Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Feld Entertainment
- Coco Austin still breastfeeds her 5-year-old and says she'll continue as long as her daughter wants.
- Austin said Chanel eats solid foods like "steak and hamburger" and breastfeeds as a "snack."
- The model shares her daughter with rapper Ice-T, Austin's husband of nearly 20 years.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Coco Austin confirmed she has no plans to stop breastfeeding her 5-year-old daughter Chanel anytime soon, adding that it's a "big bonding moment" for the two of them.
When asked about her extended breastfeeding in an interview with Us Weekly published on Saturday, Austin explained that Chanel "still likes my boob." Austin shares Chanel with her husband of almost two decades, rapper Ice-T.
"Why take that away from her?" Austin said. "If she doesn't want it, all right, that's where you stop it. But I'm not just going to say no."
The model said that while Chanel eats solid foods like "steak and hamburger," she also breastfeeds as "a little snack every now and then."
Austin previously addressed critics of her extended breastfeeding in the lengthy caption of a March 2020 Instagram post, explaining that then 4-year-old Chanel nurses "just for comfort."
"Believe me the girl loves meat so its not like she isnt eating real food," she wrote.
At the time, Austin received a mixed reaction on Instagram to the photo of her breastfeeding Chanel. Some of her three million followers said it's "wonderful" that she still breastfeeds Chanel, while other social-media users claimed it "is not good" for the child to continue to nurse.
While some might not agree with Austin's decision to still breastfeed Chanel, there's no age limit on when mothers are supposed to stop nursing their children.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) currently recommends that mothers breastfeed their infants for at least six months and states they can continue nursing for several years paired with "complementary foods."
Austin frequently gets candid on social media about parenting Chanel, often sharing photos of the two at Disneyland, at Chanel's swimming lessons, and out shopping.
The model also told Us Weekly that she and Ice-T are "not typical" parents.
In addition to letting Chanel decide when she's going to stop breastfeeding, Austin said she also lets her daughter pick her own bedtime and where she wants to sleep each night, explaining that it usually ends up being in her parents' bedroom.
"We have certain days where we have a free bed for our alone time," Austin told Us Weekly, adding that she and Ice-T can no longer be "spontaneous" about having sex.