TIME magazine and breast feeding a 4 year old

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Replies

  • nutritionwhiz
    nutritionwhiz Posts: 221
    Pump it and put it in a cup...you wouldn't keep giving a 3-7 year old milk in a bottle


    This^^^


    I see plenty of 3-5 yr olds are still getting bottles at my work, this IS bad for their teeth, not breastfeeding!
  • enyo123
    enyo123 Posts: 172 Member

    No I don't think you are lying, to be lying you would have to actually know the truth and be stating otherwise,

    I think you have been told over and over that this is the BEST thing for your child by someone, wife/ doctor etc so much so that you are actually believing it now.... I think that you know that you really would prefer a child who slept in their own bed...

    Show me someone who before children said to themselves " oh when I have kids I can't wait to share my bed and have them sleep with me every night, there is nothing I would like more"

    *shakes head*

    What makes you think that you know EVERYTHING about EVERYONE?

    You're making blanket and idiotic statements...
    *shaking my head* so sensitive..... may I have struck a nerve ?????

    heaven forbid someone say what they are really thinking or have an opinon ???? oh my, should have just kept it to myself in case I hurt your feelings .....bahahahha

    Seriously, I've got no dog in this fight, but I find it exceptionally arrogant to tell someone else how he feels after he point blank tells you how he feels about something. You know more about how the guy feels than he does? Really?

    Just think about how stupid that sounds for a second. No one has said you can't have an opinion, but when you're telling someone that he doesn't feel how he says he does, it's just... well, dumb.
  • nutritionwhiz
    nutritionwhiz Posts: 221
    the average age for weaning is 4 , yep 4 expept the western world, where, were way to used to bottle feeding ar only breast feeding until 3 months. Anything different is gross, which is crazy. No mum should be told when to stop breastfeeding. Id love to see more women feeding there babys for longer, i breastfed my daughter for 10 months and only stopped because i fell pregnant with my son. Breast are way to over sexualised here, there to feed a baby not a mans fantasy!


    There is no research to support that a pregnant mom needs to stop breastfeeding.
  • cohophysh
    cohophysh Posts: 288
    I personally find it disgusting-what are your thoughts?

    In most countries children are breastfed until they wean themselves...usually around ages 3-4. This is not unusual or even discussed in those countries....it is just way of life. In American, breasts are not seen as life-giving, nutrient providers...they are seen as sexual objects. I don't fault you for your opinion. You are just a product of your society.

    I nursed my daughter until she was around 15 months. After that I started feeling the presssure of people asking, when are you going to stop doing that already? I didn't let them make up my mind...we were both ready to move on. But I did feel the pressure...I am also a product of our society.

    ^^this X10000^^
  • tbetts23
    tbetts23 Posts: 303 Member
    If he got teeth he ought to be eating a sandwich, not sucking on a boob. Sorry, breastfeeding a CHILD (not an infant or even a toddler) is inappropriate.

    Even women in nomadic societies only breastfed/breastfeed children that old out of necessity (i.e. there is a drought or food shortage so it makes more sense to give what there is to eat to the mother and she can nurse the child from her body).

    Maybe in times of desperation, like the lady who was stranded in the snow storm who kept her children alive by breastfeeding all of them (she had an infant and two older ones).

    Other than that, I feel (from watching those specials on co-sleeping and breastfeeding forever) that the children who breastfeed too long are emotionally stunted and tend to hold on to infant like habits longer than children of their same age group. IMHO, it stunts emotional development, just like thumb sucking, pacifiers, blankies, and binkies.
  • thepanttherlady
    thepanttherlady Posts: 258 Member
    I guess that makes men and women who are into ABR (Adult Breastfeeding Relationships) disgusting too?

    If people stopped sexualizing breasts this probably wouldn't be an issue. I have 5 kids and breastfed them all. My youngest was breastfed the longest because SHE wanted it that long. She was 2 years old when she self weened. I tried to give her cups etc but she wanted the breast. Breastfeeding is not completely about the nutrition of breastmilk but also an emotional attachment for the child.

    I say good for her if it's what works for their family.
  • mjterp
    mjterp Posts: 650 Member
    I'm against Time Magazine for pitting mothers against each other. And doing it on Mother's Day.

    ^^^THIS!!!
  • thepanttherlady
    thepanttherlady Posts: 258 Member
    I know everyone has their own opinion. . . .But I just think its gross the way she is doing it. Maybe when they get that old . . just pump and poor it in a cup or something if you must. Personally I think its too old to be breast fed

    Have you ever pumped? I exclusively pumped for my 2 year old when he was a newborn. It was a nightmare. Quite simply, pumping sucks. It's time consuming and inconvenient. If I were still giving my toddler breast milk, there's no way that I'd pump. There's no telling what he'd get into during that time. :-P

    How is it any less time consuming or inconvenient to breastfeed?

