Mother's who breastfeed way too long,DISTURBING?There is no excuse to breastfeed a 3yr old!?

Question

Should breastfeeding(over 1yrs )of age be considered child abuse?
Breastfeeding benifits a child (immunity) to the age of Nine months,so what gives?

Answer 1

Breastfeeding benefits a child the ENTIRE TIME that you are nursing, no matter how old they are. What do you think...that it turns to water at 9 months or something?

Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for *at least* 12 months and thereafter as long as mutually desired by BOTH mom and baby?

Did you know that the World Health Organization and UNICEF both recommend nursing for *at least* 2 YEARS and then as long after that as mom and baby want?

Did you know that the American Academy of Family Physicians breastfeeding statement says -

“Nursing Beyond Infancy - Breastfeeding should ideally continue beyond infancy, but this is currently not the cultural norm and requires ongoing support and encouragement. Breastfeeding during a subsequent pregnancy is not unusual. If the pregnancy is normal and the mother is healthy, breastfeeding during pregnancy is the woman's personal decision. If the child is younger than two years of age, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned. Breastfeeding the nursing child after delivery of the next child (tandem nursing) may help to provide a smooth transition psychologically for the older child.”

Did you know that Michael Jordan's mother nursed him until he was 3 years old? Did you know that Michael Jackson was bottlefed?

Did you know that the world-wide average age of weaning is commonly considered to be 4.2 years?

Did you know that noted anthropologist Kathryn Dettwyler's research shows that the natural age of human weaning should be between 2.5 to 7 years of age?

"Parents and health professionals need to recognize that the benefits of breastfeeding (nutritional, immunological, cognitive, emotional) continue as long as breastfeeding itself does, and that there never comes a point when you can replace breast milk with infant formula, cows' milk or any other food, or breastfeeding with a pacifier or teddy bear, without some costs to the child."
-- KA Dettwyler, "Beauty and the Breast" from Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives, 1995, p. 204.

Nursing toddlers benefit NUTRITIONALLY

"Human milk expressed by mothers who have been lactating for >1 year has significantly increased fat and energy contents, compared with milk expressed by women who have been lactating for shorter periods. During prolonged lactation, the fat energy contribution of breast milk to the infant diet might be significant."
-- Mandel 2005
"Breast milk continues to provide substantial amounts of key nutrients well beyond the first year of life, especially protein, fat, and most vitamins."
-- Dewey 2001
In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:
29% of energy requirements
43% of protein requirements
36% of calcium requirements
75% of vitamin A requirements
76% of folate requirements
94% of vitamin B12 requirements
60% of vitamin C requirements
-- Dewey 2001

Nursing toddlers are SICK LESS OFTEN

The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that children weaned before two years of age are at increased risk of illness (AAFP 2001).

"Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation" (Nutrition During Lactation 1991; p. 134). In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process. (Goldman 1983, Goldman & Goldblum 1983, Institute of Medicine 1991).

Nursing toddlers have FEWER ALLERGIES

Many studies have shown that one of the best ways to prevent allergies and asthma is to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months and continue breastfeeding long-term after that point.

Nursing toddlers are SMART

Extensive research on the relationship between cognitive achievement (IQ scores, grades in school) and breastfeeding has shown the greatest gains for those children breastfed the longest.

Nursing toddlers are WELL ADJUSTED SOCIALLY

According to Sally Kneidel in "Nursing Beyond One Year" (New Beginnings, Vol. 6 No. 4, July-August 1990, pp. 99-103.):

"Research reports on the psychological aspects of nursing are scarce. One study that dealt specifically with babies nursed longer than a year showed a significant link between the duration of nursing and mothers' and teachers' ratings of social adjustment in six- to eight-year-old children (Ferguson et al, 1987). In the words of the researchers, 'There are statistically significant tendencies for conduct disorder scores to decline with increasing duration of breastfeeding.'"

Nursing a toddler is NORMAL

A US Surgeon General has stated that it is a lucky baby who continues to nurse until age two. (Novello 1990)

As an added bonus, MOTHERS also benefit in MANY ways from nursing past infancy.

Answer 2

Why is it disturbing to you? Its not really any of your business if a mother breastfeeds her child later than some arbitrary age. The benefits of breastfeeding do not stop at 9 months or any other age. The child will still receive important antibodies from its mother. Also at 9 months of age my child was still 100% breastfed. There was no way my baby could have given it up at that point. Now she is almost 2 years old and still nurses about 5 times a day.

The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding children for a MINIMUM of two years. I will nurse my child until she doesn't want to anymore. The average age of a self-weaned child is somewhere between 2.5 and 7.

Just an interesting tidbit. Michael Jordan was breastfed for 3 years. His mom is very proud that she breastfed her son as long as he wanted.

We live in a sick and wrong society where all of you are condemning mothers who want the best for their children. As it is, its none of your business.

