Toddler

Toddler Nursing Part II – Toddler vs. Breastfeeding

Written by guest blogger, Andrea J. Blanco, IBCLC

Have you ever read Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea?

“ROAR!! I’m a dinosaur! ROAR! NOTHING CAN STOP ME!”

It’s a cute little book about this dinosaur who faces many challenges, and wins all but one. The dinosaur is FOR SURE a toddler. I just know it.

In my previous post, we talked about some of the reasons why nursing a toddler can be a helpful transition for you and your little one. Dealing with a little person who has so many changes going on all at once can feel a lot like those battles in Dinosaur vs. Bedtime. Here are some suggestions for turning the tables on your little dinosaur or dinosaurette.

I want to keep nursing, but am being pressured to quit.

Toddler Nursing and How it Helped Me Manage My Circus – Pt I.

Written by guest blogger, Andrea J. Blanco, IBCLC

When my first son was a baby, he absolutely hated car rides. On a trip to the bookstore, I came across Dr. Seuss’ “All Aboard the Circus McGurkus!.” I read that book to him every day and soon came to find the only thing to keep him calm during those car rides was my reciting lines from the book.

“The Circus McGurkus, the World’s Greatest Show. On the face of the Earth or wherever you go…” 

My son is seven now and I still remember most of the lines. So, when I asked a group of moms to give me one word to describe toddler nursing in preparation for this post, imagine my delight in realizing their answers could fit right into our beloved book:

“Amazing. Demanding. A Haven. Stupendous.”

“Loving. Convenient. Tantrum Fixer. Endless.”

Ok, so maybe no one said “stupendous”. But, you get the idea.

When a Toddler Bites While Nursing

Written by guest blogger, Leigh Anne O'Connor, IBCLC

Nursing a toddler is a confounding joy! He demands you sit. He does gymnastics and yoga while slurping your sweet nectar. Nursing is a great tool to calm a wild child or heal a skinned knee or a broken heart. These little people are growing rapidly. One day they are crawling, the next they are waddling toward the stairs or the dog food dish.  One day they mumble “mama” and “gaga” and then they learn the power of “NO!!” 

Another big change going on in the little body is the mouth – teeth are multiplying like bunnies in there. If a baby is latched correctly, his teeth are covered by his tongue.  Ah, but the older nursling has teeth on top and bottom! Yikes! As he is feeling those incisors pushing through his flesh nothing will sooth that sensation like biting down on something nice – like a breast!  Ouch! 

So, what is a mother to do?

Entertaining a Toddler While Breastfeeding a Newborn

I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are about the 100 or so amazing questions submitted to our article, What Breastfeeding Topics Would You Like to Know More About?  From inquiries about breastfeeding after reduction surgery to dealing with a teething infant, our blog calendar is now FULL for the rest of the year, just answering your questions!  YAY!!! 

For the rest of the year, Thursday will be the day we delve into our readers’ questions, adding to our series, Help A Breastfeeding Mama Out!  We will also answer your questions on our ‘Ask the Experts’ segment on The Boob Group online radio show.

 

Here is our question of the week:

Dear SDBFC,
I would love to learn more about nursing a second baby with a toddler running around. I remember how hard it was with C and how it consumed everything for the first couple weeks getting my daughter to latch, and nurse, and stay awake to nurse...and I am due in October when C will be two and the thought of doing that with her running around terrifies me. Any tips?
 
Alicia

Managing a Toddler and a Newborn

This is Kim, Robin’s sister-in-law. I have three amazing daughters, one which was just born 4 days ago. In my 4.5 years of being a mom, I’ve read a fair amount about parenting and have gotten some really great (and some really terrible, uninvited, and/or borderline-criminal) advice along the way. I thought I’d share some of the highlights with you from time to time.

When my second daughter was born, my first was 22 months old. Like most moms adding another child to the family, I was concerned about how I would manage two little ones and how my first would react to a new baby joining our family. I sought out tons of advice and suggestions, and I’ve included the ones I found most helpful below. Now, as a caveat, I think these suggestions are great when the older sibling is a toddler. Some of them probably work no matter what the age, but obviously some will not apply if you have a preschooler or older, or if you’re having your kids super close together. So, try what makes sense to you, and disregard what won’t work - which, incidentally, is my approach to all parenting advice.