at what age did your child stop breastfeeding?

[AnaheimGirl]

I know plenty of "extended" nursing families and you know what, they aren't normal. You may think everything is fine and dandy, but your kids are getting picked on at school.

Really? Wow, that's sad, but I think it says more about the kids doing the "picking", than those being picked on.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

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.

Maybe this has already been answered, but in case not I'll give it a try. There are a few differences that I know of. One, whene a child sucks on a bottle there is different pressure put on the teeth than the very "elasticy" (or however that word would be spelled LOL) breasts. Also, I child is more likely to carry a bottle around more hours a day than they are to breastfeed that many hours. Of course that can differ depending on the child, but at the very least a bottle can travel with the child a lot easier than a breast can. Also, bottles brought to bed with anything but water can cause the teeth rotting, but that's unlikely to happen with a breastfed toddler since when the child stops sucking, liquid doesn't continue to pool in the mouth.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Sorry, you are making no sense- the two have nothing to do with each other. Try a more rational arguement.

Jackie

 

[Marseeya]

Haven't read this thread, don't care to. I know what kind of opinions it contains and the thought that there is some magic age that nursing should stop by seems so absurd to me. It ends when it ends- period.

Jackie

That's very rude. Why should anyone care to read your opinion if you can't even bother yourself to read theirs?

 

[dcgrumpy]

Sorry, you are making no sense- the two have nothing to do with each other. Try a more rational arguement.

Jackie

who are you talking to?

 

[barkley]

hello-"OP" here-

to answer a couple of questions/clarify what the article i read said:

mom (intact family-dad's in the home) has 3 kids. the son is (i think) 17, the middle daughter is around 12, the youngest is the 6 1/2 year old.

the child does not just do it at bedtime-she does it repeatedly throughout the day (with exception of when at school cuz mom's not there AND they won't permit mom to do it when picking up or dropping off kid at classroom).

mom makes a big point in the article of say she gets no "sexual gratification" for it.

mom makes a huge point of saying she thinks this practice with all the kids (older ones opted to stop around age 6) is why their family is so close and "bonded"-points to the fact that her teenage son spends the majority of his free time in the family home vs. "hanging out" with friends (i have to wonder if this is because he is getting ridiculed by his peers).

 

[Jenn Lynn]

I'd have purely selfish reasons in the opposite direction. Hypothetically, after all those years of nursing, I think I'd have to tuck my "ladies" into my belt. I mean it. They'd be like metronomes. They could probably swing to music. That's a little bit over the saggage line in my mind.

I think I'm a formula type of gal. I was formula fed, and the brain seems to have turned out OK.

The nutritional aspects and natural immunities of breastmilk are better than that of formula.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

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 obviously wasn't doing something right, either. Um, if I want the big O I think I'll do something else.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

...teenage son spends the majority of his free time in the family home vs. "hanging out" with friends (i have to wonder if this is because he is getting ridiculed by his peers).

Again, IF this is the case, it says more about his peers than anyone else, IMO.

 

[golfgal]

(with exception of when at school cuz mom's not there AND they won't permit mom to do it when picking up or dropping off kid at classroom).

.

SHe wanted to do this at SCHOOL?????? That poor kid!!!!

 

[tiggerlover]

I have no time to read 10 pages of replies so I will post my experience as well as my opinion. My DS stopped breastfeeding when he was 6 months old, this was because he was a busy body and was more interested in what was going on around him to continue to do so. If he had wanted to I would have continued until 9-12 months. With that said, my opinion is that a child should no longer breast feed at about a year, typically when they change from a bottle to a cup.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

I obviously wasn't doing something right, either. Um, if I want the big O I think I'll do something else.

Well, It's not that great at 3am! LOL!

 

[golfgal]

Again, IF this is the case, it says more about his peers than anyone else, IMO.

No, not really. It says that this kid/mom is doing something out of the normal socially accepted practices of our country and if someone says something to them about it, it doesn't make them a bad person. You seem to have no problems coming up with opinions that differ from others, why is that ok and some kid saying "your mom still breastfeeds a 1st grader?" not ok?

 

[kidshop]

Nursing children in todays society past toddlerhood is not socially acceptable. It also provides no health benefit for a child past a year or two. I know plenty of "extended" nursing families and you know what, they aren't normal. You may think everything is fine and dandy, but your kids are getting picked on at school.

No health benefit? That is completely false as backed up by the medical community! What is 'normal'? Oh yeah, a bottle fed baby by society's standards! Just b/c everyone does something doesn't make it 'normal'. I agree the picking reflects on the 'pickers' not the pickees. People ridicule what threatens them or what they don't understand. I teach my kids tolerance and compassion, so if my 6 1/2 y/o (who self-weaned at 16 months), met someone who still bfed, I would talk about how different people choose to do different things, that doesn't make them wrong or bad or gross.

 

[Caradana]

Well that isn't very nice.

Logic does break down though, eh?

 

[Caradana]

Oh, and for what it's worth, the damage done to my breasts was done when I was pregnant - nursing hasn't affected them any more or less.

I wonder if there's any way to avoid it, really. I like my chest and I will be very sad to see it damaged. Maybe slathering up with cocoa butter? Oh well, it's probably a no-win situation for the "ladies".

 

[Caradana]

The nutritional aspects and natural immunities of breastmilk are better than that of formula.

Solid genetics beat any breastmilk.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

I wonder if there's any way to avoid it, really. I like my chest and I will be very sad to see it damaged. Maybe slathering up with cocoa butter? Oh well, it's probably a no-win situation for the "ladies".

It's no-win because your body 'expects' you to BF and is preparing for it during pregnancy. Stretch marks show up in the worst places.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Sorry, you are making no sense- the two have nothing to do with each other. Try a more rational arguement.

Jackie

:confused Care to explain?

 

[katerkat]

I wonder if there's any way to avoid it, really. I like my chest and I will be very sad to see it damaged. Maybe slathering up with cocoa butter? Oh well, it's probably a no-win situation for the "ladies".

Nope, nothing really helps. I've just given up and accepted that a nice lift and possibly agumentation is in my future. (It'll be hard to give up these Ds for my old As.)

You could always use a surrogate.