To think BF-ing a 2yr old is, um, weird?

[Lucy85]

Well what do you think? I know it's a very emotive subject, but I've seen it a couple of times and it makes me come over all strange.
I BFed my baby exclusively until 7 months when I went back to work, but the thought of doing it now is just plain odd, - not wrong, it's just I can't imagine doing it to someone who can walk, talk, get their own drinks, eats proper food and is too big to lie sideways on my lap.

Yes, it's all about the mother.

Why did my 25 months old ds scream for three nights running when I decided to wean him off the breast?

Ah yes, because he knew I was so very upset about it and wanted him to carry on.

You are clueless and uneducated.

YABU. Some of us would have loved the opportunity to BF til 2 years old (or even a few weeks in my case)

It's personal choice. Get over it. Don't worry about what other mothers are doing and concentrate on your own children.

And just to clarify I mean a drinks container not a baby's bottle. As I feel they definitely shouldn't be given after 2 years old, and should be stopped much younger due to the damage to teeth!

Maylee Sometimes it is the only thing to say.

OP clearly posted to create a rumpus and those sort of threads deserve that sort of response imvho........

When I first joined MN I used to explain earnestly all my reasons for my opinions but you get bored with the same old ignorant attitudes and sometimes you just can't be arsed. Today is one of those days.

proudnsad - you are brave, this is only your 6th thread

Wasting - don't waste (see what I did there? ) a minute wondering what people think of you, you are doing an amazing thing for DS.

To those of you that think it's weird, I defy you to have had a more wonderful moment as a parent than a sleepy toddler snuggling up and saying 'mmmm nice milk, thank you Mummy'.
This morning DS didn't want a feed, he wanted to play with his cars so that is what we did. I am never going to force him to feed, it's his choice.

"rather than using the nipple as a comforter for the night time feed, as from my experience is the common time for over 18 months to have their one breast milk drink a day, why doesn't the mother express the milk, and the child drink from a cup, as they would if it was cow's milk, water or whatever else? "

rainbowfizz why on earth would i want to do that when it;s already there in my breasts ready for him to drink???
the thing about the "one breast milk drink a day" is just odd
who says over 18 month old children only have one breast milk drink a day? most children i know feed whenever they and their mother's want to, and this can be anything from once to many many many times a day

when i see an older toddler drinking some liquid from a bottle, or sucking on a dummy, i don't immediately think

god whatta freak
that mother wants to keep him/her a baby
the mother is doing that for herself
ewwww it's a bit creepy, a big child sucking on a latex teat

no, i just think, o it's a toddler with a dummy/bottle

but i'm funny like that i guess

still, i wonder why people take it personally when others imply they are creepy, freaky or weird, or perverts?

OP doesn't your child drink milk?
I think you're a bit'weirdDo n't you think its a bit weird to think that cows milk is OK for your baby but human milk isn't.
Cow milk-cow sense

I can't believe how many think it's for the mother's benefit. Try breastfeeding on demand and see quite how selfless an act it is as you will see how strongly your child feels about it and yet how utterly exhausting it can get and humiliating with others' attitudes. I do try to be forgiving as there is such widespread ignorance of this issue and I was definitely against the idea of breastfeeding a toddler until I had dd and meeting her needs took over even when it wasn't the easier path for me

I feel that mothers should just trust their instincts with their own children... However I can understand the hesitation to extending breastfeeding. When I was much younger [pre children] I thought ALL breastfeeding was a bit disgusting to be honest, felt it made women look like cows [pardon my youthful ignorance..] Then when I was pregnant I thought I would TRY and breastfeed as I understood it was best for baby but felt that I would probably give it up as soon as possible. Thought it would be good if I could keep it up for the recommended 6 months but no stress if I couldn't. However what I didn't anticipate was how incredible I found breastfeeding my baby and how he thrived on it. It is such a lovely bonding time between us. DS is now nearly 15 months old and he still has a morning and evening breastfeed alongside his water in a cup... No plans to stop yet unless DS decides he doesn't want to breastfeed anymore. However I don't breastfeed him in public as I can't trust that he wouldn't pull up my top and expose me to the world!

