Nursing 2.5 year old in public

[iheartsofia]

Hey mamas, I'm guessing I'm really just looking for a little support. I have a 2.5 and a one year old. I am absolutely doing CLW with both of them. I love to nurse, it's something I feel is very important for me to provide to my babes. But lately as my older dd gets bigger I find myself feeling a little uncomfortable NIPing. It bothers me to think that I feel some shame around something that is very natural. I do not want to be the person that lets what others think dictate what I do. I like to think that maybe someone will see what I am doing and maybe gain some confidence of their own to do the same. Or to offer more exposure to it to help normalize it.

So tell me its all good, and that I am not the only person nursing big(er) kids in public.

[wendylady]

I have a 2.5 year old too who I occasionally nurse in public. Usually I try to find a discreet spot. My feeling is that yes, let them see it, let them learn. But also, I don't always feel like making my life into a lesson. My comfort is important too. That said, if my boy really needs to nurse, I'll do it wherever we are

[SunShineSally]

I also nursed my Ds at that age and older in public well he was almost 3 when he weaned and he still at times NIPed I did get stares and dirty looks but I tried not to let them bother me. I just reminded myself that they are just not educated about breastfeeding! But if it makes you uncomfortable do not do something just to prove a point if it will cause you to feel less yourself and not proud

[sweetpeppers]

my son is about that age, and I nurse in public all the time. I don't look around to see if people are giving me dirty looks, but most of the time, I figure they don't know I'm nursing. I'm sure most people think it's weird, but who cares? I try not to let my own insecurities affect the way I respond to my son.

[Anglyn]

I nurse my two year old in public all the time! Its the four and half year old that I refuse to nurse in public now, Im too afraid someone will freak out and call cps. I know I shouldnt let fear rule me,but I cant help it, people around here already freak out over the two year old....

[eunytuny]

I also nip. My ds is 2 3/4 and we were just at Dorney Park (an amusement Park in Allentown PA). He was verbal about wanting "milkies" and I am more than happy to oblige. I saw a woman that just got off a ride and she noticed me from about 40 yards away and I actually saw her point at me to her friend and continue to "whisper" and stare me down. It's hard not to feel like a public spectacle as discreet as you may try to be. I just stared right back at her and felt self conscious. We are doing the right thing for us and our families. We must remember that we will only see these strangers very briefly and they do not have our best interest at heart. Only we do. You are absolutely doing the perfect thing for you.

[lurve]

if you come to phoenix, i am the one nursing her 2.5 year very indiscreetly in piblic. i gave uo discreet a long time ago - my breats are too big aand i am not that creative!!

[smlame]

I nurse a 23 month old in public all the time. The older she gets, the more I get this uncomfortable feeling about it like some authority figure is going to hunt me down and I'll get in "trouble." On the other hand, there is something in me that just refuses to become a recluse so I can continue nursing (which I very much want to do and so does my dd). She nurses so often that if I never NIP then I would literally never go anywhere! So rock on with your public "indiscretion!" You are not alone!

[Ruthla]

By the time DS was around 2.5, we didn't do as much NIPing anymore. Not because I was embarrassed about it, but because he was extremely distractable, and, in general, if we were out, he was too busy to want to nurse. Most of our nursing happened at home, when things were quiet.

But if he needed to nurse, we'd nurse, even if we were at the mall, or the synagogue, or wherever else we happened to be. Sometimes we were out a long time and he needed to unwind, or he'd get bored, or he'd get hungry at a time and place when it wasn't convenient to offer a meal or snack.

[MaryJaneLouise]

to you all!

[dianakaye]

If this makes you feel better...

Most of my friends go to church with me and think that nursing children over a certain age is 'weird'. My LO is just 8 months, but one day a visitor was at church and nursed her 2 1/2 yo. I was so happy I almost cried to see someone proud and nursing an older nursling. I didn't say anything because I'm shy, but it helped me feel more comfortable doing that someday. Remember that sometimes you have no idea who you're influencing to make good choices!

[kcparker]

My son will be two at the end of the month, and we still NIP if he asks for it. We live in a pretty liberal town, where I think even if people were scandalized, they would be too polite to say anything. I nursed DS in the San Francisco airport a few weeks ago, and I don't think anyone even noticed, to be honest. I think most people walk around about half-blind and deaf to their surroundings most of the time. I don't really care if some prude gets their panties in a twist because my child is still nursing and they SAW IT - maybe it will make for a rousing conversation at their dinner table that night - have a blast.

[Mere]

I nurse my 26 month old in public all the time and I haven't really noticed (nor do I care) if other people notice me doing so. What I AM uncomfortable with are ds' constantly changing position, flip-flopping, side-switching, and shirt lifting/tenting. This annoys me in general, not just when I'm NIP, but the um, "additional exposure" that sometimes happens with all of his movement does make me a little more self-conscious when I'm NIP...to the point where sometimes I try to distract him away from nursing.

Clearly, I need to work on some nursing manners here!

[amrijane128]

DD is 31 months and to be honest, I try to avoid it in public. It generally makes me uncomfortable. Not so much that I'm nursing, but as a previous poster said, all the commotion involved. DD and I are both the most comfortable when lying in bed or on the couch with just the two of us, when we're in public, she gets much more active and anxious, which makes me feel the same way.

[mumm]

Hey, I'm the freak nursing her two year old twins in public.

You are not alone and sometimes that mom who does a double take wants to say something positive but knows you probably don't want any more attention, kwim? : Or it is someone who doesn't have a clue!

[Shannie77]

I will nurse my 26 month old in public if she asks. These days she really is only interested when we are at home reading or going to bed, so I don't NIP that often. I do feel slightly uncomfortable but I try not to let that deter me. I keep my eyes on DD to avoid any looks I could get.

[RedPony]

Depends on the moment and how I'm feeling (touched out, distracted, whatever) but I still nurse my 38 month old in public. She's super quick about it because there's so much to do and only asks for comforts sake, I think. We pretty much only nurse 2 or 3 times a day now, so NIP is kind of rare.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

NIP'ing a 27 month old here! I actually just got my first dirty look last Tuesday at the Department of Children and Families. At first I felt a little embarrassed, then I realized they were the ones who should be feeling embarrassed and I waved and smiled at them.

[Starflower]

I NIP'd with DD until she was about 3-1/2 years old. She is big for her age and usually people thought she was a year older. I also didn't cover (she'd never let me). We live in a pretty progressive area. If I saw someone looking at me, I'd just look straight at them and smile.

[greeba]

Add me to the list. My son is just turning 2 1/2 and we nurse wherever. Some people think it's insane to nurse this long, but whatever.