at what age did your child stop breastfeeding?

[Mom2be]

I only planned on 6 months too. However, my baby had a different plan. You never know until you've been there. This mother in question is an extreme example, but I won't judge her becuase many people think my BFing a 2.5 year old is extreme.

Well my kiddo will be doing bottles and breastfeeding since I'll be working full time after he/she is about 3 months old. So the transition should be easy. That is the biggest reason I'll be stopping - it will be hard in the business environment that I work in to continue breast feeding for much longer then that.

~Amanda

 

[MoniqueU]

Personally and this is just my opinionl, I don't see much difference between breastfeeding a 3 year old and 6.5 year old. Neither would be in my comfort zone.

 

[Chris2597]

Years ago one of my employees BF her dd until age 6....she said that it was only once or twice a day and on demand. When she told us....I think everyone gasped and had the EWWWWW, gross look on our faces. She was a very lonely, single mom (didnt marry the dad), lived with her elderly mom, and everything revolved around her dd....I dont think it was a healthy relationship at all....not abuse but not healthy....
I bf 2 of my 3 kids.....ds until he was 4 months (work schedule made bf difficutl, and dd until 8 month, she gave it up and preferred the bottle).

 

[Chris2597]

I havent read all of the posts....so I dont know if anyone already posted this....But several years ago I read in either Ann Landers or Dear Abby....About a woman that wrote in and asked if it was unusual or harmful that she had been breastfeeding for....I cant remember exactly but I think it was like 15 years or more....She said that her dh liked the breastmilk and continued to nurse on her nightly after her child stopped....She wanted to give it up but he enjoyed it....I was so grossed out....I kid you not....I actually read this....

 

[tiggersmom2]

I havent read all of the posts....so I dont know if anyone already posted this....But several years ago I read in either Ann Landers or Dear Abby....About a woman that wrote in and asked if it was unusual or harmful that she had been breastfeeding for....I cant remember exactly but I think it was like 15 years or more....She said that her dh liked the breastmilk and continued to nurse on her nightly after her child stopped....She wanted to give it up but he enjoyed it....I was so grossed out....I kid you not....I actually read this....

Excuse me while I go puke......

 

[beattyfamily]

I havent read all of the posts....so I dont know if anyone already posted this....But several years ago I read in either Ann Landers or Dear Abby....About a woman that wrote in and asked if it was unusual or harmful that she had been breastfeeding for....I cant remember exactly but I think it was like 15 years or more....She said that her dh liked the breastmilk and continued to nurse on her nightly after her child stopped....She wanted to give it up but he enjoyed it....I was so grossed out....I kid you not....I actually read this....

Yep, I believe you. I've heard of this. They have porn flicks dedicated to this and websites too!!

 

[Chris2597]

If I had not read it myself....I wouldnt have believed it was an actual article in a legit city newpaper....
People never cease to amaze me.....
Just plain gross.

 

[Marseeya]

Well my kiddo will be doing bottles and breastfeeding since I'll be working full time after he/she is about 3 months old. So the transition should be easy. That is the biggest reason I'll be stopping - it will be hard in the business environment that I work in to continue breast feeding for much longer then that.

~Amanda

I said the same thing with my DD. I pumped and froze plenty of milk for the day when I was returning to college (she was 3 months old at the time), and thought she was doing well BFing and practicing on the bottle once in a while. The week before I went back to school, she completely refused to take a bottle! It was pretty rough going after that.

 

[va32h]

I'm not comfortable calling extended nursing "abuse", but it does seem unusual.

My 5 yo son has not nursed in years, but he still uses me for "comfort" in the sense that he will sit in my lap and cuddle, or ask for a hug, or even want to be held and rocked if he has had a very hard day.

So I don't necessarily think there is anything wrong with a mother comforting her older child in a physical way.

But when there is the addition of the breast....then there is another layer - social conventions, the rising awareness of child sexual abuse, which causes us all to raise an eyebrow at any physical contact with a child that seems remotely sexual....

Let me clarify - I am not at all saying that nursing an older child has a sexual component - just that in our current society, our heightened sensitivity to even the appearance of sexual contact with a child just makes us perceive things differently.

I would also really wonder if the child truly still wants to breastfeed. My experience with young children is that first and foremost they want to please the ones they love - I know my own children have pretended to like something they did not, in order to make me happy.

By the time kids have reached six, they usually have a sense of modesty, the ability to be embarrassed, and an understanding of social conventions. I know 4 year olds who would cheerfully run around naked or proudly stroll through Walmart in a tutu and boa, but a year or too later wouldn't dream of doing such things. My son clung to his pacifier until he started preschool and realized his classmates didn't have binkies too.

So I guess my biggest concern would be - does the 6 yo really want to nurse, or does he sense that mommy really wants him to nurse?

 

[kidshop]

I said it was my OPINION, I don't expect everyone to agree with it. But to try to answer your question with a question, if the medical community and other parenting groups say that a child should be off a bottle by a certain age, why is it different for breast fed children? That's a question I'd like to see an answer to.

