16: Your Boob-Addicted Toddler And the Toddler Breastfeeding Stress Cycle

05/09/23 • 24 min

FREE Instant Access Workshop: Steal my Essential Roadmap to Toddler Wean, Tandem Feed & Extended Breastfeed (without feeling like a human fidget toy, or pushing your kiddo away.)
Your toddler's boob addiction is actually a *GOOD* thing - AND there is a really good reason why it drives you nuts.
Your toddler is still waking frequently at night to breastfeed. You can’t leave them with anyone without an *epic* meltdown. You are embarrassed to take them to the park because of the amount of shirt-pulling that is likely to occur, and it seems everyone around you thinks you should have had this figured out already.
In our culture, all of those things are pretty “strange” for a toddler to be doing.
Because it’s strange, our brains immediately go to “bad”. Psychologically, we want to be like our peers. Practically, the standards we are used to measuring our child against (milestones, growth charts, etc.) are based on averages. “Kids that fall outside of the norm have something wrong with them” is an unconscious belief that is easy to develop.

Your toddler is addicted to your breast, and your only options are tough love or toughing it out. Or so you perceive....
But here is what your unconscious brain misses - it’s not your child with the problem. It’s the culture.

Now, I know that doesn’t seem to leave a lot of hope. You’re thinking: “I can’t change the culture, Jenna. Am I supposed to surrender to this chaos and hope that I survive until my child magically stops being a boob-monster?”

I promise you, there is an alternative to the “tough-love/toughing-it-out” conundrum.
You don’t have to force your child to do anything they aren’t ready for, *and* you don’t have to wait until they decide they are no longer going to scream “BOOB” as they dig their hands into your bra at your in-law’s thanksgiving table. (No? Just me?)
Despite what others around you might say, your child still being “addicted” to breastfeeding is a good thing.
(Catch the blog post that inspired this podcast episode here.)

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide
Love this episode?! Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

Previous Episode

15: Reducing Toxins in Your Home With Dr. Samantha Radford (Evidence-Based Mommy)

Dr. Samantha Radford owns Evidence-based Mommy (evidence-basedmommy.com), where she combines science and wellness to help moms and kids thrive. She is a mom of 4 who has breastfed for nearly 10 years straight. She has been through the highs and lows of natural term breastfeeding, including nursing while pregnant, tandem feeding, nursing aversion, and more.
In this episode we deep dive the biggest toxin exposures to your little one in the early years of life and how to avoid them.
Download Sam's Night Weaning Action Pack here.
Check out The Evidence-Based Mommy Podcast on your favourite podcst player

Next Episode

17: ADHD in women with Katy Weber & the (extended) breastfeeding experience

"Sensory Overload", feeling ashamed of the condition of your house, constantly trying to "get organized" ... maybe it's just early motherhood, or maybe it's ADHD.
As an LC working with breastfeeding moms from pregnancy through to preschool (and beyond!), I have been a little shocked to see how frequently clients come to me who have ADHD, suspect they have ADHD, or are surprised themselves how many boxes they tick off in a screening questionnaire. There are so many ADHDer's in the "extended" breastfeeding community - but I don't see it being spoken about very much.
As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood myself, I knew it was important to open this conversation up in the breastfeeding space, and I knew that Katy Weber would be the perfect person to do it with.
We talk about what the lived experience of an adult woman with ADHD is, different avenues for pursuing a diagnosis, and how to navigate the world once you have one.
A little about Katy:
" Diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 45, I've now made it my mission to help neurodivergent women learn to love their brains!

I've spent the last 7 years coaching women to change their mindset and reframe their self-concept so they can finally recognize and lean into their gifts and abilities.

I'm an author & public speaker, as well as a certified holistic health coach (INHC) and a certified yoga instructor (200 hr RYT). I live in the Hudson Valley, NY, with my husband, two children, our dog, and two cats. Before coaching, I spent 15 years as a newspaper editor & designer. I'm currently pursuing an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

I'm also the host of the Women & ADHD podcast, ranked among the top 0.5% of all podcasts globally."
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Sari Solden's Checklist
Katy's Women & ADHD Community
Katy's Instagram - Women & ADHD Podcast Instagram
Jenna's Episode on the Women & ADHD podcast
Katy's Website (book club, coaching, free resources & more)

Start to Stop Toddler Breastfeeding - 16: Your Boob-Addicted Toddler And the Toddler Breastfeeding Stress Cycle

Transcript

Why Your Toddler's Boob Addiction is a GOOD thing (and the real reason it drives you CRAZY)

Your toddler is still waking frequently at night to breastfeed. You can’t leave them with anyone without an *epic* meltdown. You are embarrassed to take them to the park because of the amount of shirt-pulling that is likely to occur, and it seems everyone around you thinks you should have had this figured out already.
In our culture, all of those things are pretty “strange” for a toddl