A ligit breastfeeding question.. not an arguement.?

Question

I nursed my first son and and I'm currently pregnant with my second. I have still not decided if I am going to nurse again. My 6 year old nephew told my mom that "boobies are for feeding babies" (his mother is nursing his 2 year old sister). And although this may be true, I'm not sure if I do decide to nurse again how to explain it to my 4.5 year old son as I KNOW he will ask me. I don't need him going to PreSchool telling girls/women that their boobs are for feeding babies.
So my question:
Mothers who are nursing who have other small children; how did you explain this to them?

MOMMY2LIAM:
Why I am or am not breastfeeding is not really your business.. I was not saying that I am not going to breast feed because of what my nephew said.. I just think it would be inappropriate for my son to go to school and tell women that is what their boobies are for. Why don't you take the time to READ my question. Take tour "Breast is Best" $hit elsewhere.. it was not what I was asking.

Some of your really need to take the time to read questions. I am not ASHAMED of breastfeeding nor am I scared of talking honestly about it to my son. I was simply asking how other mothers explained it to their children. what my nephew said has NOTHING to do with my decision to breast feed my second child.
Some of you woman are so catty, ugly hearted, and are too quick to judge. I simply asked a question.. not to be lectured about my own body.

Answer 1

When I was pregnant with my last two babies, I sat down with them and watched A Baby Story on TLC, and they saw the babies being born and the mommies breastfeeding and all that. That way they got their questions out beforehand and I was able to explain things to them about how things were going to proceed after the baby was born. At the age of 4 1/2 you should be able to just explain that while mama would be breastfeeding with her boobies, that it isn't nice to tell the entire world that boobies are for feeding babies, and he should understand. Basically just expose him to it beforehand. I did it to my boys and they were used to it by the time the third one came along and didn't think twice about it while I was doing it.

Answer 2

I think it is great that a 6 year old is saying that - especially a boy. It is nothing but the truth since that is their biological function. To me it is the same as saying feet are for walking and a nose is for smelling. It is a heck of a lot better than having a child saying that they are Daddy's toys. You'd be better off just teaching him that booby talk is not appropriate in school.
Be honest with your son and he will develop more respect for a woman's body as an adult. When your adult son is married and has a child of his own he will be more supportive if his wife decides to breastfeed.
I am sorry to say that this does prevent many women from breastfeeding. My grandmother made that decision because of my uncle. He was the only breastfed baby of all her 6 kids because she was afraid of what he would think, say or ask and didn't want to go there. Don't worry, you will know the right thing to tell him when the time comes.
Good luck in making the decision that works best for you and your family.

edit to add: I am so sorry that you had to add that this is not an argument to your question. I've been part of that mess, too.

another addition: He'll probably ask you what they are for even if you don't breastfeed. I now remember what my mother told me - they are for the babies to rest their heads on (Also true!).

Answer 3

I have a four year old, and just recently had a baby 6 months ago. I breastfeed her. At first my 4 yr. old would ask me what I was doing. I just told her that I was feeding the baby. I explained that there was more than one way because she asked how I was feeding her without a bottle. It was hard to explain, but she eventually grasped it. I explained that some mommies have a full supply for babies in them everywhere they go.

Now my daughter runs around pretending she is breastfeeding her babies. It's kind of funny, but bad at the same time. But she has an imagination. I can't stop her from doing this. So I taught her "how to" do it in public. And no I don't mean in actual public. Just here in the house because she doesn't do that anywhere else. I just told her that she needs to go to another room and puta blanket over her shoulder and baby so no one could see anything.

Honestly I wouldn't worry too much about it. But bottom line, do what you feel most comfortable with. If you feel comfortable breastfeeding then go for it. If not then go for formula. You could also try breastfeeding your next child and see what happens. Maybe your son won't be that curious. Or always use a blanket and tell him that you're holding the baby.

Best of luck to you. I fully support whichever method you choose.

Answer 4

Just explain that breasts make milk and are designed for feeding babies, and some mommies feed their babies this way and some mommies feed their babies with bottles. If you do breastfeed, it will be so normal to him that he won't even think about how babies are fed.

