One of the best things we can do for our children as nursing mothers is to normalize the breastfeeding relationship to them. When they don’t bat an eye at a baby at the breast, then we’ve successfully taught them that feeding babies is normal, natural and nothing to gawk at or criticize. I don’t think we need to go to extremes to do this, but we should be conscientious in some matters.
When my oldest child was younger, I made an observation that whenever a baby was being fed in any of her books, it was always drinking from a bottle. She noticed this as well. She knew that she and her baby brother had been breastfed. Bottles were the thing that seemed strange to her. Breastfeeding in picture books didn’t seem to exist. Why weren’t the babies being given Mommy’s milk, too? So I started to hunt around to see if there were any children’s books that did include nursing babies within their pages.
Breastfeeding in Picture Books
Here is a list that I’ve compiled of books that do show children (babies and older children!) who are being lovingly nursed by their mamas.
- Kisses Kisses, Baby-O!
by Sheree Fitch
- The Baby’s Catalogue by Janet Ahlberg
- Mama’s Milk
by Michael Elsohn Ross
- Mommy Feeds Baby
by Christy Jo Hendricks
- Good Morning, Sun
by Rebecca Hamilton
- I’m Made of Mama’s Milk by Mary Olsen
- We Like to Nurse by Chia Martin
- A Ride on Mother’s Back: A Day of Baby Carrying Around the World by Emery Bernhard
- Nursies When the Sun Shines by Katherin Havener
- Mommy Breastfeeds My Baby Brother by Mark Repkin
- Sally Weans from Night Nursing by Lesli D. Mitchell
- Ready to Wean: The Return of the Dangling Red Earrings by Elyse April
- Mama’s Milkies by Stephanie Craft
- Supermom by Mick Manning
- My New Baby by Rachel Fuller
- We Have a Baby by Cathyrn Falwell
- Michele: the Nursing Toddler, A Story about Sharing Love by Jane M. Pinczuk
- The Best Gifts by Marsha Skrypuch
- The Wonders of Mother’s Milk by Mishawn Purnell-O’Neal
- Hello, Baby by Jorge Uzon
by Sheree Fitch
by Michael Elsohn Ross
by Christy Jo Hendricks
by Rebecca HamiltonThere’s a nice list to start building your stockpile of books that show nursing mothers!
Love this list! Sharing on the Homegrown Friends Facebook Page today!
Thank you for sharing!
This is a FANTASTIC list! Just wanted you to know that The Best Gifts has been republished in a brand new edition. Here’s the amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Gifts-Marsha-Forchuk-Skrypuch/dp/1554552834/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406078951&sr=1-1&keywords=the+best+gifts+skrypuch
My 4-year-old niece is intensely interested in my nursing baby, an interest that I encourage. However, her mother was unable to breastfeed. Do any of these portray breastfeeding AND bottle feeding positively?
Big Sister Now shows breastfeeding and additionally the house is a mess and the mom looks exhausted so it’s realistic 🙂
All The Places to Love shows breastfeeding but it (breastfeeding) is not even mentioned… Completely normalizes it (along with home birth and multi – generational living!). Plus the artwork is amazing.
The beautiful watercolor book “The Baby” by Monica Greenfield shows the baby nursing twice and drinking from a bottle once. The book before it is called “Sweet Baby Coming” and is all about the pregnancy.
Best Milk by Kate Carothers:)