Breast feeding at 4? AIBU for my comment?

[crazymicrowave123]

I was asked to baby sit for a friend of my parent's over the weekend and her son is 4 years old (and would have been a bit of extra cash which I could do with). She let me know that she still breastfeeds him every morning, once at lunch and before bed, says it is comforting for him and for her and has no plans to stop any time soon and that she will do so at my house before she leaves. He is turning 5 in a a few weeks time, when I told her my family and I thought it was a bit strange to still be breastfeeding at 5 when he is starting school but that I wouldn't object to her doing so before leaving, she then decided to cancel the babysitting and told me I was no longer needed.

She has now decided she no longer wants to keep in touch with our family due to our 'judgemental and disgusting ways' and says I have deeply offended her. Coincidentally I have come across this article online where Ice T is defending his wife Coco who still breast feeds there daughter at 5. So AIBU and should I extend the olive branch and apologise? I wasn't intending to offend just gave my honest opinion and now I feel a bit guilty.

Article: www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9865267/Ice-T-defends-wife-Coco-Austins-decision-continue-breastfeeding-five-year-old-daughter.html

@Winemewhynot it is though. You told the other user that she should look at alternative sources of comfort for her child in hospital. Why? It’s a ridiculous thing to say.

What does 'without Anglo-Saxon' mean?

Breastmilk isn’t the equivalent of champagne and chocolate. It’s the one foodstuff in the world that is purposely designed for consumption by children. Nothing is more nutritionally dense or health giving for a child.

Seriously? 😂

I think it's because it's quite a personal thing and not really your business. You made her feel uncomfortable in her own home, so I do get where she is coming from.

It's like her walking in your house and judging the way you bring up your kids.

I don't get this focus on nutritional value, as if that's the ONLY benefit to breastfeeding. Lots of children like to breastfeed for comfort, is that not a valid reason? Should parents not cuddle children because it infantilises therm?

@Bluntness100 what compares do you think?

Yanbu op.
It's ridiculous to be feeding a child of that age.
Ignore posters piling on

@DingDongThongs

666TheNumberOfTheBeast
For gods sakes, it’s a fucking tit, not a crack pipe. Just leave the damned kid alone.

Do you have any vocabulary of an actual adult. Or do you just talk like a Viz character?

I dread to think how your offspring are dragged up.

It's a breast. Try to use words without Anglo-Saxon. You'll look like an adult. Not an irresponsible, uncouth teen. The only T!t is you...

Good luck with that!

😂😂😂 cheers for brightening my evening. I can say tit if I like. I have toys. I also have breasts. They’re boobs too.
And we’re all adults here, you don’t need to substitute the I for an exclamation mark.

[quote wincarwoo]@Bluntness100 what compares do you think? [/quote]
Over six months children are supposed to gain their nutrients from a variety of foods, not just one, that variety is “health giving” to use the odd phrasing of the poster.

This child is five, they are not supposed to be reliant on breast milk.

Tits not toys, I must check my autocorrect before posting

@KarmaStar

Yanbu op. It's ridiculous to be feeding a child of that age. Ignore posters piling on

Even if you think it's ridiculous, don't you think it's rude to tell somebody that they're strange for doing it?

I think it's ridiculous to still have 3 year olds in nappies but I'd never tell another parent they're strange if that's what they've decided to do. It's not my place.

This child is five, they are not supposed to be reliant on breast milk.

Who says they’re ‘reliant’?

No one.

I agree with you. It’s weird. You breastfeed milk until babies start growing teeth and then you wean. I don’t think 14 year olds, 9 year olds or 5 year olds need to breastfeed from their mummy as if they can’t eat proper food. This is ‘AIBU?’ and that’s my opinion. I don’t really care who disagrees with me.

However, you definitely shouldn’t have said anything because she clearly feels that this is so intensely personal and justifiable that it cannot be criticised at all. Her breasts, her child, her call.

@Bluntness100 nobody has said they are reliant on breast milk at that age.
Obviously a child of four would be eating other food.

@sst1234

Women who do this are weird, no getting around that. Reminds me of the Little Britain sketch with David Williams.

I agree. I’m not sure I would care about someone who is so easily offended not wanting to keep in contact either....

And... If you come on MN hoping for everyone to pile in and say it's her being OTT, I think you will get that and the polar opposite with it. You only get polarised views on AIBU much of the time.

I say this as a person breastfeeding a two year old who fucking HATEs it. I'm not an earth mother who wears it as a badge of honour. I carry on because I don't have the energy to wean at the moment and the tantrums would be hideous. There is no advice on how to wean without WW3 breaking out, just "don't offer, don't refuse" which translates as having them on you multiple times a day and nothing changes. Useless advice. There are lots of women like me out there and comments that we are weird just makes us feel worse..

It’s unusual. Unusual doesn’t mean bad, or ridiculous, or ‘creepy’. It’s just not common. I only actually know one person who breastfed to natural term, which in her case was nearly 4 years old. I just thought good for her.

@WhatAShilohPitt my DS got his first two teeth at two months, should I have stopped milk then? Some babies are born with teeth, do they not get milk at all? Teeth aren’t a hard fast rule, babies develop at different rates.

FOUR months, not two months, ffs.

At 3, ds only feeds when upset or sometimes overtired so at the most 2 or 3 times a week

Which is completely different to feeding a school aged going child three times a day.

@666TheNumberOfTheBeast stop twisting my words. What i said is surely it’s sensible to try find some other source of comfort in addition to BF in anticipation of stopping feeding to ease the transition. Yous are all bleating on about how it’s all about comfort but seem to be struggling to comphrend that 🙄 unless you plan to feed on demand forever!

You breastfeed milk until babies start growing teeth and then you wean.

Historically, no, not at all.

This child is five, they are not supposed to be reliant on breast milk.

I'm not really sure why you think they'd be reliant on it. Children who drink cows milk instead of breastmilk aren't reliant on it, they have it as one part of their overall diet. Breastmilk is the same.

'Over six months children are supposed to gain their nutrients from a variety of foods, not just one, that variety is “health giving” to use the odd phrasing of the poster.

This child is five, they are not supposed to be reliant on breast milk.'

The OP never implied that the child was 'reliant on breast milk' nor has anyone here said that a child of 5 shouldn't be having a full diet of a variety of foods. Breastfeeding is about way more than nutrition, as has been stated many times in this thread.

You’re entitled to your opinion but rather silly to voice it to the person paying you for a job. She’s not asking you to breastfeed him!