uhh... breastfeeding an 8 year old??

[wtt :)]

IMHO, 8 is too old, 12 is definitely too old because then the child is almost a teenager! 4 is acceptable i think, or maybe a little before that since yes, we live in a modern society and no, i don't like everything about it but would you risk your child being made fun of for the rest of his/her life just because s/he has been breastfeed until age 8 and surely someone at that child's school will find out.

Like i said previously, if the family had to survive in the middle of nowhere in a tribe or something, then that's different but in today's modern world, there is a chance that the child will not have very nice memories later on in life.
We have evolved and i don't agree with a lot of it because it has taken us further away from our roots but we can't fight it all. Good and bad things come from change and evolution. Some things we just have to accept and adapt to it rather than fight it and i think age 3 is still a very widely accepted age to breastfeed. However, 8 is not.

 

[OmarsMum]

Would u give milk from a bottle at 8 years when it's not needed? I'm not talking about formula, just the idea of an 8 yrs old drinking from a bottle for no medical reasons. Both r the same either from a bottle or directly from the breast. If a mother wants to give BM to an 8 yrs old for the benefits she can express & give it to him in a glass & he doesnt really need to know from where he's getting this milk from., but directly from the breast & even from a feeding bottle is too much I guess.

 

[Blah11]

I'd go to 4 max mainly because i dont want to still feed her when shes at school.

 

[JASMAK]

OK, never read all the threads...sorry, but I have a 7 year old son. Is it right for a BOY to breastfeed at that age still? Sorry...I am for BFing too. BF my son until he was 20mths, my daughter until she was 19mths, but after 2 (3 even, but IMO that is pushing it). There is no health benefits. These kids may be homeschooled, I don't know...but, I would imagine if they went to public school and their friends caught wind of this (nice for mom to put it on national television) that these girls would be made fun of. I found it interesting, for sure...but almost like a human experiment...what would a child say if she still BF type thing. I can see in a third world country where there is no food, but to me...it just seems wrong. Like I said, I wouldn't want my 7 year old son pulling up my shirt and sucking on my boobs.

there is benefits at the age of 3! Lots of them.




Guess thats another lack of educating thing.

LOL! I am actually pretty educated, and I have breastfed for a total of 40 months (and counting). I am a university educated person with a degree in Physical Education (includes health and nutrition) and Chemistry. I also have medical training and office training. I have a 5 year old and a 7 year old, and a newborn (whom I am breastfeeding) I know first hand what it is like to have children of that age, and their needs and wants, and their nutritional needs. I even have a hired dietician who works with my daughter, who has autism (and recommended her be weaned at 19 mths due to food issues). Please tell me where the lack of education is here?

 

[Blue_bumpkin]

OK, never read all the threads...sorry, but I have a 7 year old son. Is it right for a BOY to breastfeed at that age still? Sorry...I am for BFing too. BF my son until he was 20mths, my daughter until she was 19mths, but after 2 (3 even, but IMO that is pushing it). There is no health benefits. These kids may be homeschooled, I don't know...but, I would imagine if they went to public school and their friends caught wind of this (nice for mom to put it on national television) that these girls would be made fun of. I found it interesting, for sure...but almost like a human experiment...what would a child say if she still BF type thing. I can see in a third world country where there is no food, but to me...it just seems wrong. Like I said, I wouldn't want my 7 year old son pulling up my shirt and sucking on my boobs.

there is benefits at the age of 3! Lots of them.




Guess thats another lack of educating thing.

LOL! I am actually pretty educated, and I have breastfed for a total of 40 months (and counting). I am a university educated person with a degree in Physical Education (includes health and nutrition) and Chemistry. I also have medical training and office training. I have a 5 year old and a 7 year old, and a newborn (whom I am breastfeeding) I know first hand what it is like to have children of that age, and their needs and wants, and their nutritional needs. I even have a hired dietician who works with my daughter, who has autism (and recommended her be weaned at 19 mths due to food issues). Please tell me where the lack of education is here?

well then how can you say there are NO health benefits? They may not need it but it could still be of benefit to them

 

[JASMAK]

I don't think there is any health benefits from an 8 year old sucking on a boob. If you want to give breastmilk...put it in a cup. Health-wise, and we are talking emotional health, there is no benefits, and nutritional wise, I have no rights to make a claim that they are or are not beneficial, that is not my expertise...I am not sure if anyone on here is qualified to make a statement like that. I don't believe so though. My children eat food. In fact, my daughter nearly killed herself from exclusively breastfeeding at 18 months old. She refused all food, and only wanted the breast. She was severely anemic and was hospitalized. That is a whole other unrelated story though.

