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Breastfeeding my 15 month old on holiday

I have never been worried about breastfeeding in public but stopped doing so with this lo when she was about 9 months old partly because she got too distracted and my nipple wouldn't stretch as far as she wanted to pull it when she was looking around but mainly because she has always fed in the rugby position and I need a chair with arms for her to lie on especially as her legs have got longer.
We had booked a weekend in Berlin quite a while ago and to be honest, as my first 2 had stopped feeding themselves at 8 and 11 months, I had thought that my daughter would too (or at least only be feeding morning and evening and not the 6 times a day she does still feed!).
I did feel a bit nervous before we went but generally it wasn't too bad. She fed both ways on the plane which was great as she is a routine baby who only usually likes to sleep in her cot so my bf her stopped her screaming and got her off to sleep before too many people gave me that look of "can't you keep that baby quiet?"
Whilst we were there I fed her in a variety of places including on a bench outiside the Brandenburg Gate, in Dunkin donuts (when she'd finished she crawled off down the long bench to the other end where her brothers were!) at the airport (no bf facilities so had to sit on a ledge in the bottle feeding room which was very uncomfortabble!) and in Berlin Zoo!
I didn't have any comments from anyone but a nice experience in the zoo where I chatted to a German woman who was bf her 2 1/2 year old. Another lady with a baby walked past and looked at us and smiled and bf must be contagious as when I'd finished and got up I saw another lady sitting down and start bf.
Anyway I just wanted to share my experience but also ask if anyone breastfeeds older babies /children in public? xx

Replies

  • Hi Arg
    Glad you had a good holiday.I do think that in this country we had a very poor attitude to breast feeding past a certain age.I am still b/f my lo who is 13 months now.

    I get comments all the time like "are you still b/f her" "you do know that she can have cows milk now" when are you going to stop etc ...
    I don't know when I will stop I am hoping she will start to wean herself off .
    It just still feels like the right thing to be doing at the moment not the wrong thing.I do know what you mean about feeding in public now she still likes her milk during the day but I try not to feed in public as I do feel a bit self consious that people may be looking and as you say they are hardly easy to feed at this age when they just want to see whats going on all the time.

    Well done to you
    xxxxx
  • hi. i breastfed all my 5. and have breastfed the longest at 2 years, but currently i am still feeding my 13 month old boy. and he feeds 4-6 times a day still. although he is feeding less and less now but he sometimes stil demands a feed in public. we went on holiday 4 weeks ago and he wanted to feed, i was always concious of feeding him in a area that in wasn't familiar with and felt comfy with doing so. i did get some looks and snigers but, you know, it made me more determined to feed him when ever i was out just to make a point that he wasn't ready to drink cows milk ( i have tried him , and he really isn't that keen) and still wanted mummies breast milk. i really don't know what the problem is , i keep myself covered , you really couldn't tell that i was feeding at all. all i can say is that some people are very small minded and need to look at the wider picture of life.
    well done to all breast feeders who feed their toddler - be proud.xxx
  • Hi i have 3 children and no 4 on the way. I have bf all 3 the first till 2 1/2 second till 14 months and third till 20 months. Have fed them all in public places and luckily not had any neg comments. I plan to feed no 4 for as long as i can too.
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