A Toddler's Take on Breast Feeding vs. Bottle Feeding.

Kirsten has quickly become a professional carer for any baby in her sight. She's got the diaper changing process down to the details. Diaper rash cream, baby powder, a diaper, and seventy two wipes. Heck she even gets the changing pad out of the diaper bag most of the time. The girl cares for her babies and their bums.

She's also quickly perfected the art of baby food feeding. The dolly (or monkey or bear or puppy) is carefully placed in the play highchair, the tray/top put down every so gently, and don't think for a minute that she'd forget to put a bib on whoever is eating at the time. The peas (which is the only imaginative play baby food jar we have) are heated up on the play stovetop, and an oh-so-clean spoon is pulled out of the toy box to feed her baby with. Kirsten smiles, coos, and sings to the baby while she's feeding him or her (or it).

Not only does she change diapers and feed these babies, but she also rocks babies to sleep, she burps them, she gives them baths, she places them ever-so-gently in their crib when they're tired, she pushes them in the stroller, she gets them dressed, she dances with them, she reads them books, she loves them.

When the babies get hungry, and the peas haven't been enough to satisfy them, she knows they need some milk. So, she'll say or sign milk, and round up all the necessities for her task at hand. It looks a little different based on what she's going for, but there are usually two sets of items she rounds up.

Often she'll go for one set that includes a Boppy pillow, a blanket, and her brother's taggy blanket (his lovie).  The other set, which she chooses at other times, includes a bottle and a burp cloth. As she feeds the baby, either way, she is rocking them and kissing them. Shushing them, hugging them. Stopping to burp the baby and coo at him for a little while before continuing to feed her hungry baby.

It's telling, that when I nurse Simon, my tools of choice are ordinarily the Boppy pillow, a blanket to warm us up with, and his lovie for him to snuggle by his face. It's also telling, that when my sister, Kari, feeds her twins, her necessary objects are a bottle (well, two bottles, one for each twin) and two burp cloths.

It's also extremely telling that Kari and I both rock our baby boys, we kiss them and shush them, we place their little heads on our shoulders to burp them, and Lord knows we smile and coo at them like it's our job. Because it is our job. To love them.

Kirsten's a wise little one, I think. She knows and understands what so many mothers quarrel and hurt each others' feelings about so frequently and deeply. She's not concerned about how these babies she's taking care of are receiving their milk, but what is important to her is that they get it and that they're loved to pieces while they're doing so.

I think we can all learn a little something from my sweet little toddler, who may very well be wise beyond her years.

I wouldn't (however) recommend taking any dog feeding tips from her.