Lisa Sanders was anxious when her infant son, now 2, tended to vomit after she nursed him.

"The doctor said that it was not a problem, that he was still getting his nourishment," says the Hume, Va., mother of two. "Little did I know that it was his 'mannish' eating habits – he still gobbles everything and swallows without chewing!"

By contrast, his older sister was a steady, more focused nurser, and this difference in their breastfeeding styles shows in their personalities today, Sanders says. Her daughter, now 4, is a more consistent eater, while her son is less so, is "easily distracted, and continues to be very active and interested in everything."

Nursing patterns are usually as individual as the babies themselves – and part of the way parents come to know more about their child, notes lactation consultant Vicki Nizin of Ridgewood, N.J.

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