But I haven't really had to deal with that because my 2 year old is nursing still and of course she knows. However my sister has 5 kids and nursed them all. None of her kids bat an eye at breastfeeding because it is just what people do. They don't bat an eye at bottle feeding either.

Answer 5

Well....your nephew is right. That is their biological function, even if not all human mothers choose to breastfeed. Anyone who is offended by a biological fact needs to lighten up a bit. Is there really something wrong with him telling someone that? How is it different than saying "ears are for hearing" (wow...a deaf person might get offended! you can't say that!) or "eyes are for seeing" (oh no...a blind person might take offense!) or "feet are for walking" (oops...what about that kid over there in the wheelchair?) to someone?

Does your son know what a mammal is? You might explain to him that other mammals such as dogs and cats nurse their babies. He has probably seen some pictures of that in TV shows or in books. You can explain to him that humans are mammals too and human mother's bodies make milk for their babies.

Tell him that there are many different ways that human mothers feed their babies. Some moms give their milk to their babies by putting them to the breast and letting them nurse. Others pump their milk out and put it into bottles for their babies. And some moms choose to buy special baby milk called formula at the store to feed their babies.

If you have any pictures of your son nursing, you can share those with him. There are also several "big sibling books" available that show moms nursing babies.

Answer 6

I have a 4 year old and am breastfeeding an infant. I told my daughter that my body was specially made to feed her sister. She asked questions and wanted to watch how it worked (very curious). And yes, she was quite wiling to tell anyone that her mama was feeding her sister from her "booboos", but the novelty wears off and it's not such a big deal. I wanted her to understand what I was doing and that it's very natural for this to happen. I didn't want her to think it was a big mystery that shouldn't be talked about because that would have made a bigger issue about it. Whether you breastfeed or not, he's going to see someone do it some time and have questions.

Answer 7

I have a 3-year-old daughter and am still nursing my almost 2-year-old. Obviously, my older daughter knows that I nurse her sister, but I don't think she has ever mentioned it to anyone. It's just such a normal, common thing in our house, and we've never made a big deal about it.

If your son is particularly curious, you can explain that your breasts make milk for the baby since he can't eat regular food yet. It's just like all other mammals making milk for their babies. I don't know offhand, but I'm sure there are plenty of kids' books that show moms nursing their babies and other animals nursing their young.

Honestly, if you don't make a big deal out of it, he probably won't either.

Answer 8

I have four boys and i told them that thats what boobies are meant for and some mommies breastfeed,some bottle feed and some do both like i do.They have never gone around telling people that boobs are for feeding babies and frankly if they ever did so what its the truth.Most kids see cats and dogs feed their babies like this so they usually are not shocked to hear humans do it that way also.Start talking about it with your son now,let him know that every body part has a important use,dont let this fear of him saying something stop you from breastfeeding,save your embarrasment for when he says "sometimes my pee pee gets hard" to the cashier at walmart.Good luck and dont worry.Congrats on your little one on the way also.

Answer 9

Even if your son did tell the women at school that "boobies are for feeding babies", what's so wrong about that? You shouldn't be ashamed to tell your son the truth about nature. Kids say lots of crazy things, anyway, and none of it reflects bad parenting.

My friend's four-year-old son saw that his mother was stressed out and he said in front of other people, "Looks like Mommy needs a drink!"

Answer 10

If you choose to breastfeed - don't make an issue of it unless your precocious little man asks. Just tell him that it is all part of mommy's love and it makes her babies healthy. Don't dwell on the "boob" part so much (unless you are ready to give him an anatomy lesson). It worked on my son. I just told him that I was helping his baby sister get healthy like he was. I didn't mention feeding because I knew she would eventually take the breast milk in a bottle (and it might confuse him). That was good enough for him and his little brain was on to something else. He was so use to seeing me nurse, that he doesn't even flinch when he sees other women in public do it. He's nine now and he isn't traumatized or concerned by it. 4 year olds have natural attention disorders :-) - just keep it light, choose your words wisely and offer him a cookie and a kiss. Oh, don't let breast radicals get to you girl! Whatever you choose is YOUR business! :-)