasted like Chicken fried steak.  She shook her head no
again.  I asked her what did it taste like, and she popped off long enough
to throw me a "you idiot" look and tell me in a "well duh" kind of voice.
"Milk".


>From Marilyn:

I have a  funny story about one time when I was trying to delay my son from
nursing in a particular situation. I asked him to wait until Grandma had
gone.He looked at me with a sad face and asked  "can I  just look at them
then?"

-Lucy Towbin, MSW, IBCLC

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