Coco Austin explains why she still breastfeeds her 5-year-old daughter: 'I'm not just going to say no'

• Coco Austin still breastfeeds her 5-year-old and says she'll continue as long as her daughter wants.
• Austin says Chanel eats solid foods like steak and hamburgers and breastfeeds as a "snack."
• The father of the model's daughter is the rapper Ice-T, Austin's husband of nearly 20 years.

Coco Austin confirmed she had 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 she was asked about her extended breastfeeding in an interview with Us Weekly published on Saturday, Austin said Chanel "still likes my boob." Chanel's father is Austin's husband of almost two decades, the 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."

While Chanel eats solid foods like steak and hamburgers, the model said, 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, saying that Chanel, who was 4 at the time, 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 3 million followers said it was "wonderful" that she still breastfed Chanel, while other social-media users said it "is not good" for the child to continue to nurse.

While some might not agree with Austin's decision to breastfeed Chanel, there's no age limit on when mothers are supposed to stop nursing their children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that mothers breastfeed their infants for at least six months and says 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 let her daughter pick her bedtime and where she wants to sleep each night, adding 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 could no longer be "spontaneous" about having sex.