I saw a video once on youtube showing a mother breastfeeding her 8 year old daughter and I wondered what age everyone here thinks that breastfeeding should stop?

It's not my business to comment on what other people get up to.

I breast fed both my children, my son was just over 1 year old when I changed him on to a cup and my daughter was 9 months old when I changed her on to a cup.... I did not vote because there was no choice for "When the Child is ready to move on to cup/bottle"

Kez

I voted 'Never' because I could.

When the child is too old to carry cuddly in your arms. I saw a four (maybe 5) year old once lift his mother's shirt (in public) and start sucking away. Very disturbing. My opinion, if a mother still wants to breastfeed, that does not mean she can't provide it another way. A bottle or cup works fine when they get older.

There was a kinda heated topic about this back in the day. Seemed a lot of pro-breastfeeding woman decided to join for a day on that topic. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24020


I do think it's freaky when a child has a name for their mothers boob. A friend of mine had a almost 3 year old and he had a name for her tit! He called it "nee nee" or something like that. He'd start digging up my friends shirt looking for what he wanted.

I've heard of this too. If a child is old enough to name it. It's been far too long.

I breast-fed all three of my children for 4 months. They were starting to get teeth, and they were hungry babies, so I started the solids and put them on formula. I always had a lot of milk and could have kept on breastfeeding forever, I'm sure. Some mothers don't produce enough breast milk to keep their babies satisfied.

Every baby is different, and every parent has to decide according to their own circumstances. It sure saved us a heck of a lot of money..... formula is expensive!!!!!!

8 years old and being breastfed?? was the kid having a hot dog with it too? way too old!



This is the kind of timeframe I have in my head for when we have kids, 3-4 months. Was the transition hard for them at that age?

Saludos,
Caro

Yes, but would you have? No one is debated the cost savings or importance of breast milk. The issue here is when a mother should stop physically attaching the child to her breast. I would not blame a mother at all for giving her child breast milk for many years. But there comes a time when the receiving needs to transfer to bottle or cup. An 8 year old, as the O/P mentioned, does not need to suck from his mother's breast. It is disturbing.

I agree that every parent has to decide when to stop nursing their child, but common sense should come into play too. If they are wanting to breast feed their 5 year old.....do it behind closed doors. I don't want to see that.

I used 1 1/2 years as an "averaged" number. Generally, it's recommended that solids start not earlier than 6 months.

Basically, when the child is started on solids, breast-milk can be tapered-off.

Ancient times nursing was up to 3 years--and in some rural areas (of India, Pakistan, ...) still not uncommon till 2 or 3. That was probably nature's way of getting the child adjusted to "regular" solids (the "supplemental" formulas certainly HAVE NOT been around for more than a century at most).

8 years old breastfeeding--now THAT's way too long.

And why show it on youtube at all? Just do a search for breastfeeding in youtube and you'll see tons of mothers doing it on a webcam!!! I don't get the need for that.

I never breastfed my two daughters because my husband at the time was against it but God willing if I have another child I do want to if only to give them a good immune system. My kids were sick all the time. I think I'd cut it off once I went back to work at around 3 months though.

I never breast-fed my son because I was going back to work soon after his birth. It just seemed common sense to not start something that was going to be difficult to maintain.

Anyway, he was unbelieveably healthy. Never even had a cold until he was 18 months old. I had a friend who breast-fed her son and he was the sickliest little thing you ever saw.

Some mom's don't make enough milk, or the quantity of it isn't great. There's so much pressure to breast feed that these women end up feeling like failures. And that's really not fair.

I don't equate a childs health with having been breast fed. Or not breast fed. There's loads of other environmental factors involved, along with just plain old genetics.

A mom who either chooses not to breast feed - or can't successfully feed - isn't any less of a loving mother. Dads bond with their kids without hooking them up to a body part, you know?

