My 18 month old Son loves twiddling with my free nipple when breastfeeding. When I try to stop him by gently removing his hand he starts crying. Is that a cause of concern? Will he grow out of it? When he wakes MOTN to nurse he will twiddle on the free nipple as well. It's getting quite annoying. Any tips from mummies?

My son also does that. You can try different methods to distract him to see which works for you and your son. You can keep the other nipple covered. If you’re wearing a nursing bra, don’t lower the flap. If you’re wearing a sports bra, don’t lift it up. Older babies can be very insistent and tug at the bra, or even learn to release the flap, tell him firmly you can remove his hand gently while saying “No. You can’t (pinch, or pull nipple because that hurts mommy.”) Try the cross-cradle hold. If your baby is nursing on the right side, use your left forearm to tightly cover the left nipple. He may try to pull it away, but again, firmly tell him to stop twiddling. Try offering him a nursing necklace (especially made with big beads and long enough for him to reach while nursing). Nursing necklaces work well for some babies, especially if you introduce them early on before the twiddling behavior becomes disruptive. Try different toys and textures. Sometimes babies will accept a blanket or fuzzy toy to hold better than they will something hard like necklace beads. Babies who like to twirl hair or gently stroke your face may accept a blanket or soft stuffed animal, and babies who pinch the nipple or fiddle with buttons are more likely to accept nursing beads or plastic toys. Twiddling is a very common and very normal behavior, and all babies outgrow it.