Nursing moms - a question about toddler

[Colleen27]

I'm glad to hear all the uneventful NiP stories about Disney trips. We've never gone with a nursing baby before and when I booked our Sept trip I was kind of thinking DD11mo would wean by then (my older DD self-weaned at 10mo) but she's showing no signs of it, so I'll most likely be nursing a todder at the World this fall. She only nurses first thing in the morning, before nap time, and at bedtime now, so we'll have to manage nursing once or twice a day in the parks unless traveling changes her habits.

 

[jc040404]

I may be alone in this, but I found the baby care centers to be extremely uncomfortable. They had wooden rockers with next to no padding, so not a comfy chair for nursing, IMO. It was very noisy everytime I tried one. You are in your own barely lit room, but the walls/doors are thin. My little guy was distracted by all the yelling there.

The best spot I found to nurse him on our June trip (he was 12 months) was actually on a bench by Space Mountain! With it closed for now, there was very little traffic. In the later evenings, I never saw a single person around!

This was a big worry of mine when we went up. You can legally nurse whenever/wherever you want in Florida, so don't let anyone else bug you though. The week we were there, I never had a single comment at all.

 

[msmama]

My guy was much younger but still quite the acrobat, lol. I tried the MK baby care center which has a communal nursing room (really nice room) but my guy kept disturbing the other babies, lol.

I agree with the show thing (the movie ones with 3D glasses especially as your LO probably won't "get it.")

Also, if you're uncomfortable about showing skin, when I'm going to be NIP I usually wear nursing tanks. That way my belly is still covered when I pull my shirt up. I like the Target ones (but they may have changed them since I purchased my stash).

 

[emh1129]

At this age (my nursing toddler is 17 months now) I would go to the baby care center. When they're smaller and more focused, I would nurse all around the world & feel totally comfortable doing so. Now that dd is more distracted (and doing those wonderful gymnast moves you mentioned ) I need to go somewhere quiet to limit what's going on around us-- bonus is that it's quiet and cool in there. Because it's so so comfortable and quiet, she will be more likely to fall asleep (yippee!).

 

[MonkersMama]

Thank you SO much Mommies! I'm so glad we all that this "conversation".

 

[Juliet25]

LOL, my DD is also 15 months and you've described her nursing behavior perfectly! Guess they're both normal.

TBH, I'm going in Oct with her and I'm not too concerned about needing to NIP. At this age, they're so interested in what's going on around them that the need to nurse usually happens when there's no stimulation around. Chances are, your little one will want to nurse when it's convenient...when you're back at the resort, or in a cool, dark theater like Little Mermaid or Hall of Presidents. Also, if she really wants to nurse and you're far from the Baby Center, she may be just exhausted and will not engage in those crazy gymnastics.

Have fun!!!

 

[SLK1]

Please no flames, and let me preface by saying that I did NOT nurse my kids - it just didn't work for us and we bonded perfectly well over a bottle, but if your child is squirmy and interested in other things while feeding, AND they can ask for it, isn't it time to stop nursing? I think I might be a little freaked out by my toddler "asking" for my breast, and also trying to reason with her ("we have to be quiet, sit still, etc. to nurse") just seems like they're too old. At 12 months, the bottle went away and a cup was put in their hands. Can't a nursed baby do the same?

No flames, just wondering...Oh, and if anyone brings it up, I have NO problems at all with moms nursing in public - I couldn't care less what someone does with their baby - but this is a nursing question in general.

 

[Colleen27]

Please no flames, and let me preface by saying that I did NOT nurse my kids - it just didn't work for us and we bonded perfectly well over a bottle, but if your child is squirmy and interested in other things while feeding, AND they can ask for it, isn't it time to stop nursing? I think I might be a little freaked out by my toddler "asking" for my breast, and also trying to reason with her ("we have to be quiet, sit still, etc. to nurse") just seems like they're too old. At 12 months, the bottle went away and a cup was put in their hands. Can't a nursed baby do the same?

Yes they could and some moms do probably handle it that way but many don't, just as many moms don't put the bottle away at exactly 12 months. As far as asking for it and understanding that we need to be still/quiet, that's something that comes well before readiness to wean.

Would you feel a child who knows how to ask for a bottle and needs to be reminded to be still during feedings is too old to be bottle fed?

 

[Juliet25]

Please no flames, and let me preface by saying that I did NOT nurse my kids - it just didn't work for us and we bonded perfectly well over a bottle, but if your child is squirmy and interested in other things while feeding, AND they can ask for it, isn't it time to stop nursing? I think I might be a little freaked out by my toddler "asking" for my breast, and also trying to reason with her ("we have to be quiet, sit still, etc. to nurse") just seems like they're too old. At 12 months, the bottle went away and a cup was put in their hands. Can't a nursed baby do the same?