My ex FIL said to me when I was b/f dd (quite aggressively) "so when are you going to put that baby on normal milk shimmery?!" I said "well she is on normal milk FIL, human milk for human babies, cow's milk for calves".

I can't see how anyone can argue with that.

wasn't b/f dd aggressively, although from that sentence it looks like I did!

Message withdrawn

This is Britain and many many people think it's odd to bf a toddler, until a good friend of mine did it in front of me I did too. It is not widely accepted and us Brits would rather see a teen topless in The Sun than a woman feeding a newborn, so the OP's view is p[erfectly understandable. Change will come, I think, but it will take a generation for bf to be acceptable at all and a lot longer for toddler. For me once a child can say breast I find it a little odd to keep bf, but then that's my choice, my babies and I wouldn't expect to impose that upon others.

Posie, he says 'boobie'.

Yup, magalyx, your chimp maths is wrong (how often does that phrase come up in conversation?!)
As they have shorter lifespans, 2-3 years is a larger proportion of their lifespan than it is for humans, so you need to divide by 2/3, not multiply.

Am loving your evidence offered for 'it's all about the mother'; "well, I think it is so there". A debate-winning argument if ever I heard one.

OP, YANBU, however it's the mother and childs choice and isnt harming anybody, agree bout sheeps eyes btw

I must admit that before I had ds I would have found bfing a toddler a bit odd but since having him I see it is completely natural.

Ds is nearly 15mo now, we were cutting down on bf (just first thing/last thing) and tbh although I've found it a great experience and am so glad I was able to I have been looking forward to stopping. However for the last week he's been pretty unwell, vomiting and high temp, he hasn't wanted to eat anything solid or really to take any liquid from a bottle/cup and therefore I'm back bfing every couple of hours because that is what he needs at the moment. When he was vomiting constantly, bm was the only thing he could keep down for more than 5mins and as a result didn't get dehydrated. I've been so grateful for the miracle of breastmilk!

I will continue bfing him for as long as he needs and wants it.

Hmmmm tough one. I do not find a mother feeding a 2 yr old comfortable to watch but each to their own i guess. I look at my 2 yr old and think how could i do that with him, he wont even sit and have a cuddle with me

All about the mother? FFS. What is wrong with people?

wasting, I have to say 'boobie' is one of my pet hates. My dcs would be asked if they wanted milk....

In fact the longer a child feeds the more likely the mother is to say boobie, it completely creeps me out......

I'd never let on though!!

in the interest of balance I do think extended bf is a little about the mother. All the women that I know that do it have done it much much longer (ie 3-6 moths) with their last child.

just getting on this thread so I can reas the bunfight

"A 2yo doesn't need bm in the same way that I don't need a nice glass of wine of an evening. Each to their own though. "

So I assume you don't have wine, as water from a cup will do just as well?

I haven't had time to read all the posts but just wanted to say I b/fed my twins till they were 28 months old, latterly, both at the same time - and it felt like the most normal thing in the world to me - much more natural than the woman I once saw feeding her newborn cola from a baby bottle! Now THAT felt really weird to me!

My breasts were made to feed my children - that's their prime purpose for being here!-and of course longterm b/feeding can protect against breast cancer too.

I don't understand the argument though - genuinely. How is it just about the mother? I cannot think of one reason that it could be - other than if you are implying that it is sexual, which is probably why people get defensive. But that can't be what you are implying, surely? Magalyxyz and others, can you explain?

The only other "reason" I can think of is that people think it's about "wanting to keep the child a baby for longer" - but why doesn't this logic apply to e.g. keeping a baby in your bedroom post 6 months, or leaving potty training until later, etc etc?

FWIW the reason I am still breastfeeding DS is I believe that DS will stop by himself when he is ready. I see it very much as a mutual thing, not "for" me or "for" him at all. If I had had enough I would wean him. If he had had enough he would stop and I wouldn't prevent him, even if I could.