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AIBU?

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Original poster

Breastfeeding a SIX year old - aibu?

138 replies

flufffffy · 21/05/2025 19:55

I was taking to another mother at gymnastics yesterday. She casually mentioned that she sometimes still breastfeeds her SIX year old. That sometimes her six year old will come to her and “have a go” and that she has milk left. I’m not making this up, it really happened, and she wasn’t pulling my leg.

I truly had no idea what to do with my face, so I made it look very polite.

Isn’t this a bit weird? I mean, the six year old will remember it when she’s older, surely?

I want to be told I’m being judgemental and unreasonable - because I feel bad for being so judgmental and horrified!

This child has no younger siblings, btw, so it’s not like she’s doing it because they are.

I have a six year old boy and there’s no way in hell I would occasionally breastfeed him! I breastfed up until he was 18 months, so it’s not like I’m not sympathetic to long-ish term breastfeeding.

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JockTamsonsBairns · 25/05/2025 14:00

Annascaul · 21/05/2025 22:56

Not your place to hold an opinion on a 6 year old breastfeeding in the school yard?
How self righteous are you? 😆
Everyone else will have had an opinion on that exhibition, rest assured.

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Please explain what is 'self righteous' about my post?

This was in a village just outside of Brighton, where EBF was the norm.

I didn't EBF either of my 3. I raised an inward eyebrow about breastfeeding a Y1 child in the playground - but that's probably because I hadn't come across it before (I'm from Glasgow).

In practice, I collected my children and carried on with my day.
Other people's choices are none of my business.

What exactly is 'self righteous' about that?

Maybethisallthereis · 22/05/2025 20:39

HundredPercentUnsure · 21/05/2025 20:33

Sexualised by a 6yo? What education are the 6yos you know getting?!

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I didn’t say sexualised by a 6 year old did I but this is why I personally find it weird… a six year old doesn’t NEED breast milk

MarioLink · 22/05/2025 11:50

It's not for me but I wouldn't judge at all. I think around the age of 7 the shape of a child's mouth changes with space needed for adult teeth so it becomes impossible to breastfeed. So anything up to age 7 seems biologically possible if highly unusual in our society. I'm quite impressed she tell people.

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2025 11:31

Annascaul · 22/05/2025 11:09

What’s religion got to do with it??

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Just seems very odd to me to get worked up about having seen your parents naked as a kid. That would be one explanation for it.

GoodCharl · 22/05/2025 11:14

Id of made a joke about that Little Britain sketch and sat laughing my head off repeatedly saying “bittie”

Annascaul · 22/05/2025 11:09

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2025 07:24

No big deal at all. Are you very religious or something?

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What’s religion got to do with it??

RumAndDietCoke · 22/05/2025 11:08

Bitty, bitty…

MsCactus · 22/05/2025 11:07

WhatNoRaisins · 22/05/2025 09:30

I'm not one to walk around in the nude around my kids but it's just a human body. I also don't get why it's wrong for kids to remember being breastfed, it's a normal biological thing.

Breastfeeding is a normal biological thing for infants. In the natural world humans stop feeding around age 2-4 according to the evidence we have. It's also designed for babies underdeveloped stomachs and doesn't have the same benefits once infants get older.

So it's only really a 'normal biological thing' for a certain age group, even out of our modern society, so people who prolong it when there aren't any more benefits for the child are going to be seen as strange. I guess it's like rocking a 12 year old to sleep every night - normal for a baby, not normal for that older age group.

I was breastfed to age 3 and I vaguely remember it. I don't thank my mum for those memories, it's a bit too intimate to remember that now I'm an adult.

Calliopespa · 22/05/2025 10:05

doodahdayy · 22/05/2025 07:39

It may seem odd to you but we’re all different. I take it you are a nude family then? Your kids won’t thank you for it in the future.

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String was an unfortunate ( and very visual) typo 🤣

eta oops sorry that was really a response to @TheKeatingFive’s comment previous to yours about an odd “ string” reaction.

Jem96 · 22/05/2025 10:03

Calliopespa · 22/05/2025 06:55

I can’t help but suspect it was in fact designed to provoke reactions. I mean by six you could surely say “just wait till we are home.”