No flames, just wondering...Oh, and if anyone brings it up, I have NO problems at all with moms nursing in public - I couldn't care less what someone does with their baby - but this is a nursing question in general.

Why does a child being able to "ask" for it mean that she's too old? That's such an arbitrary cut-off. My DD asked for it as an infant; just in a different way then she "asks" for it now. In a few more months, she may have a word for it (right now it's a gesture), so please explain to me how the communication of a desire equates to that desire no longer needing to be met?

I know the concept of a nursing toddler makes people uncomfortable. If I did not have experience nursing a toddler, I might feel the same way. However, nursing a child past infancy is biologically appropriate and not at all weird in many (most?) cultures on earth.

ETA: you really can't equate breastfeeding to bottlefeeding and say it has to end at 12 months. There are reasons why bottlefeeding should end at one year -- jaw development, for one thing, is hindered by a bottle. Nursing is the biological standard. It's illogical to apply bottlefeeding's guidelines to breastfeeding.

 

[Colleen27]

My kids were much older when we went, but I have much experience with NIP at other plenty-distracting places. I never used a cover - I used the "lift-the-shirt" method, and draped it over everything that the kid didn't cover. I did find that with squirmy toddlers, I often had to hold the edge of the shirt in place quite firmly sometimes! I sometimes also used my free hand strategically as a visual shield, lol.

As far as logistics, something I've found works with my DD11mo right now that I think will be good for Disney is a lightweight cotton poncho I wear to keep the sun off my shoulders when I'm wearing a tank top or bathing suit. You know, the type that were super-fashionable a couple-few years back? If I throw that on I can slip my arm out of my tank and tuck her in to nurse very discreetly, and she can't seem to move it quite enough to put on a show.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

I nursed both of my babies. My daughter self-weaned at 14 months. I had no qualms nursing either of them in public. I loved the nursing clothes by Motherwear. They can be a bit pricey, so if you're in your last couple of months of nursing your last baby, it may not be worth it for you. Otherwise, it is worth the investment! The clothes were comfortable, stylish, and had two layers so that your belly was always covered while your baby nursed, and you could lay the top layer next to your baby's cheek for a quick cover-up should they turn their head while still attached.

 

[cuppycake]

Please no flames, and let me preface by saying that I did NOT nurse my kids - it just didn't work for us and we bonded perfectly well over a bottle, but if your child is squirmy and interested in other things while feeding, AND they can ask for it, isn't it time to stop nursing? I think I might be a little freaked out by my toddler "asking" for my breast, and also trying to reason with her ("we have to be quiet, sit still, etc. to nurse") just seems like they're too old. At 12 months, the bottle went away and a cup was put in their hands. Can't a nursed baby do the same?

No flames, just wondering...Oh, and if anyone brings it up, I have NO problems at all with moms nursing in public - I couldn't care less what someone does with their baby - but this is a nursing question in general.

This is such a personal decision. For some women, it is just like you describe. For others of us, we decide the benefits of extended breastfeeding outweigh our uncomfortableness (is that a word?). Every family makes the best decision for THEM. What works for one person won't work for others.

As for having them give it up when they can ask....a couple of thoughts (not in a nasty way...serious things to consider)...my daughter learned sign language at a young age (she could ask to nurse when she was 6-7 months old)...should I have made her give it up then? Is a word different than a gesture? When she can ask me for a hug, should I never give her another? Nursing is more than nutrition...ask any mom of a nursing toddler how easy it is to settle them down. There are sooooo many benefits!

If you'd like to read more....
A great resource on breastfeeding in general Kellymom

A link with some info on breastfeeding a toddler (and the benefits):
extended breastfeeding

Different strokes and all that jazz.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I think my post contained a comment about DD not "asking" to nurse while we were at WDW. I wanted to point out that "asking" doesn't necessarily entail real words. DD self-weaned at 21 months and at no time did she ever say anything like "gimme ****ie." Her "asking" was always non-verbal gestures. Even very small infants have non-verbal ways of letting mom know they are hungry.

There are many health benefits to extended nursing, for mom as well as child. Deciding when to stop nursing is a very personal decision and I support a mom's decision to keep nursing as long as she and her child want. Well, support it for the most part. I did see something on TV a few years ago where a mother was nursing an 8 year old. They showed the child reading a Harry Potter book while he was nursing. That's taking extended nursing a little too far.

 

[DisneyKings]

I tended to just nurse my toddler in the rides or movies. She tended to nurse less since there was so much to see though. No need to interupt things to run somewhere else. Besides, most people aren't looking around to see what everyone else is doing in WDW, they're focused on where they're going, what to see next. And, if they do disapprove, will you ever see them again? I'm always nervous to NIP, but just try to be discreet & if someone gets an eyeful, why were they looking there to start with? Just go, have fun, & take care of your little one.
It's great to see so many people extended nursing--lots of people around here just don't understand. But for the benefits, my oldest got breastmilk (exclusively pumped) for 19 mos until I dried up being prego with the next & even though she was a preemie didn't need an antibiotic until age 3.5. How many kids are that healthy? There are definite health benefits from the breastmilk. DD2 is 22 mos & showing signs of weaning, but it's up to her on the timing. When people ask me how long I'll nurse I tell them until she weans herself or starts high school, whichever comes first!

