"Stray" hands - my 12 month old.... just wondering...

Sarah - posted on 05/12/2010

I am sure my daughter would do that---if I let her, but my nipples are far too sensitive! Right now she likes to pet my hair and play with my ears, nose and lips.

Sarah - posted on 05/07/2010

this is normal. you can wear a simple necklace, like a stone on a lanyard while you nurse, something that is long enough not to pull on you too much, and that isn't too fragile. or hold his hand when he does this. distractions like this will help end the habit. good for you that you are still nursing :)

Laurie - posted on 05/06/2010

I am due with my first child in June. Last year my girl friend nursed her baby and complained that he tried to feel her up and she felt uncomfortable. She said she felt sexual when she nursed, and I answered (ignorant of experience) that god made it feel good so we would nurse == and then I read the same hormone that is involved in nursing is involved with orgasm so it all made sense.

Children are innocent and so I plan on letting my daughter feel free while she nurses. Some say I am wrong. I like to do what is natural..

Ivy - posted on 05/06/2010

My daughter does. She is 14 months old. She rubs my arm, breast, tummy, plays with my shirt sometimes plays with my nipple but I pull her hand away and say no because it tickles and feels weird. She rarely does it now, but it is about comfort zone for me.

Amanda - posted on 05/06/2010

that is so cute...my son is seven weeks old & he will rest his hand on top of my breast. sometimes when he's having trouble latching on he'll get upset & grab my nipple (ouch!)

Beth - posted on 05/06/2010

I think all children do that... I have three girls and they still do at times! "I don't mind in the least and two are old enough to have their own breasts! It's natural to feel comfort for them by caressing, playing and such and certainly nothing wrong with it or anything between the lines!

Alisa - posted on 05/06/2010

My Riley loves to grab a fist full of my boob, luckily I am rather fleshy so this only hurts when I need to clip her nails.. The same way she grabs her lovey. My favorite is when she pops off sho she can smile at me. Also when her daddy comes over to kiss her, for whatever reason, if she has been eating for a while she will pop off and smile and coo at him or if she just started she smiles with my boob in her mouth then quickly goes back to nursing. She does all sorts of things, and I love them all. She does play with my other boob when I nurse at night, in bed!!

Robin - posted on 05/06/2010

My 5 month old has been chewing on her fingers for the past few weeks and just started trying to put her fingers in her milk while she is nursing and will get mad when she isnt getting milk.

Kimberly - posted on 05/06/2010

Yes ma'am. Only it hurts! My daughter loves to pull on my nipple. As we speak she is squeezing me. She has always been feely touchy though. She will rub me as if to soothe me, or hold my hand. They love the contact so let them be happy.

Francine - posted on 05/05/2010

My daughter grabs at my face while feeding, she seems to think it is hillarious to grab a fistful of my lip :-) otherwise, she tends to stroke at her face the way I do when I am patting her to sleep, and she will stroke my side and under my arm.

I have been using nipple shields as my shape is a bit odd and she had difficulty latching on (then got used to feeding with them on, so making it difficult to feed without them) but she has started to grab at the shield now as well, often breaking the seal she has and making it difficult to feed her.

Once she gets into the feed though, and starts dozing off, she tends to simply stroke my side and hold onto her hair. She looks so peaceful and angelic. :-)

Alison - posted on 05/05/2010

None of my 3 did that. My daughter played with my hair. I have long hair and she used to twist it round her little fingers. My oldest son used to blow raspberries. My youngest son is only 10 weeks the other day he put his arm in between my arm & my side and started tickling my side.

Katrina - posted on 05/05/2010

all mine did that and my 2 yr old will go grab any ones breast. Which embarasses me. My 7mth old will even crawl to her daddy and play with his. It's a learning thing and I wouldn't let anyone tell you that it's wrong unless the child is like 4 or older.

April - posted on 05/05/2010

My daughter is 26 months and has been weened since 15 months. She still likes to grab and squish my boobs whenever she gets the chance.She thinks it's hysterical.

Katie - posted on 05/04/2010

In the first month I didnt like my girl having her arm in the way just resting on my boob cos I couldnt see if she was still on properly, she used to slip off a bit, and make the nipples a bit sore. So I always moved them away so I could see properly to attach her back on. Since she's improved her attachment and she is strong enough to not need much help anymore, I let her do her own thing.

She's actually progressed through different things, and each arm would do something different,

Currently, one arm reaches back to touch the back of her own head, and she pulls on her hair and pulls it out a bit.

the other arm has been pinching the boob from underneath, and it'd be worried she'd be stopping the flow, then she rested another arm on the same boob close to areola and I think it was stopping the flow a bit, cos on nights when she'd skip a feed, that area would really be swollen with excess milk.