Edited to add, that if your child was recommended by a physician to be BF, then I would say there is benefits. I know that they give pasturized donated breastmilk to some cancer patients.

I think that breastfeeding is a wonderful life-altering experience and I am so happy that I am able to breastfeed. I am also very happy when my child grows up and does things for himself and becomes independent. These are healthy ways of growing up. I researched early human behaviour, and there wasn't much out there, but it seems that breastfeeding in early times, was until about age 2-6 years old. That makes sense as food may have been scarce, etc. Today, where there is so much nutrition in food, I don't see it. But I am FINE with people giving their kid breastmilk...I don't think it's necessary, but I think it's fine. I'm not AGAINST it, at all. I am, however, against the act of breastfeeding an 8 year old child. I wouldn't do it, I wouldn't recommend it, and I think that there may be some emotional issues with the mom that may need exploring as to why she hasn't weaned. Maybe I am wrong, but that's my opinion. No offense is intended here.

 

[Blah11]

I wasnt talking about your general education or experience in parenting.. I was talking about breastfeeding education and yours is clearly lacking if you think breastmilk has no benefits for those over a certain age. Its beneficial for even adults although obviously to a lesser degree.

eta - and your daughter not eating solids at 18months isnt really relevant to if bf is beneficial or not. BF is reccommend to be exclusive for 6 months and then weaning is to begin. I dont think anyone is suggesting that exclusively breastfeeding an older baby or child is the ideal :\

 

[Blah11]

and you may not intend to offend but theres a few of us who are or who will be BFing an older toddler or a preschooler and it IS a bit hurtful when people talk about sexualising breasts in regards to BF and to say the mother might have emotional issues if she decides to extend BFing :\

 

[wtt :)]

It's not that we sexualize breasts, it's the schools that do and our society. Unfortunately our society determines how our children will be treated in public.

 

[PeanutBean]

I don't get the impression that jasmak is really referring to the sexualisation of breasts. Sorry if I'm assuming! Sounds more like the issue is with the degree of attachment at an age where children are fairly independent. My breasts aren't sexualised but I wouldn't bf to 8 years old, as is evident that I don't bf Byron anymore. No issue at all with bfing older children than I fed byron. Under different circumstances I might've liked to have fed him longer.

Certainly there is a societal issue about sexualisation of everything to do with women that I would like to see gone. The best we can do I guess is try and instil something different in our own children.

 

[Blue_bumpkin]

I don't get the impression that jasmak is really referring to the sexualisation of breasts. Sorry if I'm assuming! Sounds more like the issue is with the degree of attachment at an age where children are fairly independent. My breasts aren't sexualised but I wouldn't bf to 8 years old, as is evident that I don't bf Byron anymore. No issue at all with bfing older children than I fed byron. Under different circumstances I might've liked to have fed him longer.

Certainly there is a societal issue about sexualisation of everything to do with women that I would like to see gone. The best we can do I guess is try and instil something different in our own children.

I think it was tbh as she stated would it be different if it were a boy . Why would the sex of the child even come into it if that wasn't what was being referred to?

 

[PeanutBean]

I can't remember, wasn't she asking whether it would be equally accepted here in a devil's advocate sort of way?

Anyway the sex of the child doesn't matter to me, when it's too old it's too old for both.

 

[JASMAK]

hmmm...i don't think of breastfeeding as sexual, but at what point do we teach our children that boobies are private??? My son knows that they are, as my daughter does. let's not confuse two things here...breastmilk...fine, breastfeeding, TO ME, not cool at age 8. i think bfing beyond a certain point is innapropriate. i wouldn't go to my mom's house and hang off her boob right now. some of you are saying that breastmilk is good for life, maybe??? go hang off your mom's boob then...no? tell me why??? i think we can all agree it's innapropriate, it's just the age then, that we are all not sure of. for me, that is well before age 8.

