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Breastfeeding older kids (over 12mths old)
Replies
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peckchris3267 wrote: »
It is a public profile picture on social media.peckchris3267 wrote: »
Does he look like a well adapted young man? This is his Facebook profile picture.
Not cool if you don't have permission. And are you saying this is because of breastfeeding?
I'm responding to everyone who posts articles saying that prolonged breastfeeding makes kids smarter and overall better off. Here is one who is not and you don't know that it isn't a result of breastfeeding too long.
Except we can't tell anything meaningful about his intelligence or overall "betteroffness" from a single picture. You do realize that, right?
And even if it were possible to do so, how does a single example prove anything meaningful?10 -
I have an adult child who was breastfed until she was 4. She has a biting sarcastic wit.
I'm sure it's totally causative, if I'm following the drift of this thread correctly.12 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »So to kinda of maybe try to get things back on track. I was looking at stats indicating longer breastfeeding times resulting in higher IQs (or really the article I found is using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS))
This is what I was looking at, I just read the synopsis of results so far: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/194901
But it raised a question in my head. With research, there is always the question of weather correlation actually indicates causation. So, it made me start wondering, is it really the extended breastfeeding itself that causes the higher IQ, or do parents who tend to opt to extended breastfeed also tend to be more involved with their child and that is what really gives the boost. It seems like most teachers feel that parent involvement in their kids education (especially at a younger age) really helps them succeed.
My two youngest were involved in a twin study for IQ looking at nature vs. nurture. One one hand you have twins who were raised apart and on the other hand you have non-related siblings of the same age being raised together (my kids are 1 month apart in age). One was breastfed, the other was not (my milk was already established by the time he came to us at 5mo) My n=2, showed they had pretty much the exact same IQ. They have also pretty much always been the same height, weight, shoe size, etc.
Overall study however, showed that genes did player a larger role in IQ over environment. So I think you may be onto something with your hypothesis. Except it may be that (3rd world countries aside), perhaps it's more educated/higher IQ parents who opt for extended breastfeeding?6 -
mom23mangos wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »So to kinda of maybe try to get things back on track. I was looking at stats indicating longer breastfeeding times resulting in higher IQs (or really the article I found is using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS))
This is what I was looking at, I just read the synopsis of results so far: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/194901
But it raised a question in my head. With research, there is always the question of weather correlation actually indicates causation. So, it made me start wondering, is it really the extended breastfeeding itself that causes the higher IQ, or do parents who tend to opt to extended breastfeed also tend to be more involved with their child and that is what really gives the boost. It seems like most teachers feel that parent involvement in their kids education (especially at a younger age) really helps them succeed.
My two youngest were involved in a twin study for IQ looking at nature vs. nurture. One one hand you have twins who were raised apart and on the other hand you have non-related siblings of the same age being raised together (my kids are 1 month apart in age). One was breastfed, the other was not (my milk was already established by the time he came to us at 5mo) My n=2, showed they had pretty much the exact same IQ. They have also pretty much always been the same height, weight, shoe size, etc.
Overall study however, showed that genes did player a larger role in IQ over environment. So I think you may be onto something with your hypothesis. Except it may be that (3rd world countries aside), perhaps it's more educated/higher IQ parents who opt for extended breastfeeding?
You are correct that in developed countries, extended breastfeeding correlates positively with education level and socioeconomic status.
That was in this one: Brockway, M., & Venturato, L. (January 01, 2016). Breastfeeding beyond infancy: a concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72, 9, 2003-15.
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So this thread is being used to express annoyance at someone's sister for events of 15 or more years ago, and to mock the same person's college-age nephew, including photos from another site. That seems kind of inappropriate to me.
I always think it's weird enough when someone tries to get MFP to weigh in on some lover's spat they have with a SO, especially since you never actually get the whole story. But this takes the cake.20 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I have an adult child who was breastfed until she was 4. She has a biting sarcastic wit.
I'm sure it's totally causative, if I'm following the drift of this thread correctly.
humm, so how does one determine if their boobs produce intelligent, witty people or serial killers. We need some sort of testing mechanism for that....5 -
I feel for this man's family.10
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4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »So to kinda of maybe try to get things back on track. I was looking at stats indicating longer breastfeeding times resulting in higher IQs (or really the article I found is using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS))
This is what I was looking at, I just read the synopsis of results so far: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/194901
But it raised a question in my head. With research, there is always the question of weather correlation actually indicates causation. So, it made me start wondering, is it really the extended breastfeeding itself that causes the higher IQ, or do parents who tend to opt to extended breastfeed also tend to be more involved with their child and that is what really gives the boost. It seems like most teachers feel that parent involvement in their kids education (especially at a younger age) really helps them succeed.
I think this hits the nail on the head. My son was formula fed past his first few weeks and he is well above his peers in many areas, language, height, only been sick a couple of times, inquisitiveness, etc. He stays with my parents while we work. They work with him 1x1 in many areas (they are a true blessing).
Same for me, I was also above my peers in many areas and was formula fed. My parents are just highly involved people during the day and my husband and I are highly involved at all other times.
