Coco Reveals Why She Still Breastfeeds Her 5-Year-Old Daughter

Despite criticism, Coco Austin continues to breastfeed her and husband Ice-T’s 5-year-old daughter Chanel. Read on for why she’s defending her decision.

The TV personality has sparked debate over her decision to continue breastfeeding her 5-year-old daughter, Chanel, who she welcomed with longtime husband Ice-T in November 2015. While she’s continued to catch flack for the untraditional choice, the 42-year-old mom has made it clear she has no intentions of stopping until her daughter is done.

“Chanel still likes my boob. She’s 5 years old,” Coco confirmed to Us Weekly. “A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, you’re not getting the nutrition after 2 years old. Why do it?’ And I’m like, My child’s eating steak and hamburgers. She just likes a little snack every now and then and more of the bonding between the mother. Why take that away from her?”

While Coco pointed out that she’d stop it if her daughter didn’t want to breastfeed anymore, she also acknowledged she wouldn’t put an end to that process because of societal expectations. As she put it, “I’m not going to just say, ‘No boob!'”

If you’re wondering how exactly she’s still breastfeeding, Coco explained it’s more of a nighttime comfort to her daughter than anything else. “She loves on it and it’s not like she’s getting milk from it,” Coco said, “but she’s getting her little snack and it’s kind of soothing her to sleep.”

Chanel weighed in on the matter herself, telling Us Weekly, “You know what? The boo boo makes me sleep.”

Ultimately, Coco made it clear she’s not concerned with the opinions of others when it comes to bonding with her child. “I don’t want to deprive her of something she wants,” the mom said, “just because society says you need to stop after 2.”