Breastfeeding Older Children (teens, 7 year old, city, move)

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by yodi

Legally, there is no age where it is no longer valid to breastfeed. If you breastfeed your 12 year old it is still ok by law because there are no laws putting an age limit on breastfeeding.

I think if you tried to breastfeed a 12 yr old in public- someone would be calling the cops and you would be forced to prove this is your child (some form of ID or dna). Because otherwise it is a lude act with a minor if this is not your child. And let's be honest, how would anyone know if it WAS your child? Mary kay Lauterneau?

[miasmommy]

Originally Posted by Trombley

Doubt it..you said nothing wrong.
Go for it! Those nine month old baby hands should be grabbing at your breasts and being nousished whereever you choose. But those same hands, once they are old enough to meet her own needs, should be using a fork, spoon, and cup to receive her food intake. Once a child gets to school age, it looks more "incestuous" to me! I know this comment will get some attention! However, what woman wants a child sucking on their breast? One that has some issues with raising her child to become independent. Breasts are for infants and toddlers, not older children.

With time to think I've changed my opinion. And it may change again. I am NEVER set in my ways of thinking. New info, new opinions!

So with that said, and with the posts now asking when a child is not a baby I believe that:

1. Breastfeeding should be allowed in public (as the laws currently permit) but DEFINITELY when a child is aproximately 3, it should be done in private. That is in a bathroom, in a dressing room, under a blanket (by then you should be able to explain to the child that SOME people are uncomfortable by it and they should respect that.

2. Though a child can get nurtition from other sources, formula and nursing are still a big part until the age of one year. With that said, most mothers nursing after that age are doing so because of the antibodies and the emotional tenderness and comfort it provides for infants and children. So with those FACTS, these mothers would be nursing not that often and for a specific purpose and SHOULD (shouldn't "have to") do so in there own homes and/or in private.

I do understand that it is ucomfortable for people, and we should respect EVERYONE'S view on this issue. However, whether a person is "disusted" or "embarrassed" or "uncomfortable they should NEVER be rude to a breastfeeding mother. They should quietly and politely ask the nursing mother to please cover up. The same goes for the nursing mother! If asked POLITELY to cover up, they should be polite in return (whether or not they agree) and do the best they can (without taking away from their OWN child) and adhere to the request.

Have I said Happy Holidays????

[yodi]

Originally Posted by Peach_Fla

that law says babies....not 5 year olds!!!!

There either is a law that puts an age limit on breastfeeding or their isn't. The link that I provided summarizes all of the laws which pertain to breastfeeding in all 50 states. If you look at the laws there is not one single law on the books that puts an age limit on breastfeeding. That's just a fact, plain and simple.

[yodi]

Originally Posted by Taboo2

I think if you tried to breastfeed a 12 yr old in public- someone would be calling the cops and you would be forced to prove this is your child (some form of ID or dna). Because otherwise it is a lude act with a minor if this is not your child. And let's be honest, how would anyone know if it WAS your child? Mary kay Lauterneau?

A lewd act is not the same thing as breastfeeding.

[Peach_Fla]

here!here!maismommy...well said!!!!!.................Merry Christmas all

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by yodi

A lewd act is not the same thing as breastfeeding.

Well considering the only thing in the eyes of the law seperating the two is the relation between the mother and child it could be seen as a lewd act to those who are not aware you are related.


What i wrote was you would most likely have to prove it was your child if you were breastfeeding in public with any child (over the age of 5) probably. I believe people would intervene assuming something negative was talking place and report the situation to authorities.

And since the cops don't know that for FACT you are the mother- you could possibly be detained for a LEWD act with a child until you can prove this is in fact your offspring. Not sure how that happens but i am pretty sure it is not by your "word".

How are strangers, walking by, to know you the kids mother? Because you say you are? Yeah, and there are uncles who molest their neices and nephews so i imagine other people may not believe that even if it is the total truth. Which therefore means i wouldn't be surprised if the police became involved and you had to somehow prove your relation to the child to them.

That is what i meant to say.

[yodi]

Originally Posted by Taboo2

Well considering the only thing in the eyes of the law seperating the two is the relation between the mother and child it could be seen as a lewd act to those who are not aware you are related.


What i wrote was you would most likely have to prove it was your child if you were breastfeeding in public with any child (over the age of 5) probably. I believe people would intervene assuming something negative was talking place and report the situation to authorities.

And since the cops don't know that for FACT you are the mother- you could possibly be detained for a LEWD act with a child until you can prove this is in fact your offspring. Not sure how that happens but i am pretty sure it is not by your "word".

How are strangers, walking by, to know you the kids mother? Because you say you are? Yeah, and there are uncles who molest their neices and nephews so i imagine other people may not believe that even if it is the total truth. Which therefore means i wouldn't be surprised if the police became involved and you had to somehow prove your relation to the child to them.

