Do you have any opinions on how long is 'too long' to breastfeed your child?

[elephantonacid]

Feeling awfully judged and wondering if anyone has an opinion on this?

Yes. I BF my 6 year old.

Are you OK Dumbo? Have you had an attack of the vapours?

Well yes I suppose to be fair every single thread on MN about breastfeeding ends up the same way doesn't it. And there have been an awful lot of them.

Back in the real world nobody gives it that much thought especially when it's all done.

Why? Because I have an opinion on something that you disagree with?

100% agree with @gamerchick

Reading with interest as currently still feeding four 3 year old daughter. I was ready to stop 2 years ago. I’d appreciate any tips on how to stop when the child really doesn’t at want to - if anyone would like to share any?

*our not four

No, because I do something that you are so squeamish and insular you can't imagine it is possible.

There's some good advice on Emma Pickett's website. I weaned all of mine around their 2nd birthdays. I thought I'd go longer because they were clearly not done but I just reached a point with all of them when I really wasn't enjoying it any more.
I did it differently with each one depending on personality, and your daughter is older so it will be different again, but variations on offering favourite snacks instead of breastfeeding / explaining that we were no longer feeding when out of the house, and then no longer feeding in the morning... and so on / never sitting down (only sort of joking with that latter one!)

I only fed up untill age 2 when my child self weaned , I was devastated. I do think it’s so good for them- my child is hardly ever ill and I think that’s because of breast milk. Feed as long as you can ,obviously if your getting to age 7-8 that would be my limit.

Thank you, I appreciate that and will check that out.

The sitting down part resonates so much with me haha! And the not enjoying it anymore part.

Thank you ⭐️

And it’s more about the method of delivery than the actual milk. Having a glass of breast milk until later in childhood I guess I would find less ick than breastfeeding.
So you have an issue with breastfeeding because you have a sexualised view of women's breasts and therefore view a child getting be nutrition and comfort from their mother as nature intended to be ick.

Also, to those who have said that being able to remember breastfeeding would feel disgusting.

Here are a few things that I do remember doing as a child, which are genuinely disgusting -
Eating a whole bowl of the cat's food
Licking the asphalt in the school playground
Putting the cat's paws in my mouth
Doing 'experiments' with my brother's wee, to try to make it smell nice 😶

Here is something I don't ever remember doing, which wasn't disgusting in the slightest -
Breastfeeding, which I did well into my 4th year.

I DO remember cosleeping with my parents, which was the best and safest and loveliest feeling in the world. I expect if I could remember breastfeeding it would be something similar.

Eating a whole bowl of the cat's food

^* what does cats food taste like ?

I loved it back then! But...grim.

Need for what? They don't need it to survive if there's other food available. But do you only feed your children what they actually need?

Really, why? Does that apply to formula as well?

Before I had a baby, I thought anything longer than six months was “wrong”. I breastfed mine for 3.5 years.

There are so many benefits to it (some you won’t understand if you’ve not done it) that we just continued for as long as she wanted. She gave up entirely on her own. She’s six now and it’s nice that she has comforting memories of it.

Oh, she stopped at 3.5 in the year she started school (summer baby). I would have fully weaned her off before starting school if she hadn’t done it herself.

It's nobody's business but your own and so I'd say do whatever is right for you and your child.

We were down to once at nap time and then bedtime from age 1 to about 5.5 then he lost his top front teeth and we were cuddles only.

Completely on his terms so no hassles.

Only have a sec, but I remember with my first when I realised he was using BF every time he needed comfort from me. He was at nursery full time so it wasn't like he was unable to seek comfort from others, rather than he associated me with BF.
That's fine when they're wee, but as a toddler it was tiresome.
I needed to teach him that I could comfort him in other ways. For a little while it was hard; I had to deny him and distract and show him other ways. Like all toddler behaviours that you want to change cos you've found yourself in a rut or routine you don't like it can be hard to change. I told him Mummy milk would be at bed time and bade my time while he had his little drama. After a short while evenings became so much nicer for us both. In hindsight I should have done it sooner, but well...who knows what they're doing first time round, eh?

I guess I'm saying I made boundaries and stuck to them. For someone who took the never ask, never deny approach to BF it did feel uncomfortable. Bed time became a really special time and BF became associated with being upstairs ready for bed.

9 months, I couldn't imagine it with a walking talking human

Age 5, anything beyond this gives me the ick. Fed my second until he was 2 and my 3rd until he was 3.5yrs

Absolutely won't include formula or dummies in this, man made formulated milk from a cow given in a plastic bottle, accompanied by a man made rubber nipple dummy for bedtime and comfort is perfectly acceptable but heaven forbid you give your human child human milk from a human breast 🙄

Under 2.

Absolutely! Breast substitutes are fine, but real breasts are unacceptable!