My oldest weaned abruptly when she was just 12 months old. She had been a great little nurser, but longevity was not on her agenda. My second, though, he was in it for the long run. As we rounded his second birthday, he showed no signs of slowing down on his “mama milk.” So, we continued. It’s what he needed and it was working just fine for me, so why not?
By this age, he was very vocal about his favorite thing which he enduringly called “mama milk." Feeling happy? Have some milk. Thirsty? There’s my mom! Hurt/sad/emotionally distraught? Snuggles and milk can fix that in a sec!
He would latch and sigh and often I’d hear a deep “Mmmmmm.” He was in his own little heaven, complete with mama, breast milk and the rush of happiness that our quiet snuggles would bring.
So, one day, I decided to ask him a burning question I'd been curious about for years, “What does mama milk taste like?”
At almost 3, I knew he’d have something to say and by the contemplative look on his face, it was obvious he was trying hard to find a comparison. His eyes got big and he exclaimed, “Mama milk is very much kinda like … yummy … white … DOUGHNUTS! I love it!”
So, there you have it. If you’ve ever been curious about what breastmilk REALLY tastes like, it’s flavored much like a doughnut. The yummy white kind, according to one walking, talking nursling.
But I couldn't help but wonder, if that's what my kid thought, what did other nursing toddlers think their mama's milk tasted like? So I reached out to some fellow extended breastfeeding moms and their kids to get the scoop, straight from the mouth of not-so-little babes.
"Frosting!" – Drees, 3
"Mommy nummy like chocolate!" – Silas, 2
"Melted ice cream." – 3-year-old girl
"Mama mops [her word for nursing] just tastes like mama mops." – Juniper, 3
"It’s pretty much my favorite Frappuccino, but not so cold." – Anonymous 3.5-year-old
"Milkies are so sweet!" – Cora, 2.5
"Mama, you have the best vanilla milk!" – Hazel, 2
And, in case you're not sure whether to trust a toddler's taste buds, mom Breanna said her daughter isn’t quite talking yet, but her partner gave it a try and said breastmilk tasted a lot like horchata.
That's right: horchata.
So there you have it folks, breast milk appears to unanimously taste like dessert. Not too shabby if you ask me.
