We’re all accustomed to referring to Coco Austin and Ice-T’s sweet daughter as baby Chanel Nicole. But she is actually a toddler, now.
When Coco shared a sweet pic of her daughter laying against her chest, fans asked if Coco is still breastfeeding.
Coco answered, and that is when the controversy began.
Though Coco has made controversial claims in the past, her caption of this sweet photo is totally innocuous.
“I follow some mother empowering pages here on Instagram.”
There are tons of empowering blogs on a number of subjects, including motherhood.
“And I love the inspiring pics they post showing the tenderness and love between a mother and child.”
They really do!
“With or without nursing moments.”
Not all mothers can nurse, but they can still bond with their children, and Coco is sure to include them.
“I love that I can be a part of that.”
She then credits her sweet young daughter with helping her to grow as a person.
“@babychanelnicole has made me a more sensitive person now that I’m older.”
Coco’s post elicited literally thousands of responses.
Some were questions for clarification.
Sweet toddler Chanel, who was born in November of 2015, is now two and a half years old.
Some of Coco’s followers wondered if Coco still nurses her.
Coco is always happy to chat with her followers, and she replied, writing:
“Yep, but it’s more for comfort now.”
Breastfeeding can become very controversial in the United States after a child tunrs two.
But Coco received praise and affirmation from many of her followers, who wrote:
“Breastfeeding is a beautifil bond between a mom and a child.”
That is true! Though, of course, not all mothers are able to breastfeed and that is okay, too.
“Good for you! [red heart emoji] My baby and I recently stopped breastfeeding but we made it to 21 months!”
Chanel is older than that, but many babies quit breastfeeding long before they reach 21 months.
“This pic is so beautiful..only a BF mommy would get it..i still excuslively BF my son..hes 16mths..he wont even entertain cows milk but tbh im happy for him to still breastfeed untill hes ready to give up. … I would never stop until HES ready..”
Though BF usually stands for boyfriend or best friend, in this case, it stands for breastfeeding.
Not all commenters were on the same page, however.
One commenter said that breastfeeding is fine, but only “when they’re still babies not full grown toddlers.”
Another suggested an alternative way of showing affection to Chanel.
“Breast Feeding an almost 3 year old is weird you can hug your Child to show love.”
Someone else accused Coco of being selfish.
“No this is now more for YOU than her ..totally inappropriate..let her grow up ..”
One of those critics got some clapback from a fellow fan that was too good to keep to ourselves.
“You a grown man and still sucking t–s lol…but you don’t complain tho.”
The subject of breastfeeding can be a delicate one. Globally, it’s not uncommon for children to breastfeed at least some of the time until they are as old as 5, if you can imagine.
If a baby nurses successfully for months but eventually stops — some babies “become too busy” exploring their environment and playing to have time to lay down for a meal — that is usually the time to quit.
Some babies, however, may never stop on their own. It’s generally advisable to stop before they go to a social environment such as preschool or especially kindergarten.
But not everyone agrees with that. it’s complicated, and everyone has an opinion on every subject under the sun.
Good for Coco for speaking up on a topic that she had to know woudl be controversial.