Answer 3

Get your info right. Breastfeeding benefits a child for as long as you breastfeed. Human milk changes over time to give the child the maximum nutririon at any age. Our children don't turn into baby cows at 9 mos. so why would we give them cows milk? Have you ever read the ingredients on a can of formula? Would you give that to your child? Would YOU drink it? Breastfeeding does not only provide physical health benefits but emotional as well. The longer you breastfeed the better for the child. The problem is that the breast is objectified to be something sexual when in reality it is an organ to be used to produce milk to feed our young. Not as a toy for men. That is why we are MAMMALS because we have MAMMARY GLANDS that produce milk. There is nothing sexual about breastfeeding. Any mother who has breastfed can tell you this. People who have issue with breastfeeding are the ones who have a problem, not the mother who is breasfeeding her 3-year-old.

I am soooo tired of uninformed people giving false information on a subject they know very little about. Our culture is so intent on discouraging mothers to do what is completely natural and making them question their choices. Why can't we support mothers?

Answer 4

ok still sooo sad that some of you think breastfeeding is gross. You're going to miss out on some serious and special bonding with your children. Anyway NO its not abuse..... and i thought it was weird until i was doing it myself (my first daughter weaned at 32 months).. its not like you are breastfeeding and one day you wake up and it suddenly becomes "weird" it doesnt work that way. ANNOYING yes, but not weird ;). and dont judge or try to even assume you know what its like until you are breastfeeding your own child. OH and weaning because they are teething is the most rediculous thing i have ever heard! my children got their teeth at 4/5 months old!!

giving a into a child's "emotional" needs by breastfeeding does not make them "mental cases" as adults. In fact, i would think it would make them feel very secure. anyway an article for ya
http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVDec00Jan01p112.html

Answer 5

Typically children are eating solid foods anywhere from 10-12 months. At that point they are no longer using a bottle, as they are being trained to drink from a cup, and usually milk, not formula. This should also be the cut-off for breastfeeding. I think the separation is harder for the mother, so it is not a decision based on what is best for the child, but what she is, or isn't, ready for. It is borderline child abuse b/c the mother is doing it for HER benefit. If your child knows to lift your shirt to get fed, they are TOO OLD!

Answer 6

WHOA! Don't know where you get your information, BUT the United States is one of the few countries where breastfeeding is considered something that should be done in cloistered surroundings.
The immunity benefits and nutritional benefits reach beyond 9 months. And in the rest of the world, breastfeeding is commonly continued from 3 to 5 years.
I find it odd that in a society that seems to have NO problem accepting the visibility of breasts for sexual reasons (skimpy clothes - nearly invisible swim tops - see through fabric that allows the nipple to show) has SUCH a hang up when it comes to
women using their breasts for the purpose that God intended them. -- Oh, wait - THAT's the problem.....God given purpose versus sexual exploitation.

Answer 7

How can you call it child abuse?? Its a form of bondng between mother and child, it's her FEEDING the child, you idiot!!
God damned, go waste your time venting abut the REAL child abusers out there!
Don't make up problems where they dont exist and enculprit totally innoent people!
Mothers have full freedom to decide how to raise their children, from what food to give them what clothes they wear....pick on mothers who give their kids KFC and McDonalds- that's a bigger threat to their health and well being!
Only if the child is in obvious sidtress could it be remotely abusive. Was the child upset? Probably not at all.
Only YOU were. Should SHE be blamed for you inability to tolerate something someone else does?
Absolutely not.
BACKWARDS THINKER

Answer 8

No, not child abuse. In many countries children are nursed to ages 4 and 5. Think of it as a special bonding between mother and child. Is it icky for others? Yes. Bad for the mother or child, definitely not.

Answer 9

I wouldn't call it child abuse, but I WOULD call it borderline molestation. While other cultures may exercise this practice regularly, ours typically does not. The mother is receiving some sort of physical/mental gratification, therefore making it a form of sexual molestation. We can't call it abuse necessarily because is she isn't hurting the child...not really. We can't call it neglect, because she's nourishing the child. Sick, gross, and weird are also words that come to mind. She may not consider it molestation, she may not even consciously know that she's the one that's benefiting the most from this. In her mind, she's taking care of her child. Depending on your relationship with the mother, you may not have any choice but to keep quiet. If you're close to the mother, you could voice your opinions, but in the end I would suppose it's a personal choice. A wrong one though, in my ballpark.

Answer 10

Child abuse? No. There's no evidence that extended breastfeeding harms the child.

I know moms who breastfed their children to 2 and 3. The kids came out just fine.

Answer 11

While I couldn't nurse a baby that long, I believe it's a personal decision. I'm sure that there are bonding and comfort issues with nursing a child that long. Also new studies show that the longer a mother nurses the less chance she has of developing breast cancer. In the end it comes down to a personal decision.