TIME magazine and breast feeding a 4 year old

opus649

I think the point of the cover was to spark just this kind of debate. I think that all of the people who say breastfeeding at 3 or 4 is "weird" or "unnatural" are dead wrong and it's long past the time when the United States needs to move past the sexualization of the breast.

WHO recommends MINIMUM two years. And both the APA and WHO agree on the same principle: breastfeed as long as it continues to be agreeable to both child and mother. The kid will wean on his or her own. Or the mother will reach a point where she's ready to stop.

Sorry, this thread really pisses me off. I can't believe that in the year 2012 mothers have to defend themselves for breast feeding for crying out loud. What the hell do you think women have breasts for????

Mustlovepugs11

EEEEWWWWW... After just looking at the cover I am not sure what to say! That just looks wrong. Bad cover choice!

kimdoes

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

That folks, is hitting the nail on the head!.. Exactly!:drinker:

YES!

enyo123

sometimes us Mom's can never win!!!

Bingo. Whatever you do, you're raising a future serial killer or the next typhoid Mary.

cherrybomb_77

Each parent is responsible for determining the needs of their child and filling them to the best of our abilities. Ours breastfed a little longer than some people think is "OK", but she weaned when it felt right.

There are many ways to raise a child, and your way obviously worked for yours. Stop judging the way others raise theirs - because there is simply no evidence to show that breastfeeding longer does emotional harm other than from the judgment of others and our nation's obsession with sexuality.

Well said! The WHO recommends that babies EVERYWHERE, including good ol' USA, be exclusively breastfed (nothing but breastmilk) for 6 months, and then continue to breastfeed (breastmilk in conjunction with solids and other liquids) for a MINIMUM of two years. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2011/breastfeeding_20110115/en/index.html I'll take the advice of the world's best doctors over people on the internet any day. That said, I support the right of mothers to make the best decision for themselves and their children, whether that means not breastfeeding at all, or breastfeeding for several years, and everything in between.

opus649

children who are breastfed longer tend to be emotionally immature

This is based on your years of field research? :huh:

Ashley_Panda

I still breast feed with my mom....er.

No, now it's from your wife. :P

nerdyandilikeit

I feel it's perfectly normal to do this inpubic until a certain age, but I don't feel a large child should be sucking on their mother's breast. By that age they are exposed to tv, video games and realize what things are sexualized.

I'm not a mother, but I would lean towards this. When my cousins were younger and I babysat them, my 3 year old cousin was constantly trying to touch my boobs because they were much larger than his mother's A cups. Unless the kid REALLY has no idea about what's sexualized (which was not the case ever in my family full of horn dogs), I think there should be an age where you use a pump over the actual breast.

moozle1

I'm a mom of two, and I breastfed each of my girls until 13 months old. I fully support breastfeeding. I wouldn't do it until 3, but I could care less if someone else does.

Every parent can parent however they want - attachment or not. None of my business.

That said, I find the picture and ESPECIALLY the title of that article in very poor taste. It's for media sensationalism and nothing more, and if you look at the buzz, they have succeeded as usual. They picked an older child on purpose (attachment parenting doesn't always have to mean bfing until a later age), they have both looking straight into the camera (COMPLETELY unnatural) with "take that, I dare you to say something" looks on their faces, and they put used a judgmental title intended to pit moms against each other.

The second picture in that article is much more natural of the kid curled up in the mom's lap, but of course they wouldn't use that on the cover. It would never cause the same stir. TIME just wanted people to buy the magazine and talk about it - mission accomplished.

LondonEliza

Quite simply, pumping sucks.

This made me howl with laughter!
Thank you
xx

gemiwing

How do I feel about how long people I don't know breastfeed kids I'll never meet? None of my business- period. Do what you think is right, knock yourself out.

How do I feel about the Time cover? I think their magazine's reputation for being newsworthy has been lacking since the early 90's and using a picture to create controversy is par for the course for them. I'm not surprised. They've run many stories in the past ten years that have been sensationalist and inaccurate. Nothing new under the Sun.

Bmontgomery613

I'm against Time Magazine for pitting mothers against each other. And doing it on Mother's Day.

^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^

i am a mother. and i also have to say, at that age, or after 1yr, has NOTHING to do with the child anymore, this has everything to do about her. research.

Really, then why does WHO and Unicef recommend breastfeeding till at least the age of 2? The APA, on the other hand recommends to do it for at least the first year. Benefits from breastmilk don't have a magical cut off date. It may not be your cup of tea, but implying that after age 1 there are no benefits for the child and that it must be an issue on the mother is incorrect.

But, didn't you know that breastmilk turns to water at that magical age of 12 months??

I breastfed both of my daughters, the oldest until she was 3.5 and the youngest until she was 2.5. They're both happy, socially adjusted girls. Did the attachment parenting help? I'd like to think it did. It certainly didn't hurt and I doubt they were scarred by the experience. I still get lots of hugs and kisses and am told that I'm "the best mom in the world and (they) don't ever want another." So, I think I did something right.

