I still breastfeed my 5 year-old

[TandemFeeder]

I’ve had another baby too so am now a tandem feeder. Happy to answer any questions.

That does fit more with my experience which is that stopping occurred just naturally between two and three. It was natural to the point that I didn’t think ‘this is the last feed’, it just turned out to be.

Yeah I am leaning more towards agreeing with this. It’s all well and good saying they have to stop when they lose their milk teeth, but the want/need for it will still be there. The child doesn’t know any better because you haven’t taught him any different.

People roll their eyes when older children have dummies and pacifiers, but breast feeding a fully fledged child is fine?

Eh?? How is this even comparable? I very much doubt anyone is crouching under a bloody cow and suckling on its udders ffs!

🤦‍♀️ FML 🤦‍♀️

I think WHO says it’s between 4 and 7 worldwide, but I could be wrong. When I first learnt about feeding that was what we were told. Of course there are varying reasons and situations as worldwide things are very different. I do recall Peru had a very high average in comparison to other countries.

Mine stopped at 5. No prompting. He naturally started to taper off and then just didn’t anymore.

I agree there's nothing sexual about feeding a child. But I was referring to how they might view it when they are older and why they might feel uncomfortable about it. I have never 'taught kids breasts are for sex'. They will pick that up for themselves - probably at primary age these days

Yes, if my DC related that conversation to me, I too would say that it wasn't just babies. But the idea that they come home from school and tell us the conversations they have had is totally unrealistic. And they would not be 'judging' other kids, by saying that breastfeeding was for babies, they would be talking about what they had seen in the world around them. If you want their knowledge to change, maybe you do need to be feeding your school-age children publicly. Because most parents do not discussing breastfeeding with their children because there is simply no need. It is not a topic that ever came up with my DC.

What relevance is this? One is drinking cows milk, one is drinking human milk? Or again,’is it because breasts are involved?

People cannot see how society has done a number on them. Breasts = bad because breasts = sex only.

That number was from an infant feeding survey in 2010 so we don’t have up to date numbers yet. But I know it is a lot more than 0.5% in my child’s year. I live in an affluent area with good BF support which helps.

If you were in the Facebook BF groups you’d realise how many there are. I mean it’s not like they ask parents on a survey at that age anyway.

What we do need to be concerned about is the amount of children being given ‘growing up’ milks which do not replicate breast milk and are full of sugar. Companies are making millions off parents who are led into thinking they are healthy.

How mean , surely wait til he’s done his A levels 🙄

Weird to be striking up conversations about breastfeeding your child while they are with their mates. Boundary issues comes to mind.

I was laugh on at the name, not the bullying of a child.

its weird if you’re making it something it’s not.

This is like satire.

‘oh yeah, Peru, that’s it they breastfeed for ages there. Told you it’s normal’

had a quick Google and it’s bollocks by the way. Only 52% of babies are ever breastfed and nothing about extended bf.

The two are intrinsically linked.

He came in to get some crisps.

His friend was outside.

And breastfeeding isn't a taboo subject.

OP - how do you deal with the endless "when are you planning to stop?" questions I assume you get whenever you mention this online or in real life?

I found this started when my babies hit 6 months and started eating solids, so can't imagine the frustration of listening to it for years!

I didn’t feed my kids up to school age but I did feed my toddler openly till they were just over 3 and I took the flak for it. But I will defend others for their choices because when you read threads like this you realise how horrendous opinions are. And I think women who make choices for their children - and I believe comfort is a perfectly valid reason - shouldn’t be attacked and made to feel like they do have to hide away. I wouldn’t support another mother if she fed her 4 or 5 year old at school, that would be fine. But unless we stand up and tell our kids and others to drop their judgments then they won’t learn and this cycle will continue. Breastfeeding rates are very low in this country and some research done said that younger mothers didn’t do it because they were worried about what it would do to their breasts and what their peers would think. That’s awful! Every woman should have the right to choose what she does feeding-wise but to feel like you can’t feed in case your friends judge you for feeding, probably because it’s breasts, is not okay. We need to teach kids from day dot that it’s fine and then maybe they will have more confidence in their personal choices when they have their own kids.

I think, though I wouldn’t have done it myself, that it’s your body, your child, your choice! The only thing I find a bit weird is the idea that they will remember it later in life. But then I can’t articulate why that might be disturbing.

You need professional help.

Perhaps consider why you didn’t breastfeed.

I can't comprehend taking my breast out and putting the nipple in the mouth of a 5 year old child. I know it's natural blah blah milk teeth etc but it's your tit! In the mouth of a child who is old enough to go to school! There are many things that mammals do in the animal kingdom that we have evolved beyond because of our higher consciousness. Shouldn't putting your nipple in the mouth of a 5/6/7 year old maybe be one of them?

His immune system has been pretty good so far 🤞🏻. However my younger one has had constant colds so I’m not sure I can credit breastfeeding.

I think that story is one the ones that didn’t happen. The poster thought their ‘clever’ idea about the Kaisers Chiefs would make it seem realistic.

From what I've read, in more natural societies it's not unusual for children to breastfeed until about age 7. Of course, by then they are getting most of their nutrients, by far, from other sources so I guess it's mainly for occasional emotional support.

Our modern society has definitely perverted breastfeeding into something with sexual undertones. That's dysfunctional and harmful and far more common than advanced age breastfeeding.

However, one wonders who the continued breastfeeding beyond maybe age three is for, the child or the mother? It does seem to smack of someone who doesn't have enough in their life and wants attention for being "super mom" or who is too much clinging to their child continuing to be a baby.

Personally, I stopped breastfeeding for a short time when my older one was about 18 months old because I was heavily pregnant with another baby. The breastfeeding was making me have contractions, which I didn't want to mess around with. After the second baby was born, I breastfed them both for a short time. But the first child, having already had a break from it, soon seemed done with it anyway. Then I continued to breastfeed the second child until around two or two and a half, though by then of course it was just a couple of times a day, nowhere near a main food supply. I didn't have any end date in mind but just kind of let it end when the baby no longer seemed that interested.

Anyway, I wouldn't mind going against the grain for a good reason but I also do find extremes suspect, when there's no clear reason for it and it's far outside the norm. Personally, I'd say five is too much and that it would be a good time to move on to another childhood stage now instead of being overly invested in it.

It’s the same thing - you laughed at a nasty nickname given to a small child who was being bullied. You’re an adult laughing at a child being bullied.

Go take a long hard look in the mirror.