    Pump for a day then ask the same question.
  • tbetts23
    tbetts23 Posts: 303 Member
    If he got teeth he ought to be eating a sandwich, not sucking on a boob. Sorry, breastfeeding a CHILD (not an infant or even a toddler) is inappropriate.

    Even women in nomadic societies only breastfed/breastfeed children that old out of necessity (i.e. there is a drought or food shortage so it makes more sense to give what there is to eat to the mother and she can nurse the child from her body).

    Maybe in times of desperation, like the lady who was stranded in the snow storm who kept her children alive by breastfeeding all of them (she had an infant and two older ones).

    Other than that, I feel (from watching those specials on co-sleeping and breastfeeding forever) that the children who breastfeed too long are emotionally stunted and tend to hold on to infant like habits longer than children of their same age group. IMHO, it stunts emotional development, just like thumb sucking, pacifiers, blankies, and binkies.

    Okay, so my son had teeth before he was three months old! He went on a sippy cup at nine months. He would have been very malnurished if he was weened before then as he refused to drink from a bottle.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    I guess that makes men and women who are into ABR (Adult Breastfeeding Relationships) disgusting too?

    If people stopped sexualizing breasts this probably wouldn't be an issue.

    um. . . what?
  • enyo123
    enyo123 Posts: 172 Member
    I know everyone has their own opinion. . . .But I just think its gross the way she is doing it. Maybe when they get that old . . just pump and poor it in a cup or something if you must. Personally I think its too old to be breast fed

    Have you ever pumped? I exclusively pumped for my 2 year old when he was a newborn. It was a nightmare. Quite simply, pumping sucks. It's time consuming and inconvenient. If I were still giving my toddler breast milk, there's no way that I'd pump. There's no telling what he'd get into during that time. :-P

    How is it any less time consuming or inconvenient to breastfeed?

    Spend 40 minutes pumping. During that time, you're pretty much trapped, even if you have an awesome hands-free pump like I did. I couldn't hold my baby while I pumped because my two weeks, he'd grab onto the tubing and tug it. So for that 40 minutes, if my kid started to cry, I was screwed. It's not an easy thing to start and stop pumping.

    After finishing pumping, then spend another twenty minutes holding the baby to feed and burp it.

    If I leave out the pumping step and kid just gets the milk from the source, then that's 40 minutes of my life I just got back. Then there's the time to clean and sterilize the pumping equipment. And the time to clean and sterilize the bottles. That's another ten minutes or so.

    If I pump and feed, then it's an hour and ten minute process instead of a 20 minute process.

    Having been there and done that, I can assure you, it's a lot harder. It's emotionally exhausting.
  • Sheila1968
    Sheila1968 Posts: 106
    I was reading at age 3. I cannot imagine still nursing at that age. I am all for breastfeeding BABIES, but when the kid can talk, eat regular food, and walk up to unbutton his mom's shirt . . . it crosses over into weird territory for me. It seems that it becomes more about the mom's needs/wants rather than what's best for the child at that point.

    And of course it's each mom's decision what to do, but it seems like it would set the child up for a lot of issues socially. I firmly believe there is a reason that most of us do not remember things from our first year of life.
  • enyo123
    enyo123 Posts: 172 Member
    the average age for weaning is 4 , yep 4 expept the western world, where, were way to used to bottle feeding ar only breast feeding until 3 months. Anything different is gross, which is crazy. No mum should be told when to stop breastfeeding. Id love to see more women feeding there babys for longer, i breastfed my daughter for 10 months and only stopped because i fell pregnant with my son. Breast are way to over sexualised here, there to feed a baby not a mans fantasy!


    There is no research to support that a pregnant mom needs to stop breastfeeding.

    No, but it's *hard*. It's a lot of work on the body, and it can be quite tiring and exhausting. Growing a human and feeding a human at the same time requires a lot of calories, and some women can't keep up. The supply dries out at times.
  • Hmmmm , my 8 month old can say Dadadadadadadada when his dad gets home from work ( so he can speak ) My 8 month old can chew small bites of food ( so I guess he can eat ) My 8 month old can also sign for milk using baby sign language so I guess he can ask for milk . Guess I should be weaning him now ?

    What's "baby sign language"? I thought it was just sign language.
  • thepanttherlady
    thepanttherlady Posts: 258 Member
    I know everyone has their own opinion. . . .But I just think its gross the way she is doing it. Maybe when they get that old . . just pump and poor it in a cup or something if you must. Personally I think its too old to be breast fed

    Have you ever pumped? I exclusively pumped for my 2 year old when he was a newborn. It was a nightmare. Quite simply, pumping sucks. It's time consuming and inconvenient. If I were still giving my toddler breast milk, there's no way that I'd pump. There's no telling what he'd get into during that time. :-P


    How is it any less time consuming or inconvenient to breastfeed?

