Would you breastfeed a 5 year old?
Posted
July 29, 2007 at
1:35 pm by
Jessica
The World Health Organization recommends you nurse a toddler until 2 years old, basing that off of available resources of third world countries. In countries where adequate nutrition is accessible, is this necessary or could it even be harmful if based strictly on societal taboos? Should our society be more open to the potential nurturing advantages of extending breastfeeding?
Food for thought…
If a child in a third world country remembers drinking milk from his/her mother’s breast, surely that memory would be one of thankfulness for the meeting of needs such as nourishment and possible survival. If a child from a developed country remembers drinking from a mother’s breast, can or will he/she feel the same way?
In some cases, there are mothers who continue to nurse children who have turned 4 or even 5 years old, which is old enough to enter kindergarten, believing their children will reap nutritional benefits.
“The idea of breast-feeding a child until they’re a preschooler is still fairly restricted to a small group of women, or at least, it’s kept in the closet,” said ABC News parenting contributor Ann Pleshette Murphy.
The practice of extended nursing has sparked heated controversy because some disagree about when it is no longer appropriate to breast-feed children.
Some critics say breast-feeding too long could potentially stunt child development. Read the rest…
Tags: breastfeeding, extended-breastfeeding, formula-feeding, nursing, Social Issues |
42 Responses to “Would you breastfeed a 5 year old?”
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31. Kennedy said:
June 6, 2008 @ 8:17 pm
I hope no one attacks me for this, but I think it’s totally ridiculous to breastfeed a FIVE YR OLD! My son is 5. I can’t imagine breastfeeding him. I won’t even change my clothes in front of him anymore. In this day and age kids know things at younger ages. They know people say things like “she’s hot” when there’s a girl in a bikini on tv or something. And I’m not against breastfeeding. not at all. I breastfed my first son for 7 months. My other 4 kids for a yr (or a bit over) each. But 5 yrs? NO WAY! NO WAY! There are other ways to comfort a child! I just don’t think it’s healthy. Breasts were designed to feed babies, not coddle them.
32. Cloe said:
July 12, 2008 @ 2:33 am
Amanda’s comment:
“Oh yeah, you’re all right. As soon as my daughter can reach the fridge and open it herself then I’m going to stop feeding her food altogether. Right? I mean thats a great excuse to stop breastfeeding, because they have teeth, or they can ask for it, or they can get it for themselves. That makes complete sense.”
Your analogy does not work at ALL. Your child still gets fed after breastfeeding stops. That’s the whole point! They grow up, they start eating soilds! You wouldn’t still have a five year old in diapers, would you? NO. So why should breastfeeding be any different?
My mom was bottle fed. And you know what? Her parents fed her freshly squeezed cow’s milk in her bottle from the time she was born. It wasn’t even PASTURIZED! My mother has a fantastic immune system and she almost never gets ill or sick. Her I.Q. is 134. Intelligence is mostly influenced by genetics and the amount of education received, not exclusively breastmilk consumption.
Now I do agree that breastmilk is best for infants. Keyword here is INFANTS. Not older children! That’s completely unnessary!
And by the way, how do you know the child isn’t being harmed? You all said it yourselves, breasts have been sexualized. As kids get older, they begin to pick up on the way things are viewed by society.
Example:
What if, let’s say, a five year old girl is breastfeeding. It gives her comfort and makes her feel loved. Years later, she now knows that breasts are viewed by society as SEXUAL.When she thinks back to when her mother breastfed her, she remembers being happy. What if she became confused about her sexuality? What if she learns later in life to associate those feelings of love and sercurity with sex? That’s how most fetishes start, from a childhood experience that gave them comfort. Society would be telling her that breasts are sexual and her mother would say otherwise. TALK ABOUT MIXED MESSAGES.
THIS COULD SERIOUSLY CONFUSE SOMEONE.
33. ambull said:
July 12, 2008 @ 4:38 pm
[quote comment="168441"]Grandma,
Although I appreciate the cheering section (I know you mean well) I am not attacking anyone….just putting my thoughts out there & when you “back up” my statements or others….I think that’s what comes off as “gang mentality”. Like I said…I know you mean well, & I do appreciate it…but it isn’t necessary. This was meant with no disrespect. :-)[/quote]
aww, this could’ve been sent to grandma via a PM…i took her comment as a “thank you” for putting the topic into perspective…not sure if she was saying “yea, get ‘em girl, i’ve got your back”…JMO
anywho…i totally disagree with the breastfeeding of a 5 yr old…MY WORD, kids learn SOOO much at even an earlier age, it’s just crazy to me. and, luckily, we have an abundance of SOLID food here in america…that’s what it’s there for. just as someone said before…there are many more ways to bond, if that’s what the goal is!
