Attitudes towards breastfeeding a toddler

[Jaffaroo]

My baby is 6 months old and is exclusively breastfed. She was premature and it was quite a struggle to establish feeding but we got there in the end. I’ve had so many positive comments regarding breastfeeding my baby and my husbands family especially have been very supportive of this.

Yesterday, we were at a family party with my husbands family and I had a few people ask when I was planning on stopping, which surprised me. They said that my baby is too grown up now to be breastfeeding. Later on, an aunt asked me how long I planned on breastfeeding for. I said that I have no plans and will take it as it comes and said that the world health organisation recommend breastfeeding for up to 2 years and beyond.

This was met with gasps of horror, laughs and shocked comments from some family members. Even my husband chimed in ‘you can’t breastfeed a 2 year old, that’s just weird’ which really surprised me! His aunts all joined in, echoing how ridiculous it would be to breastfeed a 2 year old.

I find it interesting that breastfeeding is celebrated until they deem the baby is getting too big or too old for it.

AIBU to be quite shocked at the change in attitude towards breastfeeding all of a sudden now that my baby is a bit older?

If its child led, I don't think it could be abuse? I could be wrong, and I'm absolutely not qualified to say either way but my personal feeling is thag a child wouldn't be putting any sexuality into it so if they're feeding by choice, I can't see how it would be abuse?

If the mum was making them feed and the child didn't want to, that's a whole different kettle of fish, but I'd say that whether the child was 3 or 12.

Good question re why I would say 7. I don't really know to be honest. I've just assumed my daughter will have stopped by then so never thought too much about it. She's aware of what bf is, she even talks about how her friends don't have booby milk but she does. I think the cut off would be more for me to be honest than her because 7 years of bf is hard bloody going!

Why??? Because you or society disapprove?

I'm still breastfeeding My 2 year old, none of my family know about it because I'd have all of them going on about how she's too old for it now. She doesn't want to stop, there have been a couple of occasions I've tried to stop but she was having none of it lol, will try again in the new year but tbh op it's no one else's business. I'm certainly not doing it for my benefit, and have no idea if it's still beneficial to her but she finds it comforting so ....

I honestly don't think you could make a child breastfeed if they didn't want to because god knows I tried to persuade DC3 to feed again lol!! Not having it!! Just turned away!

What an odd bunch. I don’t think anyone ever asked me how long I’d be breastfeeding for.

FWIW, I stopped at 12 months both times and have always regretted it. If I could go back, I’d keep going as long as I could.

Bizarrely we’ve jumped to 4 now. A minute ago YIP was saying it was weird to feed beyond 1. Almost like she’s just making crap up on the spot.

And?

I'll do it in the way that my child wants to be comforted thankyou.

I never understand why people feel it’s Ok to criticise a breast feeding mum, but never a formula feeding mum. Telling an acquaintance that they should be breast feeding their baby is, rightly, considered rude and inconsiderate. But telling someone that they shouldn’t be breastfeeding is apparently seen as acceptable. I breastfed my kids until 15 months and 20 months. I lost count of the number of people at baby groups etc who told me I should stop and switch to formula!

Me too, although I did feed my youngest to 22 months when they rejected the boob sadly!

I kinda feel I shortchanged the elder two!

Breasts are sexual body parts too.

An opinion isn’t wrong. If you wanted to or needed to then you could stop so don’t pretend you can’t. It’s your choice to continue to breastfeed a toddler,

That's because she is.

Bizarre that someone so anti-breastfeeding feels the need to keep commenting!

"An opinion isn't wrong"???

What world do you live in? Plenty of opinions are "wrong" and yours 100% is!

How are they sexual exactly? Other than because we live in a society that sexually objectifies women’s bodies. There’s no inherent reason to think breasts are sexual at all. They are there for breastfeeding infants

eh? Opinions are opinions, not facts!

I could say you’re wrong but I won’t as it’s your opinion

Not for children, they're not.

The vast majority of five year old children will not have the concept of breasts being sexual.

Kind of weird you're correlating children and breastfeeding with anything secual tbf...

So if my opinion is the earth is flat? That can’t be wrong?
I want to stop breastfeeding my toddler. I wanted to a long time ago, especially when I was pregnant because it bloody hurt. I kept going- and still do- because if I refuse to feed her it causes her a lot of distress.
The end.

Tell me you never breastfed without telling me you never breastfed LOL
What is that mysterious"mother's benefit" you are hinting at? Can you expand on that?

What nonsense. If it works for you and your baby just carry on til you want to stop. Still breastfeeding my two year old and continued longer with his brother, just early morning and last thing. It’s very helpful when they’re ill and don’t want food, for comfort etc.

Not for any other mammal, they're not. So their sexualised nature must therefore be a social construct unique to humans.

Why did you put ‘lol’ at the end of the sentence, saying you think SIL was jealous of you presumably breast feeding? When you laughed at her bottle chart? Not nice is it….

They are not only "sexual body parts" - their primary function is to feed babies!

I thought it was hilarious actually! Not my fault if she felt inadequate!

I was never close to her and never had a 'breastfeeding' conversation with her, nor could I have given a flying fuck how she fed. Was just funny that she tried to pretend she was breastfeeding when she wasn't! Bizarre!

Well your opinion is definitely wrong!