It is different. Check out the AAP (american academy of pediatrics) policy on bfing...babies should be bfed alone to 6 months, then introduced gradually to solids, continuing at *minimum* to 12 months and as long thereafter as long as *mutually desired*. The bottle senario is not comparable and it is recommended to end bottle use early for several reasons. The don't recommend an end age for breastfeeding b/c there is not one! It's sad we as a society are so uneducated about something as beneficial as bfing. Again this woman described is the EXTREME. She is not the face of long-term bfing. If she has issues, bfing is not the cause or the reason. Plenty of screwed up people never bf at all! The natural age of human weaning is 6-7 years based on anthropological studies. So yes, beyond THAT would be possibly a problem to be looked into. As long as bfing is mutually desired, it is never abuse. A sad number of people think bfing a 1 y/o is too old to bf, so it is not appropriate to have a cut-off age based on society's comfort level!

 

[Nancy]

Never heard of bottle rot?

Bottle rot occurs if babies are put to bed with a bottle and fall asleep with it in their mouths, the formula could rot the teeth. Doesn't always happen to bottle fed babies. My kids never went to sleep with a bottle and never walked around with them. They were also never offered bottles for comfort, that was what Mommy's arms and hugs were for.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Wading in even though she knows better...

I bf DD10 for 3 weeks, DS8 ~14 months, DD2 ~13 or so months. For #4, it'll be for roughly a year, hopefully with a few bottles to supplement. By about 8 months, I get really tired of nursing!

I've had a number of women tell me that they get a rush from the hormones given off during nursing. For some I guess it's a "big O" experience! All I can say is, I mustn't do it right...

I can't imagine nursing a child for 6 years. Won't go as far as to say abuse, but it makes me wonder, as others have said, about the mother filling her own needs versus the child's. In this day and age, it's not a nutritional necessity, and my kids certainly had no problems transferring attachment to other sources (blankies, etc.). And even the mothers I know who went, say, well into the second year and beyond, it was more of a morning/evening ritual, not a "whip it out at school" activity.

And as far as the woman whose DH was fond of it--hey, whatever floats your boat, I'm pretty easy-going, but God, talk about TMI! Yuck! And I really, really, REALLY wouldn't want to see THAT!

 

[beattyfamily]

The natural age of human weaning is 6-7 years based on anthropological studies. So yes, beyond THAT would be possibly a problem to be looked into.

Well, most in this thread disagree with the "anthropological studies" you are referring to. I'll bet the majority of Americans, and many other countries, think that age 6 (or 7) is too old to still be breastfed.

There's an child actress that was on Oprah who was probably 14 at the time who said she breastfed till she was 10!!!

 

[BuckNaked]

Well, most in this thread disagree with the "anthropological studies" you are referring to. I'll bet the majority of Americans, and many other countries, think that age 6 (or 7) is too old to breastfed.

Good God, no doubt!!!!

 

[kidshop]

Well, most in this thread disagree with the "anthropological studies" you are referring to. I'll bet the majority of Americans, and many other countries, think that age 6 (or 7) is too old to still be breastfed.

There's an child actress that was on Oprah who was probably 14 at the time who said she breastfed till she was 10!!!

How do you disagree with factual information?

The strongest opinions tend to come from those who did not bf at all or only a very short time. Here in the US bfing is thought of as 'icky' at pretty much every age! The only people whose opinions matter on the subject are the mother and child involved. Bfing is not harmful or sexual.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

It is different. Check out the AAP (american academy of pediatrics) policy on bfing...babies should be bfed alone to 6 months, then introduced gradually to solids, continuing at *minimum* to 12 months and as long thereafter as long as *mutually desired*. The bottle senario is not comparable and it is recommended to end bottle use early for several reasons. The don't recommend an end age for breastfeeding b/c there is not one! It's sad we as a society are so uneducated about something as beneficial as bfing. Again this woman described is the EXTREME. She is not the face of long-term bfing. If she has issues, bfing is not the cause or the reason. Plenty of screwed up people never bf at all! The natural age of human weaning is 6-7 years based on anthropological studies. So yes, beyond THAT would be possibly a problem to be looked into. As long as bfing is mutually desired, it is never abuse. A sad number of people think bfing a 1 y/o is too old to bf, so it is not appropriate to have a cut-off age based on society's comfort level!

This still doesn't answer my earlier question. Why is it one set of rules for bf babies, and another for those who are bottle fed? How is it not comparable? Why is there no recommended age to discontinue bfing, but there is one for bottle fed babies? I'm not talking about babies who go to bed with bottles, or walk around with a bottle all day long - obviously there is a risk of bottle rot with that. What is the difference between feeding a baby with a bottle for a few minutes, and feeding with the breast for a few minutes? I don't want to hear the same old song and dance about what bottles do to a babies mouth. Nipples these days are almost comparable to a breast nipple, so I don't buy the argument that bottle nipples will ruin your child's teeth, bite, yada yada. I guess what I'm trying to get out is that most mothers and society in general will get on their soapbox and give a zillion reasons why Johnny should be "off the bottle already" at 12 months or even earlier, yet most of these same mothers who criticize won't bat an eyelash when it comes to the mom whose child is still on the breast at 2 years old. I see no difference between the two. As for those who say "you don't know how hard it is to wean", or "my baby needs it for comfort", bottle fed babies have the same issues. Just do what most moms say to those who are trying to wean their babies from bottles - cold turkey and throw the bottles - er, put your "bottles" away.

