When to stop breastfeeding

[doodlebugg 10]

I saw a video once on youtube showing a mother breastfeeding her 8 year old daughter and I wondered what age everyone here thinks that breastfeeding should stop?

[Lou Lou 1]

It's not my business to comment on what other people get up to.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

I breast fed both my children, my son was just over 1 year old when I changed him on to a cup and my daughter was 9 months old when I changed her on to a cup.... I did not vote because there was no choice for "When the Child is ready to move on to cup/bottle"

Kez

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I voted 'Never' because I could.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

When the child is too old to carry cuddly in your arms. I saw a four (maybe 5) year old once lift his mother's shirt (in public) and start sucking away. Very disturbing. My opinion, if a mother still wants to breastfeed, that does not mean she can't provide it another way. A bottle or cup works fine when they get older.

[Aymerlu 3]

There was a kinda heated topic about this back in the day. Seemed a lot of pro-breastfeeding woman decided to join for a day on that topic. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24020

I do think it's freaky when a child has a name for their mothers #######. A friend of mine had a almost 3 year old and he had a name for her #######! He called it "nee nee" or something like that. He'd start digging up my friends shirt looking for what he wanted.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

I've heard of this too. If a child is old enough to name it. It's been far too long.

There was a kinda heated topic about this back in the day. Seemed a lot of pro-breastfeeding woman decided to join for a day on that topic. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24020

I do think it's freaky when a child has a name for their mothers #######. A friend of mine had a almost 3 year old and he had a name for her #######! He called it "nee nee" or something like that. He'd start digging up my friends shirt looking for what he wanted.

[raymaga 25]

I breast-fed all three of my children for 4 months. They were starting to get teeth, and they were hungry babies, so I started the solids and put them on formula. I always had a lot of milk and could have kept on breastfeeding forever, I'm sure. Some mothers don't produce enough breast milk to keep their babies satisfied.

Every baby is different, and every parent has to decide according to their own circumstances. It sure saved us a heck of a lot of money..... formula is expensive!!!!!!

[JVKn'CVO 11]

8 years old and being breastfed?? was the kid having a hot dog with it too? way too old!

I breast-fed all three of my children for 4 months. They were starting to get teeth, and they were hungry babies, so I started the solids and put them on formula. I always had a lot of milk and could have kept on breastfeeding forever, I'm sure. Some mothers don't produce enough breast milk to keep their babies satisfied.

Every baby is different, and every parent has to decide according to their own circumstances. It sure saved us a heck of a lot of money..... formula is expensive!!!!!!

This is the kind of timeframe I have in my head for when we have kids, 3-4 months. Was the transition hard for them at that age?

Saludos,

Caro

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Yes, but would you have? No one is debated the cost savings or importance of breast milk. The issue here is when a mother should stop physically attaching the child to her breast. I would not blame a mother at all for giving her child breast milk for many years. But there comes a time when the receiving needs to transfer to bottle or cup. An 8 year old, as the O/P mentioned, does not need to suck from his mother's breast. It is disturbing.

...I always had a lot of milk and could have kept on breastfeeding forever, I'm sure...=

[Aymerlu 3]

I agree that every parent has to decide when to stop nursing their child, but common sense should come into play too. If they are wanting to breast feed their 5 year old.....do it behind closed doors. I don't want to see that.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I used 1 1/2 years as an "averaged" number. Generally, it's recommended that solids start not earlier than 6 months.

Basically, when the child is started on solids, breast-milk can be tapered-off.

Ancient times nursing was up to 3 years--and in some rural areas (of India, Pakistan, ...) still not uncommon till 2 or 3. That was probably nature's way of getting the child adjusted to "regular" solids (the "supplemental" formulas certainly HAVE NOT been around for more than a century at most).

8 years old breastfeeding--now THAT's way too long.

[doodlebugg 10]

And why show it on youtube at all? Just do a search for breastfeeding in youtube and you'll see tons of mothers doing it on a webcam!!! I don't get the need for that.

I never breastfed my two daughters because my husband at the time was against it but God willing if I have another child I do want to if only to give them a good immune system. My kids were sick all the time. I think I'd cut it off once I went back to work at around 3 months though.

[rebeccajo 14]

And why show it on youtube at all? Just do a search for breastfeeding in youtube and you'll see tons of mothers doing it on a webcam!!! I don't get the need for that.

I never breastfed my two daughters because my husband at the time was against it but God willing if I have another child I do want to if only to give them a good immune system. My kids were sick all the time. I think I'd cut it off once I went back to work at around 3 months though.

I never breast-fed my son because I was going back to work soon after his birth. It just seemed common sense to not start something that was going to be difficult to maintain.

Anyway, he was unbelieveably healthy. Never even had a cold until he was 18 months old. I had a friend who breast-fed her son and he was the sickliest little thing you ever saw.

Some mom's don't make enough milk, or the quantity of it isn't great. There's so much pressure to breast feed that these women end up feeling like failures. And that's really not fair.

I don't equate a childs health with having been breast fed. Or not breast fed. There's loads of other environmental factors involved, along with just plain old genetics.

A mom who either chooses not to breast feed - or can't successfully feed - isn't any less of a loving mother. Dads bond with their kids without hooking them up to a body part, you know?

Which gets back to the original topic - when to stop? When the baby is ready, or if they can't break away naturally, then when they can 'name it'. If any of you have ever read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" you might recall the page or two of that great book about a mother and her six-year old, and how she broke him off the 'tittie'. The book was written in the early 40's - I'd say this debate has been going on long before that.

And cover that thing up. It's still your breast you know?

[Dr. Obvious 49]

My kid was formula fed from 2 weeks on. Never sick either except for the time she was breastfed until she weaned from formula at 13 months. I don't know how much stock I put into the whole immune system breastmilk tie. Most antibodies against disease are passed to the baby through the placenta, not through breastmilk, which explains why human babies don't drop like flies if not given colostrum like cows do. I think it helps, true, but the lion's share of the work has already been done. Most of the antibodies in breastmilk are to protect against gastrointestinal diseases, not everything under the sun. It is the best for babies as, although formula has come a long, long way, it still has yet to match nature completely.

I think breastfeeding until 8 doesn't really serve any purpose but to shock. I do agree until two years is best. Longer than four, it looks like you are starting to have problems letting go of the fact that your baby is not a baby anymore.