Extended breastfeeding - how do you feel

[Feedingwondering]

Was in a situation today where I was judged negatively for still breastfeeding my DS, who is 3.5. I wanted to know how common these attitudes are - I’ve never really thought about it because how long we choose to breastfeed for is the business of no one but mum and baby, but it made me wonder what other people think/feel. No judgement on how anyone feels about it, I’m just interested.

And that is totally fine. We can all have different opinions 🙂

You were breastfeeding a nearly 7 year old?

There is no reason for a 7 year old to be breastfeeding.

I'm all for bf and extended bf, but bf a pretty much 7 year old is ridiculous. And weird.

Ffs Breastfeeding is natural until the last of a child’s milk teeth has fallen out. It is why we have milk teeth in the first place.

I breastfed one of mine until they were three. But not in public after around 2. Not because of judgement but because i had younger babies to feed and also to set boundaries over feeding. I'm all for extended feeding.
However, I know mums who will feed a three year old on demand all day and night and then wonder why they don't eat their meals or sleep through the night. It's a brilliant tool of comfort, and nutrition but if practiced with no boundaries, it's not good for mother or child.

I still feed my 2 year old and my MIL can’t believe it, she is convinced they only need the colostrum and bf after they’re 6 weeks old is pointless. She asked DH if I was carrying on because I had ‘emotional problems’ whatever that means!

I do find it a bit embarrassing if I’m out and my child starts yelling ‘BOOBIE NOW!’….

DD2.9 has some medical conditions. Breastfeeding boosts her immune system, provides comfort when she wakes up in pain, helps comfort her during or after hospital stays and procedures, and has helped us avoid IV fluids more than once.

I've been feeding for over 5 years straight now, and for myself would prefer to be done – but given a choice between what it costs me to keep going and what it saves DD, we'll be continuing for now.

@CocoDC of course breastfeeding is beneficial. Extended is too, but a SEVEN year old?? There's a reason you don't often see a seven year old flopped on a mums tit! It won't be good for their teeth at that age with the sugar, especially through the night. By 7 a child will be getting everything they need with their meals and food nutrition.

Breastfeeding a seven year old is strange. If I disclosed to my class I was still on my mums boobs at 7 I'd get bullied. I think it's borderline cruel and all for the mums benefit only.

I repeat, I am all for extended bf right into preschool ages. But there is no need for a seven year old to be latched onto a tit.

A seven year old should be self soothing on their own, developing their own ways to settle in developmentally appropriate ways.

There may be no health risks to breastfeeding a 7 year old but IMO there are other risks at play.

A 7 yr old breast feeding still is wrong

Those saying they can't find anywhere that says the average age to end breastfeeding is 4yo...

First of all, there are a lot other people in the world outside of Europe

Second, it says it on the WHO website

Breast milk is not bad for teeth

How is breastfeeding for mums benefit?? I hear people say this but what on earth do they mean?

It lowers our chances of breast cancer, I'm guessing that's not what you mean though??

@5FeetToBeExact

Also don't "extended breastfeeding" is just a stupid term, it's not extended it's just what's normal

It's called natural term weaning

Could you link to that? I only ask because the evidence I posted about India and China, neither of which is in Europe, suggests their median ages are much lower than 4 years. They're a third of the world population, so it's difficult to see how the other two thirds are going to not only average out at 4 years themselves but also make up for China's mean breastfeeding duration being under 1 year and India's being 2.

I didn't bf a 4 year old but I did bf a 3yo at bed time and it wasn't weird at all

It was very calm, even though she was a lot bigger she still had the same exact expression of calm and soothing that she did as a baby

@SoiledMyselfDuringSomeTurbulence

No! Look on the world health organisation yourself!

Its right there

I have. Couldn't see it, but perhaps your searching skills are better than mine. One often sees it claimed without sources, like at this attachment parenting website below.

https://www.attachmentparenting.org/apifaqs/feed/weaning#gsc.tab=0

Wondered even if it might be an old stat that the WHO published at some point but that isn't applicable now. Because again, it's difficult to see how China's mean duration of 8 months and India's of 24 months would leave us with a global average of 4 years.@

Surely all of those arguments stand when it comes to a preschool age child too?

If breast milk isn’t good for a 7 year olds teeth, it isn’t good for a 3 year olds teeth either.

A preschooler will also be getting all of their nutrition from food.

There’s also no need for a preschooler to be ‘latched onto a tit’ either.

3 is a good age to stop. It's when I'm going to wean my son.

Why is it a good age to stop?

Just imo. It'll be just before my third is born.

Still breastfeeding my 3Y 2mo. You go for it!!!

@SoiledMyselfDuringSomeTurbulence

It's been misunderstood. The WHO recommend that the average age of weaning should be around 4 years old. Not that it is. And by average they probably mean median rather than the mean.

Human milk for human children!
I wonder why some find that concept so strange.

Yes, I too think there's been a misunderstanding somewhere.

The 4 year global average weaning claim is one of those things that's taken on an internet life of its own. People like the idea of it and don't stop to think about whether it's actually likely, given what we know about the world.

@Somethingsnappy what about for adults? Because we need calcium too...

I think it's an age thing people find strange rather than breastfeeding infants in general