She went through a stage where she'd flap her arm around in the air in a big slow circle, which was kinda cute, but she'd tap my chin or face on the way past sometimes too, she'd be doing that with her eyes closed even!!

so I have found it interesting to watch as each month she tends to do something different with each arm, but haven't had her really pay much attention to the other boob/nipple.

I read that that behaviour at least in new born babies is an innate behaviour to stimulate the boobs/nipples to tell the brain to make the hormone that tells the boobs to make more milk.

Misty - posted on 05/04/2010

My daughter hasn't ventured to the other side yet. But at almost four months old, she holds my boob like its a bottle or pats the top of my boob and strokes my side. I scared her the first time she started stroking me because I wasn't expecting it and it tickled so I started laughing. She did the sweetest thing the other night. I'm a nurse so on the days I work I'm away for 14 hours and only nurse her once in the evening before bed, she sleeps through the night :) Anyway, after a long hard day at work I came home and was nursing her. Three times in a row, she unlatched, rested her face on my boob, and gave me the biggest smile like "I love you Mommy. I'm glad you're home." then went right back to nursing. It made me melt and made my bad day perfect :) I love the little ways they can change your mood.

Meri - posted on 05/04/2010

My mom said that we all did that. But my son is only 8 months old and hasn't figured out how to get into my shirt by himself yet and my other breast is usually never showing. But he has to pink my breast, almost like a kitten pushes on it's mother, he pushes/pinches my breast. I find it very cute. It's not painful, it's tender, but i love it.

Cindy - posted on 05/04/2010

Yep. Even 8 months after weaning. Its cute but not in public :)

Jasmine - posted on 05/04/2010

lol i thought maybe only my daughter does that she really seem to love reaching for the other side while feeding

Selia - posted on 05/04/2010

Mine likes to blow milk bubbles while still at the breast. She pinches the other nipple if we're in the tub nursing and it didn't bother me until recently when it has become a very hard pinch! Ouch!

Lerin - posted on 05/03/2010

My 17m old does that sometimes, but it really gets on my nerves. She usually has grip on the side she's nursing with both hands anyway. Her most recent thing is if I'm not looking at her, she reaches up and turns my face towards her, or if I am looking at, she pushes my face away. Sometimes she tucks her bottom hand between my arm & side & rubs my side.
My older one used to wrap her bottom arm around between my side & arm and pinch the back of my arm.
They do all kinds of cute things.

Teresa - posted on 05/03/2010

He tries. I don't let him. I move his hand away, firmly hold it, or make him get down... depending on how persistent he's being. Since I've been doing that for a long time (he's 2 now) I usually have to just move his hand and he behaves.

Laura - posted on 05/03/2010

Quoting Lisa: "And let's not forget the face buried in the boob raspberries, with a sly look to see if momma's smiling."

That is too funny! I haven't had that yet, but with my son, he is constantly trying to find things that make us laugh. I think he'll probably figure that one out soon!

Thanks for sharing everyone! I just like to see what other cute things other babies do!

Lisbeth - posted on 05/03/2010

Yeah my little one to play with my other nipple too, I think it is just natural for them to play and explore she was very amused when she finally did make milk come out. My niece thought it was the neatest thing ever she was three at the time and was always curious to see what exactly the baby was doing lol

Rebecca - posted on 05/03/2010

To Becky,
Hi - have you checked to see if you've got nipple thrush? - it comes on quite quickly and makes your nipples very sore

Minnie - posted on 05/03/2010

I get a little hand shoved inside my bra, or up under my shirt to touch my neck, or patted and stroked across my chest.

She tries to pinch and poke, but that doesn't last long, lol.

And let's not forget the face buried in the boob raspberries, with a sly look to see if momma's smiling.

Julia - posted on 05/03/2010

Just wait 'til he grabs it so hard he squirts himself in the face.

Becky - posted on 05/02/2010

My son likes to grab my arm and hold onto it, or rub my chest, or sometimes hit my nice flabby stomach. He doesn't touch the other breast, but he's just started grabbing and pinching my nipple if I don't cover it up as soon as he's done. My nipples are currently quite sore for some reason, so I don't like it at all when he does that! (I find all the rest adorable though) So I cover up or sit him up away from my breasts as soon as he's done.

Jasmine - posted on 05/02/2010

my 15 week old baby girl does she loves rubbing on my boobie and even squeezing them while she nurses and sometimes she will even spit my nipple out and pinch it then latch right back on all by herself... lol... it makes for quiet a few laughs and a few ouchs

Renee - posted on 05/02/2010

My son did that too, he is now weaned and still grabs a nipple if he happens to be around when I am getting out of the shower. I never liked it much and still don't, although I think it's only natural to fiddle when they lay in our laps for so long. It would get boring after a while and it only makes since to fiddle with something in reach, even though I didn't like it much, I never made a big fuss over it. He was just being a baby, but now I tell him no that they are mine and he can't do that anymore since he is 2 and totally weaned.

Renee West Tx