How old is to old?

[swingirl]

Date: 1/15/2009 9:49:45 PM
Author: radiantquest
i am not a mother, but am thinking about becoming one in the near future. i think about BF a lot. i would think that teeth might deter me from BF for an extended time. mothers, do the teeth factor in at all?

Babies learn real quickly that teeth cannot be used. If you feel a bite you just pull away for a moment or two and little junior figures out he can't do that.

I believe if a child is still nursing after 3 years old it's because the mother isn't giving her child enough stimulus. By the time a toddler can run around, play with a friend, have a conversation, and make his own sandwich he shouldn't want to be around him mom so much. He should be exploring and showing some independence. Don't you get the feeling these mom's who are BF 5, 7 and 8 year olds really like their child looking to them for comfort?
(I am referring to healthy children in developed countries where weaning before kindergarten is the norm)

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 1/15/2009 11:08:20 PM
Author: swingirl
I believe if a child is still nursing after 3 years old it''s because the mother isn''t giving her child enough stimulus. By the time a toddler can run around, play with a friend, have a conversation, and make his own sandwich he shouldn''t want to be around him mom so much. He should be exploring and showing some independence. Don''t you get the feeling these mom''s who are BF 5, 7 and 8 year olds really like their child looking to them for comfort?

(I am referring to healthy children in developed countries where weaning before kindergarten is the norm)

Yes, I completely agree! That''s part of what seems so wrong to me about this whole thing! I just think any well-adjusted kid wouldn''t WANT to breast feed at age 5, 7 or 8, and a mother continuing to breast feed them is stunting them emotionally.

 

[HollyS]

When your child is old enough to possibly feel ''odd'' or make you feel ''odd'' . . . . then that child is too old. That age will be different from child to child. But generally speaking, most people find it ''odd'' if the child is older than a young toddler.

Yes, breast fed children are healthier. But you can express milk and serve it; you don''t have to have a school age child suckling on your breast. If they''re old enough to tell their friends, they''re way too old for anything but cow juice anyway. I mean c''mon.

 

[swingirl]

Yes. And the 7, 8 year old girls in GB (I think that the 20/20 show) were odd. They were playing in the garden in pretty flowered dresses. Then mom decides to cuddle up in the middle of the day on a soft cozy sofa and read a book. Mom was setting the stage for a little comfort break when the girl should be reading by herself, playing with friends or painting her finger nails!

My kids' elementary school (k-4) had to install sanitary napkin dispensers because 2 girls already had their periods in 3rd grade. Can you imagine breastfeeding your daughter and both of you needing to take a bathroom break for "personal reasons".

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Tacori,

I agree with everything you said in reply to my post.

 

[diamondringlover]

Breast feeding a 7 year old is just wrong

I knew a women who breastfeed her daughter until she was almost 4, that is crazy as well, I think 1-2 years so be maxium.

 

[chrono]

Then what about babies with milk allergies? Mine is over 2 years old now and still nurses for both nutrition and comfort. He is 100% allergic to dairy in any form and amount and in any case, why should we humans have to depend on cow's milk which is really for calves? Not to mention all the hormones and stuff you hear about cow's milk. I also don't want my boys to depend on soy milk all the time either. I have no idea when I'll wean yet though. He doesn't nurse as much as he used to and sleeps just fine on his own. When I was working, I pumped for him and did so for nearly 2 years. It was important that he gets the very best and what's made for the human body.

As for all those complaints about bad nursing behaviour, that is the nursing mother's responsibility to teach the child. I don't allow pinching, caressing, poking, etc. No acrobatics either. And no sips and run. Since he is now older, he must wait if the time isn't right, even at home. I do not tolerate nursing tantrums and he know that. I've never felt comfortable with nursing in public so we've never done that.

My older one see me nursing and knows that it's for feeding babies. He thinks that they are cool and wonders if his will be able to do the same. He does not think of them in a sexual way at all even though he's 6 now.

 

[MMMD]

While I think breastfeeding at 7 is too old, I have more of a problem with this mother taking something private from her family and broadcasting it on TV. Especially a subject she knows is not the societal norm. Does she need the attention, her 15 minutes of fame, or money? My daughters are 7 and 10 and I would never intentionally embarrass them like that.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 1/21/2009 2:10:33 PM
Author: Chrono
Then what about babies with milk allergies? Mine is over 2 years old now and still nurses for both nutrition and comfort. He is 100% allergic to dairy in any form and amount and in any case, why should we humans have to depend on cow's milk which is really for calves? Not to mention all the hormones and stuff you hear about cow's milk. I also don't want my boys to depend on soy milk all the time either. I have no idea when I'll wean yet though. He doesn't nurse as much as he used to and sleeps just fine on his own. When I was working, I pumped for him and did so for nearly 2 years. It was important that he gets the very best and what's made for the human body.


As for all those complaints about bad nursing behaviour, that is the nursing mother's responsibility to teach the child. I don't allow pinching, caressing, poking, etc. No acrobatics either. And no sips and run. Since he is now older, he must wait if the time isn't right, even at home. I do not tolerate nursing tantrums and he know that. I've never felt comfortable with nursing in public so we've never done that.


My older one see me nursing and knows that it's for feeding babies. He thinks that they are cool and wonders if his will be able to do the same. He does not think of them in a sexual way at all even though he's 6 now.

I am assuming you had to eliminate dairy from your diet, if so, good for you. That is hard to do. If a child is allergic to milk, there is a 50-80% chance they are allergic to soy as well. A milk/soy allergic child has 2 options. Mother eliminates milk and soy from the diet and continues to BF (as the protein does pass through the milk), or the baby has to go on a very expensive hydrolyzed formula. Many children outgrow the allergy by one year. At that age they are challenged by a GI doctor. If they are still allergic, and the mother is not breast feeding, than you have to change them to a formula suitable for children, they are expensive and taste nasty. Mind you, at 1 year of age, a child can probably get by without milk if they cannot have it. They really should only have a max of 16 oz a day. That is why I think BF is recommended for a minimum of one year. At one year, milk should not be a major part of the diet, and you don't need to pay the high price for formula. Someone like you is why I don't have an exact age of what is too old. Everyone's individual situation is different.