Do you nurse your 2+ yr old in public?

[ruhbehka]

If so, is there an age where you stop or plan to stop?

Do you always nurse them, or does it depend on the situation?

I am really, really uncomfortable with limiting DS' nursing because of social pressure. At the same time, I have never seen a child his age (17 mos) nursing, other than friends from LLL, and certainly not a 2 or 3 year old.

I live in an urban area, and do occasionally see other nursing moms with younger babies, but more often bottles.

A few nights ago, we were eating at Maggiano's, and I actually felt a little uncomfortable nursing DS... we were in a booth facing the restaurant, he was sitting next to me in the booth and nursing quietly while looking around, and we got a few strange looks. (And one smile from a Spanish-speaking older woman who was refilling water glasses and bread baskets. ) I was worried someone might actually say something rude to us.

DS is fairly big for his age (28 lbs), so I am sure that sooner or later, if we continue nursing without second thought, someone will say something. And I'm ok with dealing with that, when it happens.

But I guess I just wonder... why have I never seen a stranger nursing a toddler or older child in public? Why do even LLL books and Mothering magazine and other pro-extended-bf publications talk about limiting NIP as children grow up?

How will people know that children this age continue to nurse... if they never witness it?

Color me confused.

[the_lissa]

I nurse my 17 month old whenever he wants. I haven't got to the point where it makes me uncomfortable, but I did with my daughter. I think she was over 3 at the time.

[art_teachermommy]

my 23 month old still nurses...everywhere. i really don't even think twice about it.
as to why some publications would suggest limiting nip...i have no idea...i've never heard of that...but that's not really saying anything.
i guess basically...i plan to stop nursing my toddler in public when we decide to stop nursing in general

[Poppy Bee]

If she needs to nurse, I'll do it, no matter where we are. But since she's 31 months old, she doesn't nurse a whole lot during the day, so I don't find myself NIP very often. Everyone knows I do it. I've never "shocked" anyone. And some of my friends are non-crunchy formula people. (Okay, so one. But one's enough.)

[Tine]

I do still nurse DD (22 mos.) in public sometimes, but not often. This habit is basically for my convenience. She's a loiterer...will hang out on the boob for AGES...and it takes quite a sales pitch to get her interested in something else once she's nursing.

Out and about, I seldom have the time or find a comfy enough place to chill out and nurse that long. So we nurse mostly at home. That said...I have no reservations about others' perceptions of me NIPing a toddler. Simply don't care, and woe betide the person who harrasses me!

[StayAtHomeMama21]

I am a young mother who looks even younger (really, I look like I'm 16) so I already get enough looks from people and unwanted advice everywhere I turn, so I too am pretty hesitant to NIP too. However, I do feel better when I am with my hubby or my friend who is "still" nursing her 21 month old also.

[RolliePollie]

My son will be 2 in less than two weeks and we still nurse out in public if he wants to. Usually he's too busy to care, but I have no problems with it. He's very tall for his age so I'm sure he looks older. I get a little worried sometimes too because I have such a terrible temper and if someone were to say something to me I would blow up. It doesn't help that I live in WV where there are NO laws protecting nursing mamas.

[birdie22]

I can't remember the last time my ds asked to nurse in public. It must have been around age 2. I never made him stop; he just got to the point that he doesn't think to ask for it when we're out.

I think there are lots and lots of 2 and 3 (and up) yos who are perfectly content to nurse during quiet moments at home, and everyone just assumes they are weaned.

To be honest, if he asked to NIP tomorrow, I would probably ask him to wait until we got home, because I no longer dress for easy access. Just laziness really. But he's not going to ask; he's almost done with nursing at this point.

[miss_sonja]

I nursed my 4 year old at church last weekend. I didn't love doing it, frankly, because she's quite large, but at the time it was a choice between giving in to her request for 'milky' or stepping out while she had a fit. Easy choice.

I don't nurse her anywhere out and about. Church, sure. A movie theater, absolutely. But I wouldn't at, say, the Costco food court. It just feels like it's more a home thing. She doesn't *need* to nurse, unlike an infant, and she can wait.