I agree that it is plausible that those who breastfeed longer are often the type to value other things that cause the child to develop more well-rounded.
Bottom line, fed is best...no matter if it is from bottle or breast.10 -
Yikes....I have only been lurking this thread. But....posting a photo like that (even if he has it on his FB page) is kinda awful. I can respect that everyone has their own opinions about BF, it is a personal choice with many caveats. However, to blast a member of your family to internet strangers and then add a face to it, is kind of horrible. Regardless of how this kid was raised, that's just not cool.16
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4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I have an adult child who was breastfed until she was 4. She has a biting sarcastic wit.
I'm sure it's totally causative, if I'm following the drift of this thread correctly.
humm, so how does one determine if their boobs produce intelligent, witty people or serial killers. We need some sort of testing mechanism for that....
My left boob produced the witty one. The right boob produced a moody gamer. He might still outgrow that, though. He's only 15.
Or it could maybe, just maybe have absolutely nothing to do with it and they are unique individuals.
I've been firing off sarcastic responses because I think the other poster is trolling and doesn't deserve serious responses, but my deeper thoughts on the issue of nurturing is that it's a far cry from coddling.
Nurturing a child doesn't preclude encouraging them to develop independence, and the assertion that children will uniformly turn out a certain way (if it was a genuine assertion and not just flame baiting) because of one nurturing behavior is simplistic reasoning and ignores the complex, dynamic nature of childhood development and parent/child interaction.12 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »VeronicaA76 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »VeronicaA76 wrote: »Every child is different, every parent is different. So long as the child is happy and healthy, how long or even if, they are breastfed is no one's business.
I didn't mean to hit a sore spot, was just curious is all
"One" of the things that prompted this thread, was i have read so many times of mothers complaining about lack of sleep and walking around like zombies due to getting up for night feeds multiple times a night, only to then find out their kids arent newborns, but older toddlers. I was wondering if midwives are now pushing this to new mothers??
You didn't. What bothers me is when people that don't know someone or thier child insist that they know better. While breastmilk is healthiest for most children, if they are breastfed for 5 months or 5 years is irrelevant, so long as the child is happy & healthy.
Exactly this.
But that's exactly the point that peckchris3267 is trying to make, that may not be "healthy", not talking physical, we are talking about mental and emotional healthy. Speaking from my education experience as an early childhood educator, breastfeeding a 5 year old when he doesn't need to be bf. This may start an unhealthy attachment issue. Totally agree and completely understand with what you're saying Chris, but when you're talking about moms breastfeeding their kid they're going to be super defensive.10 -
@Christine_72 I find this very interesting. My oldest is 22 so presumably we were raising our children at the same time. My son's dr told me to nurse on demand and not introduce solids of any kind until 6 months old. Which meant I was sleep deprived at first. I was a member of La Leche League (which some believe are zealots, I even became a leader after I qualified).
My children are 22, 19, 16, and 11. I nursed them 5 years, 3 years (my breasts got very tender during the next pregnancy), 3 years, and finally 3 years. We nursed until the child decided to stop or I needed to.
My two oldest are adults and act like it. My oldest has finished college and found a job. He asked to stay living at home to pay off college (which we agree with).
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I have an adult child who was breastfed until she was 4. She has a biting sarcastic wit.
I'm sure it's totally causative, if I'm following the drift of this thread correctly.
humm, so how does one determine if their boobs produce intelligent, witty people or serial killers. We need some sort of testing mechanism for that....
My left boob produced the witty one. The right boob produced a moody gamer. He might still outgrow that, though. He's only 15.
Or it could maybe, just maybe have absolutely nothing to do with it and they are unique individuals.
I've been firing off sarcastic responses because I think the other poster is trolling and doesn't deserve serious responses, but my deeper thoughts on the issue of nurturing is that it's a far cry from coddling.
Nurturing a child doesn't preclude encouraging them to develop independence, and the assertion that children will uniformly turn out a certain way (if it was a genuine assertion and not just flame baiting) because of one nurturing behavior is simplistic reasoning and ignores the complex, dynamic nature of childhood development and parent/child interaction.
I think a good argument could be made that nurturing a child can make it more likely that they will have the self-confidence to be independent. One usually needs a solid foundation to have a sturdy building (this is not to say that people who had less than great beginnings can't overcome them, there are other ways to develop that self-confidence).
When I think of the most nurturing parents I know, it's about them supporting and loving the child in appropriate ways (which can include extended breastfeeding or not). They're not doing it to shield a child or keep them from developing -- they're doing it to give them the space and confidence to explore the world in a safe way.3 -
Except that I had nothing to do with him most of his life. I lived 1500 miles away.HealthyBodySickMind wrote: »peckchris3267 wrote: »
It is a public profile picture on social media.peckchris3267 wrote: »
Does he look like a well adapted young man? This is his Facebook profile picture.
Not cool if you don't have permission. And are you saying this is because of breastfeeding?
I'm responding to everyone who posts articles saying that prolonged breastfeeding makes kids smarter and overall better off. Here is one who is not and you don't know that it isn't a result of breastfeeding too long.
