My dd(3) keeps on trying to bf!!!

[Carmenere]

She was bf until 4 months but I had to stop for medical reasons and she happily had bottles since then. She still has the odd one if she wakes at night or whatever.

But recently she has been asking me about my breasts and asking me if I have 'drinks' in them and making a dive for them I find it a bit unsettling tbh. I think the reason could be that I told her that they were for feeding babies and she seems to be wanting to stay a baby as long as possible.
Any ideas how to handle this?

How would you feel about letting her try? She would soon find there is nothing there and might stop asking

ds often wants to play a game about being a baby and pretends to be inside my tummy and be born etc

you could do some role play about her being a baby, pretend to feed her (cuddle her against your breast and make feeding noises etc)

I think they remember on a deep level that total comfort of being a baby and being fed. Can't blame them for harking back to it

my dd is obsessed with mine. she's almost 2, & i fed her until jan this year. don't know what to suggest really. she is keen for hers to grow too .

Franny - your ds's game is so sweet!! Ds is a bit younger but we often tell the story of when he was born.

Carmenere - I think F&Z's advice is good. What she is doing is very natural, even if you think it is a bit odd.

My DD sometimes asks to BF - usually when my DS (who is 14 months) is feeding. I certainly don't want her to try as she'd probably just ask every time (it's a different prob to yours as she is jealous of brother being on lap feeding).

Anyway I just explain that when she was younger she had mom's milk and now she is a big girl she has her milk from a beaker etc.. She likes the idea of being a big girl - so again is different to your problem.... Sorry not much help!

I might well do that Franny, I am a bit worried about her resisting growing up though. She is refusing to be potty trained and I'm linking it to the fact that we have taken her dummy away from her except for night time. We've been telling her that they are just for babies, ditto with pull ups so I think she has decided that she would rather be a baby[worried emoticon]

I will try the role-playing, it might get it out of her system.

Maybe try not to worry about the growing up stuff. She will be ready to potty train at some point and you don't want her to pick up on any anxiety.

My DD3 has some friends who are 3 months older whom she idolises! Have you tried mixing with slightly older children?

The roll play also sounds like a good idea.

I remember ds going through a stage of wanting to play this baby game every morning and evening

I mentioned it to a friend and she said her dd was doing almost exactly the same, the must have been just 3 y o I think

I think in general although we all want our children to be independent and so on, it's best if we can let it happen at their own pace as much as possible

ds has always done things that most people would regard as hideously babyish (still slept in our bed, was breastfed etc for years) and yet he is a very confident and together little person

I feel if you let them be 'babyish' when they need to, it actually helps them move on to greater independence when they are ready for it

Oh ok so the concensous is that when they are a round 3 they often want to hold on to their 'baby-ness' for a little while? Makes sense I suppose as it is a transition time.

Lasy weekend in LGJ her gorgeous ds(6) asked her why she was wearing napppies as they were just for babies. She hero worships him so the next thing you know she announces that she is just going to change into her knickerscue several puddles on Lgj's lovely carpet

I am usually veeery relaxed about stuff like this so I will just go with it and stop worrying, the last thing I want is for her to pick up on my stress.

er I meant LAST weekend but in truth it was very lazy

I remember a child at gym club asking ds in tones of awe why he was still "allowed" nappies (he was 3 before he potty trained and quite tall for his age too)

I think the other child was a bit jealous tbh

Yes I think it is really normal Carmenere and can be a harmless and nice game to play together. I think they instinctively know / remember that as babies they were adored unconditionally as well, and being 3 is usually a time of a little more conflict, so I think they are missing the days before they sometimes felt disapproved of. The stress of having to live up to expectations of good behaviour and appropriate development is hard on them/

my dd is using my breasts as a comfort blanket just now, shes 22m - so cute, but a little embarrasing in public when she is constantly trying to put her hand down my top, bless

I had something similar with dd when she was sround her 3rd birthday and I can honestly say rather than try to tell her things are for babies and she is a big girl is just go with it.
Especially if telling her things are for babies are the things in her comfort zone it is only natural she wants to cling onto them, her dummy her pull ups are things she is comfortable with would you want to let something you hold so strongly as normal go???
DD never potty trained until the crhristmas holidays and she was starting in nursery in January so we cut it fine. I just literally told her one day right there is the potty we won;t be using nappies anymore in the house at least and left her to it and I was out the room to answer the phone when she peed on the potty and we have never looked back. I tried not to make a big deal about giving up the nappies but made a HUGE deal about the pee and she has had only a handful of accidents since.
The dummy well dd is 3 yrs 8months and STILL has hers at bedtime still never managed to get that off her but she is reling on it less and less so I suppose one day it will happen.