 

[Eve]

Like I said, I wouldn't personally have my daugther on my breast at 8 but if she still wanted it, I would pump She would have her own container kind of deal and she would drink her milk in a cup etc... but I wouldn't judge someone for doing so, if their child wanted to continue. It's not my business. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable I don't believe with Kayleigh on the breast past 3-4 when I think about it but who knows? I didn't think I would go past 6 months either.

I think if someone told a mom she was wrong for extended breastfeeding(VERY beneficial) that wouldn't be right. If you have those opinions I think they are better kept to yourself or your friends who agree with you. I think the ladies on here who are breastfeeding into toddlerhood are doing an amazing job! Putting your child's needs and comfort before your own and continuing on breastfeeding even with loads of jerks around! A booklet I have from the Government of New Brunswick states you should breastfeed until 2 and beyond It's a great booklet all about weaning and nutrition! Even Dr. Jim on the hit tv show The Doctors (pediatrition) is very pro extended-breastfeeding! I love him! If you aren't doing it, who are you to judge them?

 

[wtt :)]

If you have those opinions I think they are better kept to yourself or your friends who agree with you. I think the ladies on here who are breastfeeding into toddlerhood are doing an amazing job!

First of all, this is a discussion and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, whatever it may be, as long as they don't attack other people.
Second, nobody disagreed with breastfeeding into toddler hood, instead this discussion is about breastfeeding an 8 year old directly from the breast.
I never stated that breastfeeding a toddler is wrong or "weird" or whatever you want to call it but i think we all pretty much agree that having an 8 year old drink milk directly from her mom's boobies in today's society is too much.

 

[Blah11]

I don't get the impression that jasmak is really referring to the sexualisation of breasts. Sorry if I'm assuming! Sounds more like the issue is with the degree of attachment at an age where children are fairly independent. My breasts aren't sexualised but I wouldn't bf to 8 years old, as is evident that I don't bf Byron anymore. No issue at all with bfing older children than I fed byron. Under different circumstances I might've liked to have fed him longer.

Certainly there is a societal issue about sexualisation of everything to do with women that I would like to see gone. The best we can do I guess is try and instil something different in our own children.

then why bring up the issue of her son being a male and is it okay to BF a child if it's a male.. why does it matter if there's no sexual ties?

ETA - didnt see jasmaks reply.

 

[Blah11]

And sorry but Jasmak 'hang off' is yet another horrible way to describe BFing :\ If you're proBF you have a funny way of showing it. My daughter doesn't HANG OFF my breasts. Yeesh.

 

[Rach27]

I guess we can't judge without knowing her personally and even then unless you are doing it yourself, you may never understand her reasons... I have no problem with extended BF - I plan to do it myself and I think breast milk has amazing benefits at all stages of life. I have no plans to do it for 8 years though. But I read once, a woman, whose dad had got cancer, drank her breastmilk (that she expressed for him). It is also 'shared' around in some developing communities when someone is sick. Very cool stuff.

 

[Blue_bumpkin]

If you have those opinions I think they are better kept to yourself or your friends who agree with you. I think the ladies on here who are breastfeeding into toddlerhood are doing an amazing job!

First of all, this is a discussion and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, whatever it may be, as long as they don't attack other people.
Second, nobody disagreed with breastfeeding into toddler hood, instead this discussion is about breastfeeding an 8 year old directly from the breast.
I never stated that breastfeeding a toddler is wrong or "weird" or whatever you want to call it but i think we all pretty much agree that having an 8 year old drink milk directly from her mom's boobies in today's society is too much.

I dont think the woman was going to sit in the middle of Asda and do it, its more of a private thing at home (could be wrong as it was agess ago I saw this but pretty sure it was not something that they done in 'public'). Whats the harm if she does it at home? And expressing can be a lot of hard work.

I personally think your attitude towards BFing can be changed dramatically once you are actually in the throws of it. My attitude has. I thought past 6 months was a bit much, but I have no desire to stop anytime soon.

And I agree with blah, I hate the use of the term hang off too and 'sucking his mums boobs' is another (which I get a lot!). He is not 'hanging off' or 'sucking my boob' - he's feeding or having a drink

 

[wtt :)]

I will just agree to disagree regarding the terms that are used in this discussion.
You ladies are taking this way too personal. It is not YOU we are talking about but someone feeding an eight year old...