Breast ‘addiction’ in toddlers

“Most breastfeeding children tend to have a generalized attachment to their mother's breast(s), and this often continues after weaning, particularly during the period before they are fully verbal and have enough expressive vocabulary to describe their insecurities or need for comfort,” says Dr. Shuvo Ghosh, Montreal Children’s Developmental Pediatrician.

 

“A somewhat instinctive, habitual desire to reach for a previous source of comfort is quite common, and this can extend to other people or items as well. Usually, between the ages of 2 and 3, when the child is able to communicate more effectively using phrases and short sentences, this habit begins to diminish and as the child develops more and more interests and finds comfort or soothing in other activities, it diminishes further. While there is no exact age when this behaviour disappears completely, the majority of children who seek this kind of comfort in attaching to their mother's breast will learn to refrain by age 3.”