National Breastfeeding Month: Educators Supporting Nursing Families

Schools serve as vital community centers, fostering engagement through educational initiatives and offering resources on pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. By cultivating inclusive environments that embrace parents and their children, educators actively advocate for and bolster breastfeeding. Equipping families with educational materials that portray breastfeeding as natural and beneficial not only supports current parents, but also cultivates a future generation that values breastfeeding.

How Can Educators Help?

Changing societal attitudes toward breastfeeding takes time, but educators can make significant strides by promoting understanding among young people and adults. Creating inclusive spaces where breastfeeding parents feel supported is crucial; however, sustainable change occurs when children view breastfeeding as a normal part of life! Educators, alongside librarians, day care providers and local businesses, are essential allies in advocating for breastfeeding.

Here are several reasons why teaching children in the classroom about breastfeeding from an early age is crucial:

• Many children do not witness breastfeeding at home or in public, leading tounfamiliarity or misunderstanding about its importance.
• Media often portrays breasts as solely sexual objects, contributing to societal stigmas against breastfeeding.
• Lack of education perpetuates misconceptions; studies show a significant portion of young adults view public breastfeeding negatively due to inadequate exposure during their school years. 
• Research indicates that children who learn about breastfeeding from educators are more likely to support breastfeeding for themselves and their peers in the future.
• For young children, discussing mother-child relationships among animals can normalize  breastfeeding. Understanding that all mammals, including humans, nourish their young through milk underscores the naturalness and biological importance of breastfeeding.

By integrating breastfeeding education into curriculum and classroom discussions, educators can empower students to appreciate breastfeeding as a fundamental aspect of human biology and family life. This proactive approach not only supports current breastfeeding parents but also fosters a future generation that values and supports breastfeeding/chestfeeding as a normal and beneficial practice.

Books to Know

Here are some books educators can make available in their classrooms to help children better understand nursing as a biological, evolutionary behavior that supports the growth and development of young children:

• Cuddled and Carried / Consentido y cargado by Dia L. Michels. Also available in bilingual editions with Haitian Creole, Bengali, and Washoe. (Mandarin & Amharic coming soon!)
• This Is How I Grow (and Así crezco) by Dia L. Michels
• If My Mom Were a Platypus (and Si mi mamá fuera un ornitorrinco) by Dia L. Michels
• Look What I See! Where Can I Be? With My Animal Friends / ¡Mira lo que veo! ¿Dónde crees que estoy? Con mis amigos los animales by Dia L. Michels
• Babies Nurse / Así se alimentan los bebés by Phoebe Fox
• What Does Baby Want? by Tupera Tupera
• Ziora’s Quest: Mommy’s Milk Rocks! by Amaka Nnamani
• Mama’s Milk / Mama Me Alimenta by Michael Elsohn Ross
• We Like To Nurse by Chia Martin
• We Like to Nurse Too by Mary Young

More breastfeeding resources and learning activities can be found here.

A community is a tapestry woven from the threads of people and experiences. Supporting one another strengthens this fabric, making our community more resilient. Committing to improving infant health and safeguarding the right to breastfeed fortifies us all. Let’s embrace this mission not just in August, but throughout the entire year!