a few years ago i went to “sesame place” with my sis, mom and kids. my sis and i were looking at this little adorable girl who sat on the hip of this woman. we were admiring her little pig tails and how cute they were…she was AT LEAST 3, maybe even 4. as we were watching her, she REACHED into her mom’s tank top (conveniently she wasn’t wearing a bra) whipped out her mom’s breast and began to feed HERSELF!!! her mom didn’t miss a beat in the conversation she was having with someone else!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! i was in complete shock and didn’t really know where to look…and, of course, EVERYONE began to stare. THIS IS TOO MUCH…if you have a full set of teeth and can ASK (or grab) for it…they’re too old
34. Sunshine said:
July 13, 2008 @ 1:33 am
Oh goodness.. 5 years old is quite a bit older than usual for bf-ing! But I won’t go so far as to judge it - different things work for different people. My own mother suckled me until I was 1 year old, and she says I cried for weeks when she stopped, that it was heart-breaking - when I hear that, I wish she had continued to breastfeed me for longer. I plan to breastfeed my little one for longer than a year, and hopefully do CLW but I might be uncomfortable if we got beyond 2 years, I think. Isn’t it hard on both the child and the mother to have to do this so secretly, with all the disapproval & criticism out there? It is hard enough trying to be discreet bf-ing when you’re outside the home!
35. iowafan said:
July 13, 2008 @ 12:40 pm
A lot of interesting opinions here.
Before I had children, I wasn’t sure if I would nurse, but after reading the benefits, I chose to do so.
My first child I nursed until she was about 9 months, when she self weaned.
My second child didn’t like bottles or formula at all, and was fairly small. He self weaned at age 2. I am sure that seems old to some people It was only morning and night by the end. He does not remember at all, and I’m pretty sure there’s no lasting damage
Yes, 5 seems really old and I think when children reach a certain age, they would be uncomfortable if they remembered nursing..
36. Grandma frm Ks. said:
July 13, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
[quote comment="178800"]A lot of interesting opinions here.
Before I had children, I wasn’t sure if I would nurse, but after reading the benefits, I chose to do so.
My first child I nursed until she was about 9 months, when she self weaned.
My second child didn’t like bottles or formula at all, and was fairly small. He self weaned at age 2. I am sure that seems old to some people It was only morning and night by the end. He does not remember at all, and I’m pretty sure there’s no lasting damage
Yes, 5 seems really old and I think when children reach a certain age, they would be uncomfortable if they remembered nursing..[/quote]
Great comment Elvis,
37. Kymberly said:
July 13, 2008 @ 1:33 pm
I am very pro-nursing and nursed both my kids.
My DD nursed until she was nearly two. That was good for us both.
For me personally, nursing a five year old is not something I’d be all for.
What you do with your own boobs, in your own family, however, is your business.
38. Rebecca said:
January 15, 2009 @ 5:40 pm
I nursed my daughter until she was two and my son I still nurse and he is five. It is a quick night snuggle thing that we do. He feels relaxed and very calm and I think that is important for his changing self. I can see the ending comming near, but I will not push a good thing away.
39. melodie said:
January 26, 2009 @ 11:05 pm
my daughter is only 17 months right now, but i have no intentions of weaning her and if she wants to feed until 5 i will most certainly let her. and i will have no qualms feeding in public either
bfing is completely natural AT ANY AGE and i will not let uninformed people dissuade me from taking care of my daughter.
40. Danielle said:
March 12, 2009 @ 6:19 pm
im 23 and i breastfeed my 5 year old son . so many people would give me a hard time about breastfeeding for so lang. hudband,friends,doctores,familey, witch would really put me down but i never stopped breastfeeding and im so glad i didnt my son is so loving so well behavied we have such a stronge connection.i plan to keep breastfeeding him untell he dose not want it anymore. to all those moms out there put your foot down and dont let anyone tell you want to do with your child. its your baby.. your the mother.. no one else knows better then you!
41. Andrew said:
May 6, 2009 @ 1:41 pm
Hello.
I’ve seen 5 years old mentioned by a few people as being okay. Two comments up, melodie said “AT ANY AGE”
…how long past a child’s 5th birthday is okay? 5½ is fine? What about 6 years old? Our child is weeks away from 5½ and it’s not stopping. Kindergarten will start in late August and then his 6th birthday will be in November. 5½ is abnormal, right?
Thanks
42. Katie said:
May 6, 2009 @ 11:02 pm
Well Andrew, personally I think as long as the child and the mother are fine with the nursing, it should continue. If the mother does not want to continue, she can start the process of weaning. No, 5 1/2 is not abnormal IMO, though it’s not common.