Do your older kids tell their friends they nurse? - Page 2

[Oak]

This is also my first post, and I am feeling so relieved to "be among friends". My daughter, just 5, used to tell people but does so less as she gets older. She calls it "milkies" and is allergic to other milks, so it has sometimes caused confusion (like when we were visiting a friend's house w/ a super attentive dad, who was on his way back from the kitchen with a glass of milk before i even had my boob out after she asked for milkies). My favorite conversations about it all have been w/ the other kids at the preschool, who ask why, etc, and I ask them if they drink milk from cows, etc, and watch the wheels turn in their heads...
but i am sad that she seems to be getting more self conscious about it, as do I, even in a fairly liberal city.

[DoubleLove]

*I* nursed until I was almost 5 and I love to tell my friends about it!

I still have vague sweet memories of it. I also remember tandem nursing with my then one year old sister. We adore each other today!

I feel very fortunate to be a product of a hippy mom from the 70's!

[CheriK]

I honestly don't think it ever came up beyond preschool. My twins nursed for 5 1/2 and 6+ years, but by the time they weaned they were only nursing at night before bed. It was just part of the routine - do your kids talk to their friends about brushing their teeth? Of course, nursing is more meaningful than that, but for our kids, there's nothing remarkable about it.

My daughter's best friend, who we've only known for a year (so DD was weaned before meeting her), still nurses at 5+. And they do talk about it, but then both moms are nursing 14 month olds and they have sleepovers and the like, so my DD sees her friend nursing. I think it only comes up because we're around when she nurses.

When we talked about weaning (we talked about weaning for a LONG time ), they were really surprised to find out that most of their friends . . . okay, ALL of their friends were already weaned.

[kythe]

I know this is an older thread, but I've been thinking about this.  My 10 year old nursed until she was 5. We haven't really talked about it for a long time, but she recently told me that she thinks she should have stopped around age 3 since that is how long "most people" nurse.  I really don't know where she got that from.  She doesn't seem aware that most people don't breastfeed past a few weeks if at all, but I haven't figured out how to tell her. 

A couple of years ago, we were at a public park and my daughter started playing with a particular boy.  I started talking to his mom, and happened to overhear my daughter telling the boy that she nursed until she was 5.  (I don't know how you get on that topic with a total stranger, but that's kids for you )  My first reaction was embarrassment since I was unprepared for that and didn't know how the other mother would react.  But the other mom said, "Oh that's so good for her!   My son nursed until he was four."  We are still friends to this day.