The method you choose to feed your baby and how long mother and child (people seem to forget that many extended nursers do so because they take the child's opinion and feelings into account) are personal decisions. You don't have to agree with it, but neither are you the authority on which all parents should stop doing X. And to imply that a mother is nursing past one for her own benefit is insulting and shows your lack of intelligence on the matter.

va_va_voom

oh, but its less disgusting to give your kids milk from a cow teet?

Except we don't' let our kids suck on said cow teet...


I don't find it disgusting. Not my personal preference (and I am currently BFing baby #4), but your statement here isn't logical.

kimdoes

I still breast feed with my mom....er.

LMFAO!!

lorierin22

First off to each his own...none of my business

My personal opinion is if you can breastfeed great do it. but let's wean the child a little earlier than 3. If the mother wants to continue then I agree with others, pump and put in a cup. I have read there is no significant nutritional value in breast milk after a year of breastfeeding. just my .02

You have received incorrect information regarding the nutritional value. There is no magic age that breastmilk loses it's nutritional value. It would have the same nutritional value if an adult chose to drink it. The nutrients in the milk are different from woman to woman and may not be as high as that found in cow's milk, however the body's ability to absorb those nutrients is MUCH higher (than cow's milk or other food). Therefore it is great for babies and younger children whose digestive systems are not as developed. Just because a person/child becomes old enough to get those nutrients from food, does not negate the fact that they can still get the same nutrients from breastmilk.

turningstar

Im still breastfeeding at 17.5 months, but my son is very high needs, and its more of an emotional thing than sustenance. I also cosleep. In many parts of the world that is the norm, but our country is very sexualized and into making kids be independent by 6 months old. Would I like to quit nursing? Hell yeah. But my boobs and I are hoping my son will wean himself soon. If not, we will wean at two years old. Not because I find it disgusting, but because im ready to have my body and my bed back! I haven't seen the picture, but it sounds like it was done in poor taste to start a ****storm between mothers. Really, as if being a mom isn't hard enough to deal with.

va_va_voom

I'm against Time Magazine for pitting mothers against each other. And doing it on Mother's Day.

^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^

i am a mother. and i also have to say, at that age, or after 1yr, has NOTHING to do with the child anymore, this has everything to do about her. research.

Really, then why does WHO and Unicef recommend breastfeeding till at least the age of 2? The APA, on the other hand recommends to do it for at least the first year. Benefits from breastmilk don't have a magical cut off date. It may not be your cup of tea, but implying that after age 1 there are no benefits for the child and that it must be an issue on the mother is incorrect.

But, didn't you know that breastmilk turns to water at that magical age of 12 months??

I breastfed both of my daughters, the oldest until she was 3.5 and the youngest until she was 2.5. They're both happy, socially adjusted girls. Did the attachment parenting help? I'd like to think it did. It certainly didn't hurt and I doubt they were scarred by the experience. I still get lots of hugs and kisses and am told that I'm "the best mom in the world and (they) don't ever want another." So, I think I did something right.

The method you choose to feed your baby and how long mother and child (people seem to forget that many extended nursers do so because they take the child's opinion and feelings into account) are personal decisions. You don't have to agree with it, but neither are you the authority on which all parents should stop doing X. And to imply that a mother is nursing past one for her own benefit is insulting and shows your lack of intelligence on the matter.

Would you agree, though, that attachment parenting does not have to include EBF? I have done attachment parenting with all four of my kids, but the longest I nursed any of them was 12 monhts (12 months for the oldest, 10 months for the next two, and still nursing the baby). They seem very well adjusted and I get told that I'm the best mom in the world, too. So, to me, the EBF part of attachment parenting seems to be optional.

Bmontgomery613

I think the point of the cover was to spark just this kind of debate. I think that all of the people who say breastfeeding at 3 or 4 is "weird" or "unnatural" are dead wrong and it's long past the time when the United States needs to move past the sexualization of the breast.

WHO recommends MINIMUM two years. And both the APA and WHO agree on the same principle: breastfeed as long as it continues to be agreeable to both child and mother. The kid will wean on his or her own. Or the mother will reach a point where she's ready to stop.

Sorry, this thread really pisses me off. I can't believe that in the year 2012 mothers have to defend themselves for breast feeding for crying out loud. What the hell do you think women have breasts for????

Play toys for men, duh! Didn't you know that women are simply walking sex toys?? ((sarcasm, btw))

BrownEyedDiva

I don't have an issue with it. I think it's great she breastfeeds her child, I'm all for it, just not on a cover of a magazine. I think if they wanted to put it on the cover of a magazine for all of the right reasons to show that breastfeeding is best for bablies/children they could have done it in a more positive manner but not like that. I support breast feeding mothers!!

momma_a

Well, here's my opinion: If the mom wants to give it for nutritional value, put it in a cup. The kid will be four in June, for cripes sake. And, as my friend put it, 'when the kid is old enough to say 'yo mom, tit', then likely they are a bit too old to be at the boob.

The bigger issue I have with this cover is what it says; Are you mom enough? That is some BS. Just because some mother's don't breastfeed, it doesn't mean they are any less of a mother than this attention wh*re on the front of Time.