Bet the Daily Mail readers are all up in arms about this article!

[WinkyWinkola]

www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=493514&in_page_id=1879&in_page_id=1 879&expand=true#StartComments

My favourite comment was that EBF is "currently fashionable and a cheap alternative to a healthy diet" - that absolutely made my day.

There were negative comments on The Independent site too here. I am intrigued by the comment that reallytired made about the article not being representative of women who EBF, am curious to know what was meant?

I just left a comment - got a bit carried away and used up the full character allowance. I get so fed up with hearing those illogical arguments that babies should stop breastfeeding when they get teeth, when they can ask for milk, etc.

No problem with BF

No problem with teeth

No energy for a problem with DM

and hey yes there's a misogynist element in some of the comments (from both men and women) but hardly a surprise.

However, at 4 years of age I do think you need to start promoting some sort of independence as the child is going to start school soon and needs to be capable of being her own person. Also, this is all fine whilst the mother only has one child but if she has more, she has to balance the needs of all children. 50 feeds per day for a 4 year old and the needs of a newborn would be very difficult to meet!

but she says the child's need to bf "has dramatically declined" since she turned four.
and more to the point, do you stop hugging your child because it is going to school?

Oh yes, absolutely harpsi. But they dont call me QV for nuthin you know

No, you don't stop hugging them but surely for their own sakes, without having any opposition to bf (having breastfed two children to 6mo myself) you do teach them to be independent in areas where they might have less, or little, support at school - for example, BF or going to the toilet, etc.

what an amusing thread.

am currently fawning from afar over harpsi and VVV. tinker also made me chuckle.

interesting article. dont know if id be comfortable with bfing to age 4 but thats got nowt to do with owt really, has it?

I read DM and Private Eye. And I BF ds until he was 3 and a half.
Not sure what little box I should be in now .

Annalisa a very determined mother. From what I remember she actually formula fed her child for a period of time and relacated sucessfully. It took her a lot of blood guts and tears. She used to post on babycentre and I posted on her website for a few months. Her website is very heavily into attachment parenting and it didn't suit me.

I am sure that her daughter has plenty of solids. People on her website tend to advocate baby led weaning. Apparently if you have a baby in a sling a meal times there comes a point when the baby tries and grabs your food. Babies who are weaned in this way do not spend months on purees. They eat the same food as the rest of the family.

From what I know of her via the internet I imagine that her child has never had conventional baby food. I guess the child has proper high quality home made food.

The Guardian Comment is Free boards are extremely misogynistic at the best of times. Also, it's the Internet, it's easy for anyone to post anywhere.

Deciding in advance what "Daily Mail readers" would think and then seeing comments on an Internet messageboard (when misogyny is so acceptable on so many social media sites) that might be written by anyone and using that to confirm your own prejudice seems a little weak.

It seems somewhat self important for people to decide that the comments that were made were down to them being DM readers. Am particularly shocked by the implication that Guardian readers are rational calm people never to make a mistaken judgment in their lives.

Yes, some of the comments were nasty, but nothing out of the ordinary I would expect when faced with such an article. Personally I was surprised to see so many positive responses, especially considering how badly written and seemingly unrepresentative the article was.

OH the ignorance of people is infuratiating...I mean some of the responses the article had....how sad...!
Oh and cod, whilst I have no idea how it really works, apparently it is true that, when a poorly child breastfeeds indeed somehow the mothers milk will get a message to produce the right antibodies.

It was explained on a programme that had Dr Robert Winston in it (The Human Body?). If I remember rightly the mother picks up any germs the baby might have got (from the environment, other people etc) when she's kissing and caressing him/her. Because the mother is stronger her body automatically produces antibodies without her feeling any ill effects and by the next day those antibodies have found their way into her milk so the baby benefits.

pixel that makes so much sense!

I agree with smallwhitecat!