To draw the line at breastfeeding my hairbrush

[TheAvocadoOfWisdom]

DD is 18m and bf morning and evening. In the last month or so, she's become very insistent on having her favourite cuddly monkey and dinosaur breastfeed too. She finishes feeding on one side, then holds up monkey to let him feed, making pretend sucking noises, and then gives dinosaur a turn. Repeat on other side, and then back to the first several times. It's become a bit of a ritual, although she does miss out dinosaur if she's tired.

Yesterday, I had to breastfeed a toy car. Fine, ok, it's a one off. Today she wants me to breastfeed my hairbrush. I said no (in a cheery, casual way), and she had a full-on tantrum (the sort where toddlers make their body all melty so you can't hold on to them, and then when you try to lie them on the floor they arch their backs so that you can't put them down easily, followed by kicking and wailing).

AIBU? Or should I indulge her?

When DS was born and DD was 16 months nursery expressed their concern that DD had taken to walking round all day with a toy trumpet against her chest.

I was expressing to feed DS who had tongue tie...

I can give an update here: I caved in to feeding the hairbrush over the weekend, but on a friend's advice, adopted the don't offer/don't refuse approach to weaning it, and made sure that DD couldn't see it during her Monday feeds. It's been 3 days now, and I think the hairbrush is successfully weaned :o I did have to feed DD's pyjama trousers, but it's only been the once.

Poor hairbrush. Is it OK with a cup?

DD (2.5) once asked me to feed a figurine of Boris Yeltsin...

Brilliant, thanks for giving me my first chuckle of the week!!

I think I'm gonna carry on breastfeeding longer now just to see if dd makes me do this, very funny love it

What if the hairbrush has tongue tie?

You wont get that done on the NHS.

Oh God, this is so funny. So typically toddlerish. I snorted at the toy car.

I think you have to draw some boundary lines. She's seeking to control you and succeeding. You have to allow her to get on with the tantrum and ignore it.

Hilarious, so glad both of mine self weaned at 15 months before they could start pulling these stunts.

msVelvet you need to read the Peter Andre really loves his kids thread, I nearly suffocated laughing so hard at it last night.

This is so funny and cute and lovely.

My DD is only 10 months but just starting to do 'cute' things while nursing, I am really looking forward to when she can talk about it, if I can still be breastfeeding then.

Brilliant! I know have tears running down my face, and DH even cracked a smile. If DD hadn't self weaned at 13 months I'm sure her sheep would 'need' a bf too!

It's been a rough day but thanks to this thread I'm in a much better mood! DS is too serious to do things like this (shame) so loving the laughs I'm getting thanks to others

Brilliant! DD is 23mo and has just started to share her feed with Puppy (imaginative naming Chez Stetsons).

Maybe I'll see if I can get her to feed Puppy instead though, save me being pinned to the sofa like the early days

stetsons please tell me this isn't a real puppy???? :o

God no!!! It's her favourite little Jelly Cat one. The only thing she'll consider sharing me with, apparently

lol, my ds2 used to get me to bfeed his toy digger! the thing you do for a toddler!

I don't know if I'm glad ds seems to have self weaned at 14months or sad that I'm missing out on all this. The worst I got were his feet in my face.

Today DS surpassed himself. He handed me a piece of his artwork (stickers and scribbles), and announced "Titty milk on paper, please mummy!"

Is that like "oil on canvas" then? Tate Modern here we come!

AIBU to be envious of the OP? She's having all the fun with her breastfeeding 18 mo and here I am with a stroppy little 16 mo DS2, who merely removes my hands from the keyboard very firmly when I'm attempting to MN at the same time as feed him.

DS1 used to ask me to breastfeed his cuddly toys but only after he'd stopped breastfeeding altogether.

Love this thread. I've bfed a Scuttlebug

I think BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte might win the prize with the figurine of Boris Yeltzin

I actually got a tear in my eye the first time DS (23mo) bfed one of his toys.

BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte, I'm intrigued as to why your DD had a figurine of Boris Yeltsin in the first place!

This thread made me laugh so much I woke DD up, she is not impressed :o

Excellent - I thought it was just me. I have been handed Sophie the giraffe, dolly, a duplo brick, a spoon, a pen, a Balamory case (did you know Spencer is now a bus driver? And was I the only one who wanted to write Calm Down Archie! on youtube when Miles Jupp did Prodigy for Sports relief?) a book - all with a smile of joy from DD2 and the clucking sounds.

But best of all...she gave a wooden tiger to DHs Moobs (A to the D to the G cup!) and did the sucking sounds to him too.

A child calls it titty milk? Classy

DD1 has tried to bf DD2 when she was hungry as a newborn - DD1 was about 21m at the time. DD2 was singularly unimpressed by tiny toddler nipples.

DD1 & DD2 regularly pump their 'bahs' with a breast pump that a kind MNer sent me after I posted about needing a toy pump for the DDs - sometimes it because they are too ill to bf, sometimes it's because baby is too ill to bf....

DD3 just tweaks her own nipples if I won't let her 'honk' me (she shoves her hand down my top and squeezes me which drives me mad now I'm pg). Funny child

I have fed a few dolls and they sometimes use my knitted breast to feed their babies (I am a peer supporter) though DD2 has tried to feed off it before as a toddler....