A toddler’s take on breastfeeding

About six months ago, a toddler who is still nursing started at my daughter’s daycare. Alexandra’s teacher told me that she was very curious. Baby’s mom would nurse her in the morning in the toddler room and Alexandra would sit beside them and watch.

When I picked her up that first day, she told me about it, very shyly and she led me to believe that she remembered nursing. It was very cute and it made me happy to think that she still remembered.

A couple of weeks ago she started to talk about breastfeeding again. There is a new baby in her daycare – I’m guessing he’s about 18 months – and his mom breastfeeds him when she drops him off in the mornings. Alexandra told me about him and his mommy, only this time she told me that she wanted to “do like him”.

Just before bed one night last week, I decided to record one of our many conversations.




Alexandra and I had a great breastfeeding relationship. When she was about 16 months old she was down to just one feed a day (every morning – unless she requested to nurse at night). She started to become more active and more interested in what her older brother was doing, and one morning she just didn’t want to breastfeed. I didn’t push it on her, and slowly she completely lost interest.

I felt a little sad when she told me what her new friend does with his mommy. In fact, it made me wish that I hadn’t stopped breastfeeding. My little girl is growing up. She is potty trained, she tells jokes, she carries her dolls in a sling…

She is still my baby, and even though she stopped nursing when she wanted to stop, just for a moment, I wished that she was still looking up at me and playing with my hair while she nursed.

Oh and here is the pic of her feet that she requested. Please note that she didn’t sit still for this picture…



(sorry for the quality of the video & pics, I took them with my iPhone)