    Spend 40 minutes pumping. During that time, you're pretty much trapped, even if you have an awesome hands-free pump like I did. I couldn't hold my baby while I pumped because my two weeks, he'd grab onto the tubing and tug it. So for that 40 minutes, if my kid started to cry, I was screwed. It's not an easy thing to start and stop pumping.

    After finishing pumping, then spend another twenty minutes holding the baby to feed and burp it.

    If I leave out the pumping step and kid just gets the milk from the source, then that's 40 minutes of my life I just got back. Then there's the time to clean and sterilize the pumping equipment. And the time to clean and sterilize the bottles. That's another ten minutes or so.

    If I pump and feed, then it's an hour and ten minute process instead of a 20 minute process.

    Having been there and done that, I can assure you, it's a lot harder. It's emotionally exhausting.

    Not to mention messier when pumping.
  • enyo123
    enyo123 Posts: 172 Member
    I know everyone has their own opinion. . . .But I just think its gross the way she is doing it. Maybe when they get that old . . just pump and poor it in a cup or something if you must. Personally I think its too old to be breast fed

    Have you ever pumped? I exclusively pumped for my 2 year old when he was a newborn. It was a nightmare. Quite simply, pumping sucks. It's time consuming and inconvenient. If I were still giving my toddler breast milk, there's no way that I'd pump. There's no telling what he'd get into during that time. :-P


    How is it any less time consuming or inconvenient to breastfeed?

    Spend 40 minutes pumping. During that time, you're pretty much trapped, even if you have an awesome hands-free pump like I did. I couldn't hold my baby while I pumped because my two weeks, he'd grab onto the tubing and tug it. So for that 40 minutes, if my kid started to cry, I was screwed. It's not an easy thing to start and stop pumping.

    After finishing pumping, then spend another twenty minutes holding the baby to feed and burp it.

    If I leave out the pumping step and kid just gets the milk from the source, then that's 40 minutes of my life I just got back. Then there's the time to clean and sterilize the pumping equipment. And the time to clean and sterilize the bottles. That's another ten minutes or so.

    If I pump and feed, then it's an hour and ten minute process instead of a 20 minute process.

    Having been there and done that, I can assure you, it's a lot harder. It's emotionally exhausting.

    Not to mention messier when pumping.

    Ugh. I remember spilling two ounces once because I leaned forward too far when I got up. I sobbed. Whoever said that there's no sense crying over spilled milk clearly wasn't talking about breast milk.
  • thepanttherlady
    thepanttherlady Posts: 258 Member
    Not to mention messier when pumping.
    Ugh. I remember spilling two ounces once because I leaned forward too far when I got up. I sobbed. Whoever said that there's no sense crying over spilled milk clearly wasn't talking about breast milk.

    OMG! I know. :( It seems like liquid gold in the moment that spill happens.....
  • Hickyvikki69
    Hickyvikki69 Posts: 371 Member
    each to their own but posting that on the cover of a magazine is disturbing. not something as a mother would be proud of to have. it is nurturing but not to the public
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
    Don't have kids....but I think when the kid can walk up and ask for it, he's a little old! Plus, ouch, the teeth!
  • SarahKJ0704
    SarahKJ0704 Posts: 25
    I have a 3 year old boy who is almost 4 and i could never imagine breast feeding him at this age !
    i did until he was about 8 months old , and it is a great bonding for mommy and baby , but age 3 ?? NO WAYY !
  • Meggeler
    Meggeler Posts: 42
    OMG - I wasn't going to comment, I tried . . .

    But I kept reading. Isn't there a problem with people who "get off" with their children? I understand nursing an infant but - 'That Kid Ain't No Infant'? Or perhaps the biological changes during nursing don't happen when you do it for publicly, or maybe enjoy the contractions? :)

    Yea, I know, I'll leave the site. First I'll mark my "Stuff" as private. But please remember I have 6 (six) daughters all of whom I support their choices and 2 have nursed their children (others need to work). But never after they are big enough to climb upon a chair.

