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.

@BrotherViolence what is your evidence that, globally this is quite normal where exactly in the globe?

Yes BF helps the jaw development. The longer you BF the stronger the jaw.

It actually does as their immune systems aren't fully developed until they are seven to eight years old.

I got the statistic from a report in The Lancet. In terms of the stats not reflecting your experience, they do vary greatly from region to region. Mothers in affluent areas are more likely to breastfeed.

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/breastfeeding-at-6-to-8-weeks-after-birth-annual-data-april-2023-to-march-2024/breastfeeding-at-6-to-8-weeks-2023-to-2024-statistical-commentary

it might be a strong jaw, whatever that means ? but does it look unusual having a strong jaw

Wow! 5 years old. Amazing.

Have you ever had to manage breast feeding aversions? I fed my eldest til 3.5 years and youngest 15 months and with both I suffered horrendous feeding aversions, that I cannot describe or would wish on my worst enemy! It was pure bliss when they both self weened

Thank you. Yes mine definitely does get milk. I’m definitely less ‘full’ after he’s fed.

@ExcitingTimes2023in what way are people who question this uneducated? What education are they lacking?

If you wait until they lose all their baby teeth, they will be around 12 years old.

I find it so cringe you call it a 'feed' or he 'fed'.

a child at that age is fed by food and water. There's no feeling aspect so it, it's for comfort and a drink at most.

it FEEDS babies and toddlers.

Well apparently people who question breastfeeding at the age of 5 are uneducated because they don't know about the 'cultures' globally' where this is common. Except that there aren't any It just sounds kind of nice and natural to talk about 'cultures' around the globe. Nobody has been able to name an actual, real present day place where this is common. And yet, they are educated.

Sorry I just find it completely inappropriate.

OP has said several times that the latch tends to go once they start losing their teeth, not once they’ve lost all of them. But it’s by no means universal, and some children are able to latch on despite losing their baby teeth. OP won’t answer what she’ll do then, and whether she’d continue until secondary school or if she’d call time on it.

Yeah I agree these questions can get really irritating.

I don’t tend to mention much breastfeeding these days though so it hasn’t come up for a while. Other than on this thread of course!

No questions, just saying hello 👋. I fed my youngest until 4.5. Only read your posts but I think there are a lot of us about! I don't tend to mention it - largely because it never comes up, and partly because people can be a bit funny about it, despite it really not being anyone else's business.
I just didn't stop, rather than making any concerted effort to continue if that makes sense. I could go out, go on holiday, nights out, leave DC with someone else etc. I think people often don't understand what extended bf is actually like and project all sorts of issues.

We just naturally came to an end - DC is now 8, teeth are fine, no resulting clinginess or trauma and all is well ☺️

It's none of my business how long others breast feed, but my boys had both self-weaned by the age of one (one at around 9 months and the other at 11 months - earlier for daytime feeds). I had to move them to cows milk because as my health visitor said, formula milk doesn't taste very nice.

Haven't read the full thread but disgusted by the many judgemental comments. Well done op for doing what you deem best for your family. Every family and every child is different, extended breastfeeding perfectly natural and normal in many cultures. Not sure of the agenda of posters trying to make it a selfish or sexual thing 🙄

@TheTwinklyLilacSquid which cultures?

@Leftrightmiddle - jeez, I’m glad my mum ff me cos my jaw doesn’t need to be any stronger than it is already!

For me personally no, I don’t think this is a factor.

Does this ever happen? Maybe. I can’t really comment on what other people do.

Sub Saharan Africa, some countries in South east Asia. Anecdotally it's not uncommon in Colombia and Peru too - my mum's family is south America although I grew up in Spain/UK and none of my relatives in Colombia or Spain seemed surprised when I continued feeding until 4ish.

I think it’s a bit odd at that age and in all honesty, I suspect it’s more for you than it is for them..

He was fed until his 6th birthday. He's the only one out of us 3 children that were breastfed and he was the youngest.

it's really had such a detrimental effect on his school life which has lead onto adulthood. He was relentlessly bullied, he would get locked in toilets and people called him bitty all the time. He blames my mother as because she never told him otherwise, he believed it was socially normal. So this whole 'will self wean when they're ready' doesn't really stand. The children know no different.

it was awful to see.

@DistantSkyeI’ve looked into it but can’t find any evidence at all of breastfeeding to 6. I googled Colombia and it said the median duration is 1.8 months. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen, but just that is not really common. I’m actually pro breastfeeding and breastfed my own 2 but I honestly think there’s not many people feeding 5/6 year olds worldwide

@EmmaWoodhouseOfHighbury - did your health visitor do a taste test comparing formula to breast milk 🤔 Even if they did how would they know if formula milk didn’t taste nice for a baby?!