how should you explain breastfeeding to an older child?
ByI have a three and a half year old boy and am due for a little girl in a week. I p[lan to breastfeed her, just like i did for him. He understands that babies drink milk from a bottle. But how should I go about explaining breastfeeding to him?! I know he’s going to ask and i’m just not sure what to say.
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7 Comments
April 23rd, 2010 at 6:03 am
I am so sorry he thinks that bottles are for babies, just tell him this is how we take care of our babies, the right way.
April 23rd, 2010 at 6:19 am
just tell him how animals do it and tell him people do it too. he will be fine with it..but be warned he may be jealous at the closecontact. dont show any embarassment
April 23rd, 2010 at 6:47 am
Keep it short and matter of fact. Tell him that Mommy makes special milk just for the baby. It’s not that hard to understand.
April 23rd, 2010 at 6:53 am
You can tell him that when babies are really little that mommy can give her milk to make her strong and healthy, just like his milk helps him to do. I’d try to get a book that’s for toddlers about breastfeeding and through a story he might just accept it. I’d look online for a breastfeeding book for him.
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:45 am
Similar to the other answers, I just tell the little girl that I babysit that mommys make special milk for their babies. It took her awhile to figure out where the milk is coming from, but now every time she says “you make milk from your boobies”! I always explain it as if it is the most natural thing in the world, because, after all, it is…
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:55 am
Same with me, when I was four my brother was born and I just understood. Do not lie to him first of all. It’s not bad that he knows, in fact he should know. Just do it, he needs to see it’s just a natural thing and he needs to start discovering the world now and not when he’s older, because really there is no difference when he learns, it will still be new to him. When he asks, or even if (I didn’t) ask him where he thought the milk in the bottle came from. It will be a nice learning experience. If you act like it’s a secret and not tell him he’ll start creating new and misleading explanations that will confuse him about the world.
April 23rd, 2010 at 8:47 am
rather then waiting for him to ask, have a conversation about what babies eat before baby arrives.
Tell him plainly that mummy’s make the baby, then mummy’s make the baby’s milk. And that’s what baby’s eat.
Tell him about how babies eat a LOT and that she will spend most of her day drinking mummy’s milk, sleeping and crying.
It’s a good idea to warn an older child that the new baby will cry and sleep alot, then they will cope better when their 3 day old sister doesn’t want to play football just yet.
Also, you could try watching some dvd’s about newborns. Changing diapers, bath time and breastfeeding. He’ll be able ask lots of questions before his sister arrives and then he won’t be shocked or confused.