Yesterday I was in the same room as several mothers who nurse their school aged children

[Babieseverywhere]

This was the annual LLL social coffee morning for nursing mothers of children over 4 years old !
It was so nice to discuss the good and bad points about nursing older children. :D

Roll on next year :)

[Babieseverywhere]

Plus my oldest nurseling was the youngest older child nursing IYSWIM

[ChippingInMistressSteamMop]

I'm glad you found other people to discuss a common interest with.

However, my opinion is that breast feeding school aged children is unnecessary and very odd tbh. Why on earth would you do it? When do you plan on stopping?

[catwhiskers10]

I used to think BF a toddler was odd.. Now I'm doing it.
I hope I'm not still BF DD when she's at school but you never know!

[Babieseverywhere]

I do whatever is in the best interest for my children. I meet their needs and allow them to grow up and move into the world when and how they are ready :D

Come to the next meeting, you would learn a lot :)

[RitaMorgan]

Well breastfeeding a child of any age isn't strictly necessary is it ChippingIn? They'd survive perfectly well without.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

see I used to think that was really weird and freaky. Now I have DD I can see myself feeding into school age...

[EauRouge]

I remember seeing a documentary about it before DD1 was born and thinking it was odd. Now I plan to let her self-wean (she is 2.5 yo).

ChippingIn, have a read of this, it's interesting stuff and this is a really good book if you fancy reading something more in-depth.

[wannaBe]

nope agree with chipping - it's just weird.

All about mothers not being able to let go of the baby stage.

Also can't get my head around this concept that the child wouldn't let the parent give up - who exactly is the adult here.

[ChippingInMistressSteamMop]

Agree with WannaBe on both points.

[RitaMorgan]

If the child doesn't want to stop and the parent doesn't mind, what's the harm though? Why make the child wean if you're happy to continue - it won't be forever.

[Babieseverywhere]

Those old chestnuts, they keep recurring....all about the mother, keeping the children babies...it makes me laugh how narrow minded some people can be. :)

[WoTmania]

oh for heavens sake. There is nothing wrong with letting your child self-wean. Ds is 3.9 still going, down to every 3-4 days now though :)
It has nothing to do with me 'not being able to let go of the baby stage' I have a younger child too.
I can't understand why people get so funny about it. As for them 'not needing it', well they don't need cow's milk either but we give it to them.

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

I am always amazed by the negativity that attaches to something perfectly normal and utterly harmless. It's been out of fashion for a while in Western culture - but has been common in the past and probably will be again.

[Blu]

LOL - I was wondering why you would have get togethers with people who happen to have fed their chidren for the same length of time - it was the meetings that I was about.

But then I read the other posts. Which explains some of it

[blackcurrants]

OP, I was SO hoping the rest of your post was going to be .... "and NO ONE's leg dropped off!" Honestly, the way some of my family have reacted to breastfeeding, you'd think doing it for ONE moment past newborn stage/6 months/a year causes cancer in all parties in a five mile radius.

:) I'm getting comments (from my 90 year old granny and 60 year old aunt) about "are you going to feed him yourself forever?" Uuuh, no, I think I'll die at some point, then he will, and then the planet will either cool or explode.. not FOREVER, no.

DS is 7 months old and just getting his head around solids. I know there's a difference between a 7 month old and a toddler, but it also seems that ANY amount of breastfeeding will make some people uncomfortable, so it was handy to learn that part already. Best to smile and/or tell people where they can shove their opinions, it seems!

[activate]

Let me say up front that I don't care how long people breastfeed for - I really don't

However I think this whole used to do it in the past is a bit of rubbish if I'm honest

Because babies used to have to make way for the next ones along and it would not be normal for a 4 or 5 year old to be breastfeeding when they have a 3, 2, 1 year old sibling


but still I don't care - good for you to have a nice coffee morning

[Babieseverywhere]

I guess infant feeding is something that everyone has an option on. Often a strong opinion based on how feeding went with their own children.
As pp said breastfeeding full term by allowing children to wean in their own time is seen as wrong, whereas we often follow our child's cues when they are ready to dress themselves or use a toilet. I find the double standards very interesting 'especially the ' you must wean when x' comments, they are always so random reasons.

[activate]

would be more normal for the 5 year old to be up a chimney working

[solooovely]

What sort of school age are we talking here? 4 or 12?

[WorzselMummage]

yeah i'd like to know how old we're talking about too.

4, ok
9, not ok.

[Babieseverywhere]

4 to 6 years I think, not that it matters.

[WorzselMummage]

Of course it matters.

kids are 'school aged' at 15!