 

[3boymthr]

I did lot's of public nursing in my day when the boys were infants. We moved to more discreet locations when they decided that leaving my breasts on display was a good thing. I have nursed in movie theaters, cars and the like sometimes not always the most enjoyable locations for me.

I was pleasantly surprised when reading UG (I can't remember if it was the regular one or the with kids version) to see they give a nice list of locations where you can go to nurse while still enjoying the park. Aside from the comfort stations their suggestions included the Country Bear Jamboree, Philharmagic and a few of the other theaters around the various parks and even rated a couple of them. The Hall of Presidents is apparently a good place because most kids that age aren't interested in the show. They even gave the length of the shows so you'd know which ones would best suit your needs. I recommend borrowing or buying a copy to get the complete list as it was really informative.

Another thing the UG indicated was that unless it is a particularly busy time of year that if you ask ahead of time many of the CMs will be accomodating and let you sit through two shows if you need additional time to finish nursing.

 

[Lorajo]

I nursed by 18 month in Janu at WDW at :
The benches by Space Mountain
The carousel of progress
the little mermaid show
the france movie
A bench near the france pavillion.

She would usually go to sleep during the dark shows and she never went to sleep when I tried to nurse her in the baby care centers.

BTW - i tired to take her into a Bugs Life - too scary and we had to leave. Even nursing wouldn't fix that.

I didn't notice any dirty looks - I was pleased with how well everything worked out.

 

[NiftyJ88]

He finally stopped on his own (well, I think he has...no one has asked him about it, LOL) just before his 5th birthday (after a very very loooooong slowdown), and he still pats where the milk was, but doesn't need or want it anymore. He got almost a year more of mama milk than I did.


.

So you're telling me there's still hope for my daughter? Nearly everyone who knows I'm still nursing DD3 thinks I'm nuts. I figured she'll wean eventually, but not yet. She speaks in complete sentences and when she wants milk, she will say "I want your milk." Fortunately, I was able to teach her that mommy's milk is for in private only, so NIP is not an issue for us and it hasn't been since she vacation at 15 months.

 

[Anonomom]

Please no flames, and let me preface by saying that I did NOT nurse my kids - it just didn't work for us and we bonded perfectly well over a bottle, but if your child is squirmy and interested in other things while feeding, AND they can ask for it, isn't it time to stop nursing? I think I might be a little freaked out by my toddler "asking" for my breast, and also trying to reason with her ("we have to be quiet, sit still, etc. to nurse") just seems like they're too old. At 12 months, the bottle went away and a cup was put in their hands. Can't a nursed baby do the same?

No flames, just wondering...Oh, and if anyone brings it up, I have NO problems at all with moms nursing in public - I couldn't care less what someone does with their baby - but this is a nursing question in general.

I'll admit, before I had children, this was my opinion, too. But honestly, the reasoning simply doesn't make sense. Why should being able to ask for something disqualify a child from getting it?

I'll be nursing DD (7 months when we go) at WDW in September. I'm planning on trying to time feedings so that she and I can find a quiet corner while DH takes my elder daughter on rides the baby can't go on. And I'm really kind of looking forward to the excuse to try the Hall of Presidents -- I've been to WDW five times in my life, and still haven't seen it!

 

[emh1129]

I'll admit, before I had children, this was my opinion, too. But honestly, the reasoning simply doesn't make sense. Why should being able to ask for something disqualify a child from getting it?

So true. It just makes no sense at all.



I'm so happy to see so many breastfeeding mothers!
And yay for extended breastfeeding- there are so many benefits to both mom and baby-- and they don't magically disappear at 12 months, so for keeping it up as long as mom and baby want to!

 

[SLK1]

I'll admit, before I had children, this was my opinion, too. But honestly, the reasoning simply doesn't make sense. Why should being able to ask for something disqualify a child from getting it?

I'll be nursing DD (7 months when we go) at WDW in September. I'm planning on trying to time feedings so that she and I can find a quiet corner while DH takes my elder daughter on rides the baby can't go on. And I'm really kind of looking forward to the excuse to try the Hall of Presidents -- I've been to WDW five times in my life, and still haven't seen it!

Yeah, I guess that does make sense. Since I never "got" breastfeeding, I just felt like asking. Now for the next question, is 4 or 5 too old to breastfeed? Someone posted they told their child that it's something they do in private. If it's in private, isn't it considered "wrong" (for lack of a better word)? I mean, at what point is it considered "odd" for your child?