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I can’t imagine most of this six year old’s peers would have had the ability to understand the arguments put forth for extended breastfeeding to this degree…

WhatNoRaisins · 22/05/2025 09:30

I'm not one to walk around in the nude around my kids but it's just a human body. I also don't get why it's wrong for kids to remember being breastfed, it's a normal biological thing.

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2025 07:42

doodahdayy · 22/05/2025 07:39

It may seem odd to you but we’re all different. I take it you are a nude family then? Your kids won’t thank you for it in the future.

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Well I didn't have any issues with it, so why would they?

It seems to be a very British phenomena to get worked up about this kind of thing.

doodahdayy · 22/05/2025 07:39

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2025 07:37

Seems very odd to have such a string reaction. 🤷‍♀️

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It may seem odd to you but we’re all different. I take it you are a nude family then? Your kids won’t thank you for it in the future.

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2025 07:37

doodahdayy · 22/05/2025 07:34

Not at all I just didn’t wish to be subjected to my parents dangly bits on display so I don’t waft around naked in front of my kids.

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Seems very odd to have such a string reaction. 🤷‍♀️

doodahdayy · 22/05/2025 07:34

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2025 07:24

No big deal at all. Are you very religious or something?

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Not at all I just didn’t wish to be subjected to my parents dangly bits on display so I don’t waft around naked in front of my kids.

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2025 07:24

doodahdayy · 22/05/2025 07:22

Who in their right mind wants to remember that?

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No big deal at all. Are you very religious or something?

doodahdayy · 22/05/2025 07:22

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2025 07:07

Why are you disgusted by memories of seeing your parents naked?

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Who in their right mind wants to remember that?

TheKeatingFive · 22/05/2025 07:07

doodahdayy · 21/05/2025 20:00

I have memories of seeing my parents naked and that’s horrific enough. I’m pretty sure memories of being breastfed would be disgusting to me.

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Why are you disgusted by memories of seeing your parents naked?

Calliopespa · 22/05/2025 06:55

Annascaul · 21/05/2025 22:56

Not your place to hold an opinion on a 6 year old breastfeeding in the school yard?
How self righteous are you? 😆
Everyone else will have had an opinion on that exhibition, rest assured.

Show quote history

I can’t help but suspect it was in fact designed to provoke reactions. I mean by six you could surely say “just wait till we are home.”

IDontThinkSoSunshine · 21/05/2025 23:03

It's weird and says something about the mum I'd say. I expect they co sleep still and dad sleeps in the spare room. Six year old is probably still in nappies too.

TipsyRaven247 · 21/05/2025 23:03

Yuck, that's grim.

Devonshiregal · 21/05/2025 22:57

Bubbinsmakesthree · 21/05/2025 20:41

OK to think about it another way…among the different ways you can comfort a child, which others offer nutritional and immunity benefit? None that I can think of. So why not provide a method of comfort that has extra benefits?

TBH main issue is that we sexualise breasts. I don’t think people would find it weird otherwise.

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Breasts are sexual though for people. Like very few people have any interest in elbows during sex, but breasts they do. So it’s not like sexualising something obscure, it’s forms part of the reproductive system and those bits are sexual/ised.

Annascaul · 21/05/2025 22:56

JockTamsonsBairns · 21/05/2025 22:49

It's a few years ago now, but I recall a Mum breastfeeding her 6yo child in the playground at pick-up time.

It's not my business how, why, or when she fed her child - and it's not my place to hold an opinion.

It felt quite unusual to me, but I just collected my own DCs and carried on with my day.

Not your place to hold an opinion on a 6 year old breastfeeding in the school yard?
How self righteous are you? 😆
Everyone else will have had an opinion on that exhibition, rest assured.

brunettemic · 21/05/2025 22:50

I think it’s weird but whatever, doesn’t affect me. Neither of our DC were breastfed much (one of them precisely zero times and one I managed nearly a week) so I’m hardly speaking from a place of experience.

JockTamsonsBairns · 21/05/2025 22:49

It's a few years ago now, but I recall a Mum breastfeeding her 6yo child in the playground at pick-up time.

It's not my business how, why, or when she fed her child - and it's not my place to hold an opinion.

It felt quite unusual to me, but I just collected my own DCs and carried on with my day.