Which gets back to the original topic - when to stop? When the baby is ready, or if they can't break away naturally, then when they can 'name it'. If any of you have ever read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" you might recall the page or two of that great book about a mother and her six-year old, and how she broke him off the 'tittie'. The book was written in the early 40's - I'd say this debate has been going on long before that.

And cover that thing up. It's still your breast you know?

My kid was formula fed from 2 weeks on. Never sick either except for the time she was breastfed until she weaned from formula at 13 months. I don't know how much stock I put into the whole immune system breastmilk tie. Most antibodies against disease are passed to the baby through the placenta, not through breastmilk, which explains why human babies don't drop like flies if not given colostrum like cows do. I think it helps, true, but the lion's share of the work has already been done. Most of the antibodies in breastmilk are to protect against gastrointestinal diseases, not everything under the sun. It is the best for babies as, although formula has come a long, long way, it still has yet to match nature completely.

I think breastfeeding until 8 doesn't really serve any purpose but to shock. I do agree until two years is best. Longer than four, it looks like you are starting to have problems letting go of the fact that your baby is not a baby anymore.

I havn't stopped yet. But normally when your son reaches 35 and your daughter about 2

And your expertise comes from experience with breast feeding ....

I don't want to say should at any of the particular ages given, because if someone wants to breastfeed for 3 months or 6 months or stop at 1 year or 2... or never do it... that's their choice. Of course 8 years old is just ridiculous. I did nurse for 2 -1/2 years. Not in public (at that age). Nursing a toddler is not the same as nursing a baby. A baby gets most or all of their nourishment from it. For a toddler it's a supplement or for comfort, maybe just once a day or so.. like at bedtime. And yes at that age they do have a name for it. I know a Korean 2-year-old who calls it "juju."

Well my opinion as a Nurse is that when the normal child should be weaned from the bottle is a good time to stop breast feeding. I chose 2 years old maximum. I breast feed for six months. But once the child can drink from a cup even if you want to continue breast milk do so from cup. 8 years old is way to long the child is in second grade by then. Anyway, just my opinion.

Breast feeding doesn't really appeal to me personally... perhaps all the horror stories from my sister when she had infections and cracked nipples! But my view would be that it's probably a good idea to start to tail off the breast feeding when the little one starts to walk if not before. I really don't think it's a good idea to keep it up and still be feeding them when they are old enough for school - there are other ways of offering comfort - but I wouldn't condemn someone for doing it either.

When the kid's old enough to either a) ask for it in intelligable words, and/or go to the fridge and pull out a sippy cup! I don't have kids, but I'd think about 18 months would be quite late enough to stop breastfeeding...

There's no perfect age. I nursed both of my daughters. My oldest stopped herself at 9 mos. She was not interested anymore. I was devastated. We had her iron level checked and she went straight to drinking whole milk from a cup. My youngest, on the other hand, nursed for 16 months. I cut her off. I wanted my body back. She was mainly using me as a pacifier at bedtime those last few months anyway...

Jen

I have a cousin who breastfed her child until he was 3 at the same time she was breastfeeding her newborn. I won't breastfeed because I have nice nipples and don't want them to change. I know I'm selfish

I feel that nursing is natural, and I believe in not feeding other things until the baby shows an interest in what other family members are eating and starts putting things in their own mouth.
As long as both child and mother are comfortable with it I wish I could say that I don't really see a problem. I do think that I would boggle a little at a 5 year old still nursing, in a sense of "mom not wanting to cut the umbilical cord?" but I really try not to judge.

Mine have weaned on their own slowly but steadily. The first stopped at 12 months, 2nd at 13 and third at 16.

My husband was never breastfed, I think he's trying to make up for it now as he clearly suffers from a severe case of boob obsession.

And as to breast feeding ruining "pretty nipples" *lmfao* That comment goes into the same category as 36 week C section combined with lipo to not ruin that fab body

lol I said I'm selfish didn't I? But I wouldn't c-section and tummy tuck at once

When the kid can chew steak, it's prolly a good idea to stop.

bitty!

Personally, I find nipples that have been used for their intended purpose to be far very beautiful!