Breastfeeding at 8 years old ???

Let's take a look at what two medical authorities say about when to wean your child. The first set of recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. And what they say is, "It is recommended that breast-feeding continue for at least 12 months, and therefore, for as long as is mutually desired," mutually between the child and the mother.

Let's take a look at what the World Health Organization has to say. They say simply breast-feed for up to two years or longer. So what the authorities are saying is let the mother and the child decide.
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CNN.com - Elizabeth Cohen: Breast-feeding older kids - July 10, 2002
 
Deciding when to stop breastfeeding is a personal decision for each mother and her child. Until then, your decision to extend breastfeeding beyond baby and toddler-hood should be respected and even applauded!

As with breastfeeding, extended breastfeeding should be an individual choice for each mother and child.
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Considering Extended Breastfeeding?
 
how about.... breast-pumped milk? just give him a glass of mama's milk.
 
It's a comfort thing too. Not sexual though. Sexual only aplies if you touch your child or baby in certain places but since babies need breast feeding anyway up to a certain age it isn't sexually motified.

Yes they could give them pumped milk. However I feel more concerned about babies who ARNT getting breast milk. Rather then the ones that ARE getting it past a certain age. My dad's friend was breast fed up till the age of 3. I don't think he suffered from it.

I'd be more concerned about children doing other things such as drug missuse, watching violent adult films or X rated material, eating junk food etc... These things happen in this society all too often. I mean you even get people using under age kids to commit murder or robbery with less negative responses. It's about time people got their priorities straightened out.
 
dreama said:
It's a comfort thing too. Not sexual though. Sexual only aplies if you touch your child or baby in certain places but since babies need breast feeding anyway up to a certain age it isn't sexually motified.

Yes they could give them pumped milk. However I feel more concerned about babies who ARNT getting breast milk. Rather then the ones that ARE getting it past a certain age. My dad's friend was breast fed up till the age of 3. I don't think he suffered from it.

I'd be more concerned about children doing other things such as drug missuse, watching violent adult films or X rated material, eating junk food etc... These things happen in this society all too often. I mean you even get people using under age kids to commit murder or robbery with less negative responses. It's about time people got their priorities straightened out.
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The age of 3 and the age of 8 are world's apart developmentally. That is what you are failing to take into consideration. And if you know a 16 year old who still self comforts with a pacifier, you know a 16 year old that is need of therapy.
 
jillio said:
The age of 3 and the age of 8 are world's apart developmentally. That is what you are failing to take into consideration. And if you know a 16 year old who still self comforts with a pacifier, you know a 16 year old that is need of therapy.
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Shows that the 16 year old has separation anxiety issues. Wonder if the 8 year old has the same issues too?

I agree with some..if giving breastmilk is so important to the mother, THEN PUMP!!!!
 
shel90 said:
Shows that the 16 year old has separation anxiety issues. Wonder if the 8 year old has the same issues too?

I agree with some..if giving breastmilk is so important to the mother, THEN PUMP!!!!
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An educated guess would lead me to say "yes." But if she doesn't have them yet, she certainly will have. And the mother obviously has some issues that she is inflicting on her child. I watched the video a couple of times, and I see a woman with a pathological need to keep her children overly dependent. She is simply justifying it by saying, "But it is best for the child."
 
jillio said:
An educated guess would lead me to say "yes." But if she doesn't have them yet, she certainly will have. And the mother obviously has some issues that she is inflicting on her child. I watched the video a couple of times, and I see a woman with a pathological need to keep her children overly dependent. She is simply justifying it by saying, "But it is best for the child."
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Can I see a shred of research that show that extended breastfeeding leads to psychological damage?
 
I don't know anything about extended breastfeeding but.... 8 years old is WAY BEYOND extended.

An equivalence: "I filed an extension for my taxes..... 6 years ago."
 
Daredevel7 said:
I don't know anything about extended breastfeeding but.... 8 years old is WAY BEYOND extended.