[earthmama369]

I have a 3-year-old and a 19-month-old, and both still nurse in public. DD doesn't nurse as often anymore, in general, but she has days where all she wants to do is nurse. Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious nursing her in public, but I try to remind myself where those thoughts are coming from and just get with the program. She needs to nurse, we nurse. Period, end of story. Compared to dd, ds is still a baby, and I never feel any qualms about nursing him. Especially if it means that he's going to . . . say, stop writing on my cell phone with a pencil during dd's toddler storytime at the art museum. Or climbing on the art sculptures. For example. Purely fictional, of course. Not at all drawn from actual events occurring yesterday.

[laohaire]

28 months old, and yeah, we still NIP. Honestly there are some very specific situations where I don't feel all that great NIP (such as being on a bench in a mall surrounded by 100 TEENAGERS ... and the other time in the last few months I can think of, I was visiting a woman I didn't know much, but she's a very BIGMOUTH, JUDGEMENTAL European lady... for all I know she would have been my greatest defender, but I didn't want to find out).

It does make it easier to see other women nurse. I have a friend who nursed her child until he weaned at 3.5 (milk dried up during her pregnancy) anywhere, anytime. It helped. While I don't have the flagrant kiss-my-butt attitude as some, I genuinely don't care very much about what people think. I don't even think I'd be really mad if someone complained to me, just sort of like "geez, some people..." and just keep on keeping on.

Even the ones who don't like it, it will help them to see it, help normalize it. At age 18 (I'm 31 now) I think I would have been skeeved to think of someone nursing a 4 year old! (Don't know about 2). Some people, including myself, are ignorant. What can I say.

[alegna]

My dd is almost 3.5 and I still nurse her in public when she needs it. More often these days it's at restaurants (though at 2 I nursed her TONS of times walking through target )

-Angela

[Nan'sMom]

I nurse my 2 y.o. freely in public and I do try to be a bit more discrete with my 3.75 y.o. I've actually gotten only positive comments besides a suggestion to go to the bathroom to nurse by someone who was pretty clearly on some kind of very strong meds.

[Ruthla]

I stopped nursing as much in public when the child was old enough to be easily distracted by stuff going on around us- if DC would be just as happy with a snack and a drink in public, I'll offer that before offering to nurse- though if we'd been at home I might have been quicker to offer to nurse.

But at any age, if DC wanted to nurse in public, and a quick distraction/substitution didn't work, I'd go ahead and nurse. The only time I didn't was the last 6m or so of DS' nursing (3 3/4 to 4 1/4 years old) when we were only nursing in bed.

[maplesugar]

Dd is 21 months and I don't usually nurse in public, but only because she rarely approaches the issue. If she really wanted to I would.

[rabbitmum]

My son turned two a couple of weeks ago and I still nurse when or whereever he asks unless it's completely inconvenient (like on a bus when we're getting off at the next stop). I still dress for easy access, and I don't feel uncomfortable about it, even though he's very tall for his age. I have never had any negative comments.

[Meiri]

They're both well past nursing age, but...

With DS, after 2 I did usually try to distract or put him off until we got home. Sometimes worked, sometimes didnt. If he fell and was upset, I'd nurse him, no question.

With DD, I didn't try to put her off much at all, having figured out that it took less time and energy to just nurse her when she asked than it did to try fooling around. And that had the added benefit of us not having to listen to an upset child on the way home.

She would still nurse at our UU when she was 4, and we had just joined. Might've even done so at 5...?

[wonderwahine]

yes, when he wants to i do, not so much anymore sinces hes pretty much weaned.

[ollineeba]

My dd just turned 3 in Nov and she never asks to nurse in public anymore, but at that age we NIPd all the time.. never had anyone bat an eye, although I was usually watching her.

[snowgirl]

Originally Posted by alegna

My dd is almost 3.5 and I still nurse her in public when she needs it.

Ditto to that! So far, no plans on stopping NIP. My dd is quite reserved so, nursing really helps her to cope when she is uncomfortable. (You know, when people think it is ok to get in her face and talk to her. Grr...) We are very far from ending our nursing relationship too. I can easily see us nursing for at least another year. We also live in Burlington, VT and it seems quite common here.