 

[Disney_1derland]

Oh I know I know I know better than to get back in here.....here goes anyways

Here is my opinion....I stated earlier that first dd weaned at 12 months and second at 8. This was child-led weaning and yes I would have gone as long as they needed to for nourishment I never used breastfeeding as a way to comfort, soothe or placate my children. It is the same as bottle feeding, it is feeding it is not for soothing or comforting although the child may derive both from the action of breastfeeding or bottlefeeding for that matter.

My oldest was using a cup at 8 months and we began introducing solids at 6 months per the Super Baby Food book's plan. By 12 months she was getting her nourishment from food and preferred the cup over the breast.

The same thing with my youngest only she was ready much earlier.

Anyhow, I think the difference with a lot of extended breastfeeders is that they continue for the comfort and not the nourishment. For me, that is where it went beyond my level of acceptance. Again, this is just my opinion and I fully respect and support decisions made by others in regards to their own children, but for me, this is how we judge it.

 

[dcgrumpy]

Oh I know I know I know better than to get back in here.....here goes anyways

Here is my opinion....I stated earlier that first dd weaned at 12 months and second at 8. This was child-led weaning and yes I would have gone as long as they needed to for nourishment I never used breastfeeding as a way to comfort, soothe or placate my children. It is the same as bottle feeding, it is feeding it is not for soothing or comforting although the child may derive both from the action of breastfeeding or bottlefeeding for that matter.

My oldest was using a cup at 8 months and we began introducing solids at 6 months per the Super Baby Food book's plan. By 12 months she was getting her nourishment from food and preferred the cup over the breast.

The same thing with my youngest only she was ready much earlier.

Anyhow, I think the difference with a lot of extended breastfeeders is that they continue for the comfort and not the nourishment. For me, that is where it went beyond my level of acceptance. Again, this is just my opinion and I fully respect and support decisions made by others in regards to their own children, but for me, this is how we judge it.

8 years or months?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

This still doesn't answer my earlier question. Why is it one set of rules for bf babies, and another for those who are bottle fed? How is it not comparable? Why is there no recommended age to discontinue bfing, but there is one for bottle fed babies? I'm not talking about babies who go to bed with bottles, or walk around with a bottle all day long - obviously there is a risk of bottle rot with that. What is the difference between feeding a baby with a bottle for a few minutes, and feeding with the breast for a few minutes? I don't want to hear the same old song and dance about what bottles do to a babies mouth. Nipples these days are almost comparable to a breast nipple, so I don't buy the argument that bottle nipples will ruin your child's teeth, bite, yada yada. I guess what I'm trying to get out is that most mothers and society in general will get on their soapbox and give a zillion reasons why Johnny should be "off the bottle already" at 12 months or even earlier, yet most of these same mothers who criticize won't bat an eyelash when it comes to the mom whose child is still on the breast at 2 years old. I see no difference between the two. As for those who say "you don't know how hard it is to wean", or "my baby needs it for comfort", bottle fed babies have the same issues. Just do what most moms say to those who are trying to wean their babies from bottles - cold turkey and throw the bottles - er, put your "bottles" away.

Bottles are a supplemental nursing device used to enable a baby to consume nourishment when they aren't otherwise able. It was never meant as a long term device. Nursed babies still learn how to use a cup or sippy on schedule like their bottle fed counterparts. Formula isn't breastmilk and once you opt that route--you've chosen a whole different timetable on food introduction and such. ETA: Nursed babies can wait up to 10 months to a year before ever having their first solid (as an example).

It is very much developmental (as well as dental/orthodontic reasons) of why the use is discontinued. You may not see a difference--but the AAP does.


Bottles can be out of site--mom's bottles..unless you are suggesting a mastectomy--can't just disappear. Though as with anything--weaning isn't often as hard as it has to be.

In my case--we were on a reduction schedule and then my "baby" burned her toes. It went back to what it was before we started weaning. There is no cry that is worse in a child than the agonizing cry of pain.

 

[staci]

Here is a partial explaination of why a mother may continue to bf past 12 months but not ff (I did get this from the laleche league). Also, what I have read encourages weaning from the bottle BEGINNING at 12 months, and being done definitely by 18 months.



A mother and her baby should breastfeed for as long as they wish to breastfeed. The American Academy of Pediatrics currently (2005) recommends: "Pediatricians and parents should be aware that exclusive breastfeeding is sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months of life and provides continuing protection against diarrhea and respiratory tract infection. Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child." * As solids are introduced, usually around the middle of the first year, your baby will shift his primary source of nutrition from your milk to other foods.

All the benefits of human milk--including nutritional and health--continue for as long as your baby receives your milk. In fact, as your baby takes less human milk, these advantages are condensed into what milk is produced. Many of the health benefits of human milk are dose related, that is, the longer the baby receives human milk, the greater are the benefits.

*See http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496

Just for any of you who think anything past the 12 month 1 day point is unnecessary and wrong.