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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Inappropriate for young children to know about breastfeeding?

53 replies

TheBFG · 13/03/2009 11:53

Friend went into school with her new baby recently. When she was talking about the questions children asked she said she'd been dreading them asking about how the baby was fed.

She then went on to say that her other ds who is six doesn't know because as far as he's concerned her feeding the baby is private time. She then said that she didn't feel it was appropriate for young children to know about things like that.

I didn't bf, but it would never have occurred to me that it was inappropriate for my children to know about it, given it's natural?

Is it inappropriate do you think? Are children too young to learn about boobs etc?

OP posts:
nickytwotimes · 13/03/2009 11:55

Dear lord, of course it is natural for them to know about it!
How strange.

ilovetochat · 13/03/2009 11:55

i bf dd and my niece 7 and friends kids 2 and 3 all saw, 3 year old said what you doing and i sad giving dd her milk, he was happy with that answer.
cant see wy it is private.

Kathyis6incheshigh · 13/03/2009 11:56

How bizarre! Can you imagine trying to keep it a secret from your toddler?!

mrsgboring · 13/03/2009 11:57

I just wonder how on earth she's going to keep that up, feeding in secret from her DS?

Mad.

Habbibu · 13/03/2009 11:57

Surely it's young children who know the most about it?!

Habbibu · 13/03/2009 11:57

"Can you imagine trying to keep it a secret from your toddler?! " - as you're feeding her!

funnypeculiar · 13/03/2009 11:58

How utterly odd. Ds used to bf his panda whilst I fed dd... He seems to have escaped unscathed

KingCanuteIAm · 13/03/2009 11:58

Very odd viewpoint IMO!

I can't imagine why you would not want a child to know unless you have some deep-seated body/sexuality issues

themildmanneredjanitor · 13/03/2009 11:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fishie · 13/03/2009 11:58

yes i was just about to post something very similar kingcanute.

doesn't sound very healthy.

skramble · 13/03/2009 11:59

Wierd and silly, of course they can and should know all about it.

My DD age 9 is fascinated by boobs and wants to know all about it, when she was a bit younger I would point out (discretly) mums breast feeding and talk about it in a positive way, we always joke about how she was terrible at feeding.

ronshar · 13/03/2009 12:00

I am BF DS and my DD2 who is 4 keeps BF her dolly. I havent said anything because I dont want her to think she is doing anything wrong.
It is natural and normal. If more children were exposed to mothers BF then it would better all round.

CompareTheMeerkat · 13/03/2009 12:00

Of course it's not inappropriate for young children to know about breastfeeding.

fishie · 13/03/2009 12:00

in fact i wouldn't be very happy about somebody bringing in a baby to show my ds if they weren't going to be open about how they were fed. how would that make children who were bf feel?

nickytwotimes · 13/03/2009 12:01

DS was ff from quite early on and even HE knows that breasts are for feeding babies. He sees my frineds doing it and when he points at mine in the shower and asks, I tell him that's what they are for. (Draw the line at him asking to touch them though. Obv different if he was still bf though)

jrsqueak · 13/03/2009 12:01

My ds who is 4 very often tells me that his baby brother needs feeding and needs mummys milk or mummys booby. I find it is better to be open about it but I suppose each to their own. My sil would only ever feed dn in private.

Original poster
TheBFG · 13/03/2009 12:01

oh good, it's not just me then.

She apparently takes her baby upstairs to feed him and shuts herself in the bedroom where her other ds is not allowed to enter.

She doesn't venture anywhere where she can't be within walking distance of home because if baby cries she instantly takes him home to feed him.

We were in the park the other day and when the baby cried I did suggest to her she should feed him there but she wouldn't hear of it.

OP posts:
VinoEsmeralda · 13/03/2009 12:02

If you ask my Dc what babies drink they will say they frink from their mums boobies. When playing with their dolls they aslo pretend to breastfeed, they just seem to remember?

A friend who bottlefed her DD gives bottles to babies....

Not sure if it is coincidence

OrmIrian · 13/03/2009 12:02

No. Of course it isn't.

georgimama · 13/03/2009 12:02

Odd, odd, odd. Another sad woman with weird hangups about her body. Should try to feel sorry for her, but can't because she is perpetuating sexualised attitudes to a normal physiological function, and therefore inculcating these attitudes in next generation.

phdlife · 13/03/2009 12:03

I've certainly told ds (23m), even before #2 arrives.

islandofsodor · 13/03/2009 12:06

Dd was bottlefed but I breastfed her younger brother and she used to give her teletubby a feed at the same time.

I would be annoyed as a parent if at school if a baby was brought in breasfeeding wasn't mentioned at least in the "some babies drink milk from bottles and some drink their mummies milk context"

Lulumama · 13/03/2009 12:07

i did not breastfeed, but both my DCs know that babies can get milk from their mum's breasts. in fact, DD now, if we go to see a baby, and the baby wants a feed, says to the mum ' the milk for the baby is in your boobies, isn;t it?' they don;t associate breasts with anything sexual or sensual at this point, they are just those round things on the front of mummies !!

i think that it is setting your chidlren up to be freaked out by hiding breastfeeding from them

BonsoirAnna · 13/03/2009 12:08

I think it is a very sad reflection on some people's ignorance and prejudice that they think it is "inappropriate" for another child to know about breastfeeding.

Lulumama · 13/03/2009 12:08

she obvioulsy has issues regarding her own body and breasts, which is a shame, but good on her for breastfeeding when she is clearly uncomfortable even discussing it