    Bye -
  • lisaishotpink
    lisaishotpink Posts: 124
    The article references 'attachment parenting,' which is the method the parents chose to follow to raise their child. Why tear someone down for doing something mothers have done for ages? I don't get all the negativity... I had my son via c-section 17 months ago, and only breastfed for 7 days, that's it, before my incision became infected so badly it put me back in the hospital resulting in my massive allergic reaction to the IV antibiotics and me almost dying. I wish I could have breastfed until he was at least 12 months, but I couldn't. Seriously, I find more negative comments on this site than anywhere else. What ever happened to ACCEPTANCE?!?!
  • I don't know if anyone mentioned this because I was not going to read 18 pages worth of stuff, but I just read on the article that Yahoo posted about her that she also breast fed her adopted son. It didn't say for how long she did that for.
  • delonda1
    delonda1 Posts: 525 Member
    It is only in this western society where sex is over glorified and the essence of family is going downhill that we look at it as such a negative thing. I plan to have kids and breastfeed atleast till 1 1/2 -2. Get over yourselves people. It's a natural thing that our bodies we're made to do.
  • stampinmama
    stampinmama Posts: 30
    What many of you are missing is the difference between "breast feeding" and "nursing"... it isn't all about FEEDING... there is the closeness and comfort that comes from being at the breast. And quite honestly, if it is not YOUR child, at YOUR breast... what do you care????

    CHILDREN who are breastfed are soooo much better off from a health stand point... I would think people on a site like MFP would be knowledgeable about the health benefits of EXTENDED nursing....Might I suggest you educate yourself before you force your opinion on others?
  • stampinmama
    stampinmama Posts: 30
    .
  • stampinmama
    stampinmama Posts: 30
    I don't know if anyone mentioned this because I was not going to read 18 pages worth of stuff, but I just read on the article that Yahoo posted about her that she also breast fed her adopted son. It didn't say for how long she did that for.

    What a wonderfully lucky adopted child!!!!!
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
    I personally find it disgusting-what are your thoughts?

    In most countries children are breastfed until they wean themselves...usually around ages 3-4. This is not unusual or even discussed in those countries....it is just way of life. In American, breasts are not seen as life-giving, nutrient providers...they are seen as sexual objects. I don't fault you for your opinion. You are just a product of your society.

    I nursed my daughter until she was around 15 months. After that I started feeling the presssure of people asking, when are you going to stop doing that already? I didn't let them make up my mind...we were both ready to move on. But I did feel the pressure...I am also a product of our society.

    This...It is only our western culture that finds breastfeeding a child "disgusting". I have found that what ever age is the oldest a mother has personally nursed her child is the age she things everyone should wean. It is just plain hard to imagine it until you have done it. I have allowed baby led weaning for 3 of my 5. The oldest was 4 and the youngest was 2 when they weaned themselves. They decided. The two that I weaned had a hard time. It was too early for each of them. One was 2 and one was almost 3. I had good reasons for weaning but I wish I could have let them decided.

    Personally, it was a good experience for us.

    I found the picture distasteful but not the practice.

    D
  • Marla64
    Marla64 Posts: 23,120 Member
    I personally find it disgusting-what are your thoughts?

    In most countries children are breastfed until they wean themselves...usually around ages 3-4. This is not unusual or even discussed in those countries....it is just way of life. In American, breasts are not seen as life-giving, nutrient providers...they are seen as sexual objects. I don't fault you for your opinion. You are just a product of your society.

    I nursed my daughter until she was around 15 months. After that I started feeling the presssure of people asking, when are you going to stop doing that already? I didn't let them make up my mind...we were both ready to move on. But I did feel the pressure...I am also a product of our society.

    This...It is only our western culture that finds breastfeeding a child "disgusting". I have found that what ever age is the oldest a mother has personally nursed her child is the age she things everyone should wean. It is just plain hard to imagine it until you have done it. I have allowed baby led weaning for 3 of my 5. The oldest was 4 and the youngest was 2 when they weaned themselves. They decided. The two that I weaned had a hard time. It was too early for each of them. One was 2 and one was almost 3. I had good reasons for weaning but I wish I could have let them decided.

    Personally, it was a good experience for us.

    I found the picture distasteful but not the practice.

    D

    agreed.
  • mdsjmom98
    mdsjmom98 Posts: 333 Member
    If she is so hell bent on making sure her child gets breast milk, she could pump and serve it to him in a sippy cup. She is not going to bond her child to her by breast feeding this late in the game. If anything she's going to make him feel like an outcast. If a child is capable of getting his own drink, hooking him up to the tit is just perversion on her part, and will probably scar the boy. I'm probably going to get blasted by people, but it's just my opinion. And I also breast fed both of my children until they were about 6 months old, both are healthy, happy well adjusted kids, and are well bonded with me.

    What schools did you study at, or research team did you work on to come up with what you stated above? Because while pregnant, I read several books by people who've studied this and monitored children as they progressed through the years to see what the long term affects are.. and if the child even remembers nursing and they all stated the exact opposite of you.

    For every book you've read, there are 10 more out there contradicting it. Just because it's in print doesn't make it the gospel.