An equivalence: "I filed an extension for my taxes..... 6 years ago."
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:bowlol:

I love the way you think!
 
faire_jour said:
Can I see a shred of research that show that extended breastfeeding leads to psychological damage?
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I don't think you need to see research to realize that it's a matter of common sense. An 8 yr old should not be asking Mommy if she can nurse, and it's a no-brainer, to me anyway, that the mother has some psychological issues simply because she's allowing her 8yr old to suckle. The child should be drinking from a cup; not suckling Mom!
 
faire_jour said:
Can I see a shred of research that show that extended breastfeeding leads to psychological damage?
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Open a clinical psychology book. You should see plenty of evidence there. And keep in mind, we are talking about an 8 year old, not a 3 year old.
 
jillio said:
Open a clinical psychology book. You should see plenty of evidence there. And keep in mind, we are talking about an 8 year old, not a 3 year old.
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Exactly! I was bottle-fed and I gave mine up at three years of age. A little late in my opinion, but I was in and out of the hospital since I was a newborn. The bottle was my security. Even though I still had my bottle, I only took it to bed with me with a tiny amount of water in it. The rest of the time I used plastic cups or sippy cups. I was beyond the point of needing the bottle to drink from and was able to use a cup and did. When I finally gave the bottle up for good, I used a doll I took to bed with me as my security object.

I also think breast or bottle feeding beyond 2 yrs of age is borderline. By the time the child is 2 yrs of age, they should be able to detach from the breast and drink independantly from a sippy cup. If not, something is wrong.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
Exactly! I was bottle-fed and I gave mine up at three years of age. A little late in my opinion, but I was in and out of the hospital since I was a newborn. The bottle was my security. Even though I still had my bottle, I only took it to bed with me with a tiny amount of water in it. The rest of the time I used plastic cups or sippy cups. I was beyond the point of needing the bottle to drink from and was able to use a cup and did. When I finally gave the bottle up for good, I used a doll I took to bed with me as my security object.

I also think breast or bottle feeding beyond 2 yrs of age is borderline. By the time the child is 2 yrs of age, they should be able to detach from the breast and drink independantly from a sippy cup. If not, something is wrong.
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The WHO reccomends breastfeeding up to 2 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics says 1 year at least. Anything past one year is labeled "extended" breastfeeding. The average age of weaning for those mothers who do practice extended breasfeeding is something like 2 years, 3 months.

Eight years of age is most definately a cause for concern for both child and mother. And I doubt that you will find any pedicatrician that would not state that there are mothers who use extended breastfeeding, especially at this limit, to foster an overly dependent relationship with the child, and that when it occurs, it is something that definately needs to be addressed.
 
jillio said:
The WHO reccomends breastfeeding up to 2 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics says 1 year at least. Anything past one year is labeled "extended" breastfeeding. The average age of weaning for those mothers who do practice extended breasfeeding is something like 2 years, 3 months.

Eight years of age is most definately a cause for concern for both child and mother. And I doubt that you will find any pedicatrician that would not state that there are mothers who use extended breastfeeding, especially at this limit, to foster an overly dependent relationship with the child, and that when it occurs, it is something that definately needs to be addressed.
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Thanks for the information! I agree that a Mother should start weaning her infant by age 2 yrs. I have a friend who breast fed her daughter and the child was beginning to wean at 14 mos. My personal opinion is that 1 yr of age is still a little young, but I certainly would consider weaning the infant sometime after the first birthday and by 18 mos of age.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
Thanks for the information! I agree that a Mother should start weaning her infant by age 2 yrs. I have a friend who breast fed her daughter and the child was beginning to wean at 14 mos. My personal opinion is that 1 yr of age is still a little young, but I certainly would consider weaning the infant sometime after the first birthday and by 18 mos of age.
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My son weaned himself completely by 14 months. By 12 months, he had reduced the frequency of nursing quite a bit. He was very active, and preferred to be able to carry a sippy cup with him as he explored his world.
 
jillio said:
My son weaned himself completely by 14 months. By 12 months, he had reduced the frequency of nursing quite a bit. He was very active, and preferred to be able to carry a sippy cup with him as he explored his world.
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That seems typical. Children seem to want that independance. I have to wonder about myself. I was not ambulatory like most infants, so I wonder what would have motivated me to wean. I think in situations like mine weaning from breast or bottle maybe delayed. Like I previously stated, I wasn't completely off my bottle until age 3.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
That seems typical. Children seem to want that independance. I have to wonder about myself. I was not ambulatory like most infants, so I wonder what would have motivated me to wean. I think in situations like mine weaning from breast or bottle maybe delayed. Like I previously stated, I wasn't completely off my bottle until age 3.
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Just guessing, but I would say that mobility issues would have a lot to do with it.
 
I wonder if the 8 year old gets made fun of ? If she does that is going to mess her up for life.
 
Pepsi said:
I wonder if the 8 year old gets made fun of ? If she does that is going to mess her up for life.
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a pacifier on her desk... or a fake boob. :dunno2: chance is - they're home-schooled.
 
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