I'm going to guess it's the direct result of a domineering, borderline abusive uncle with a selfish desire to toughen him up. You can't prove it's not.
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At least one person chooses to try and understand my point without getting all defensive. Thank you.sweetjay92 wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »VeronicaA76 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »VeronicaA76 wrote: »Every child is different, every parent is different. So long as the child is happy and healthy, how long or even if, they are breastfed is no one's business.
I didn't mean to hit a sore spot, was just curious is all
"One" of the things that prompted this thread, was i have read so many times of mothers complaining about lack of sleep and walking around like zombies due to getting up for night feeds multiple times a night, only to then find out their kids arent newborns, but older toddlers. I was wondering if midwives are now pushing this to new mothers??
You didn't. What bothers me is when people that don't know someone or thier child insist that they know better. While breastmilk is healthiest for most children, if they are breastfed for 5 months or 5 years is irrelevant, so long as the child is happy & healthy.
Exactly this.
But that's exactly the point that peckchris3267 is trying to make, that may not be "healthy", not talking physical, we are talking about mental and emotional healthy. Speaking from my education experience as an early childhood educator, breastfeeding a 5 year old when he doesn't need to be bf. This may start an unhealthy attachment issue. Totally agree and completely understand with what you're saying Chris, but when you're talking about moms breastfeeding their kid they're going to be super defensive.
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sweetjay92 wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »VeronicaA76 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »VeronicaA76 wrote: »Every child is different, every parent is different. So long as the child is happy and healthy, how long or even if, they are breastfed is no one's business.
I didn't mean to hit a sore spot, was just curious is all
"One" of the things that prompted this thread, was i have read so many times of mothers complaining about lack of sleep and walking around like zombies due to getting up for night feeds multiple times a night, only to then find out their kids arent newborns, but older toddlers. I was wondering if midwives are now pushing this to new mothers??
You didn't. What bothers me is when people that don't know someone or thier child insist that they know better. While breastmilk is healthiest for most children, if they are breastfed for 5 months or 5 years is irrelevant, so long as the child is happy & healthy.
Exactly this.
But that's exactly the point that peckchris3267 is trying to make, that may not be "healthy", not talking physical, we are talking about mental and emotional healthy. Speaking from my education experience as an early childhood educator, breastfeeding a 5 year old when he doesn't need to be bf. This may start an unhealthy attachment issue. Totally agree and completely understand with what you're saying Chris, but when you're talking about moms breastfeeding their kid they're going to be super defensive.
If he wants to make that point then that is fine, but so far all he has been able to do is throw around his unsupported opinion, whereas other people are putting real facts, or at least thought, into their posts. (well at least the serious posts anyways)9 -
And yes, I have children. I have two daughters, 15 and 18 years old. I have raised them by myself because their mother is a deadbeat egg donor who lives 1500 miles away. And no, she didn't breastfeed them because she said it was too difficult.
My youngest is an exception athlete and an all A student. My oldest got her LNA before she even graduated high school and is going to college for nursing next week.
Neither we're breastfed.2 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I regularly read about women breastfeeding their older kids, have things changed since mine were babies?
My youngest is 22, and back then night feeds stopped at 8 weeks old which equaled no more waking up at night within a few days, and breast feeding/formula was no longer needed from 12mths old because at that age they ate the same things we did.
Are the recommendations different nowadays?
I don't sleep through the night, so I thought it strange that I would expect a baby to do what I can't manage.
This WHO statement is from 2011, but it is what I followed. For reference, my kids were born in 1996, 2000, and 2006.
"WHO recommends mothers worldwide to exclusively breastfeed infants for the child's first six months to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter, they should be given nutritious complementary foods and continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond."
I also practiced co-sleeping while we were nursing, too, so take my opinion for what it's worth.
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peckchris3267 wrote: »And yes, I have children. I have two daughters, 15 and 18 years old. I have raised them by myself because their mother is a deadbeat egg donor who lives 1500 miles away. And no, she didn't breastfeed them because she said it was too difficult.
My youngest is an exception athlete and an all A student. My oldest got her LNA before she even graduated high school and is going to college for nursing next week.
Neither we're breastfed.
Literally nobody has said that one has to be breastfed in order to be a successful adult. They're just challenging your (unsupported) statements that breastfeeding will lead one to be unsuccessful.8 -
That argument for breastfeeding has been thrown around here both directly and within the linked articles that have been provided.janejellyroll wrote: »peckchris3267 wrote: »And yes, I have children. I have two daughters, 15 and 18 years old. I have raised them by myself because their mother is a deadbeat egg donor who lives 1500 miles away. And no, she didn't breastfeed them because she said it was too difficult.
My youngest is an exception athlete and an all A student. My oldest got her LNA before she even graduated high school and is going to college for nursing next week.
Neither we're breastfed.
Literally nobody has said that one has to be breastfed in order to be a successful adult. They're just challenging your (unsupported) statements that breastfeeding will lead one to be unsuccessful.
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