That is what i meant to say.

I think it would be obvious that the child was breastfeeding and not being molested. You can not force a child to breastfeed. Breastfeeding doesn't look anything like abuse. I think the hypothetical situation that you are trying to describe is pretty far-fetched.

[ADVentive]

Originally Posted by miasmommy

With time to think I've changed my opinion. And it may change again. I am NEVER set in my ways of thinking. New info, new opinions!

So with that said, and with the posts now asking when a child is not a baby I believe that:

1. Breastfeeding should be allowed in public (as the laws currently permit) but DEFINITELY when a child is aproximately 3, it should be done in private. That is in a bathroom, in a dressing room, under a blanket (by then you should be able to explain to the child that SOME people are uncomfortable by it and they should respect that.

2. Though a child can get nurtition from other sources, formula and nursing are still a big part until the age of one year. With that said, most mothers nursing after that age are doing so because of the antibodies and the emotional tenderness and comfort it provides for infants and children. So with those FACTS, these mothers would be nursing not that often and for a specific purpose and SHOULD (shouldn't "have to") do so in there own homes and/or in private.

I do understand that it is ucomfortable for people, and we should respect EVERYONE'S view on this issue. However, whether a person is "disusted" or "embarrassed" or "uncomfortable they should NEVER be rude to a breastfeeding mother. They should quietly and politely ask the nursing mother to please cover up. The same goes for the nursing mother! If asked POLITELY to cover up, they should be polite in return (whether or not they agree) and do the best they can (without taking away from their OWN child) and adhere to the request.

Have I said Happy Holidays????

I agree with you to a point. But I disagree on some of your boundaries, specifically in #2 above. I want to point out that just because cow's milk can be tolerated by most babies at one year does not make it any kind cut-off for nutrition from nursing. It has already been well-established in this thread that many medical organizations, including the World Health Organization, recommend continued nursing (with complementary foods of course) until at least 2 years. (If you believe that a child needs milk nutritionally, then you must see that cow's milk is a substitute for breast milk rather than the preferred nutritional source.) For my own child, it was somewhere between age 24-27 months when she was able to comprehend waiting to nurse until we got to a more appropriate location. Before that, she just didn't have that ability and yes, I nursed her in public when she needed it. I think that it is perfectly reasonable for a mother to nurse her child in public until such age as that child is able to both physically and emotionally stand waiting, and I think that is probably between 2-3 years for most kids.

I also would hesitate to say that a mother should cover up if politely asked. I think that there are many differences in situations such as if the person asking is a random passer-by, or a fellow patron of a restaurant, or a server in the restaurant, or a flight attendant, etc. I think there are many situations where it is not appropriate for anyone to say anything to a nursing mother. And from my own experience, I know that a mother can be completely covered up by her clothing and the baby, and some people will still not be happy with that. A mother can also be covered with a whole blanket and there will still be people who are unhappy because they know she is nursing at all. Different people have different perceptions of discretion and modesty, and that's why it's so hard to make that kind of statement. I think that you just have to say that a woman should nurse to her own level of comfort or discretion, and if others don't like it, they can turn away. There are always going to be people doing things in public that others are uncomfortable with, and you just can't go around worrying about everyone else all the time. Maybe they won't like the way the teenager is dressed. Maybe they won't like to see the gay couple holding hands. Maybe they don't want to see the breastfeeding mother. IMO, the nursing mother is doing nothing wrong, and she should not need to modify her behavior based on the comfort of others any more than the gay couple holding hands.

As for the law? I don't think there needs to be any law restricting the way a mother nurses her child, with respect to nursing in public or past any certain age. I think that is the mother's (and child's) choice.

[2girlsand2boys]

Originally Posted by Taboo2

Well considering the only thing in the eyes of the law seperating the two is the relation between the mother and child it could be seen as a lewd act to those who are not aware you are related.


What i wrote was you would most likely have to prove it was your child if you were breastfeeding in public with any child (over the age of 5) probably. I believe people would intervene assuming something negative was talking place and report the situation to authorities.

And since the cops don't know that for FACT you are the mother- you could possibly be detained for a LEWD act with a child until you can prove this is in fact your offspring. Not sure how that happens but i am pretty sure it is not by your "word".

How are strangers, walking by, to know you the kids mother? Because you say you are? Yeah, and there are uncles who molest their neices and nephews so i imagine other people may not believe that even if it is the total truth. Which therefore means i wouldn't be surprised if the police became involved and you had to somehow prove your relation to the child to them.

That is what i meant to say.

I really can't believe that there are 25 pages in this thread. It is getting a little redundant.

My Hubby is a cop and he said that breastfeeding would NEVER be considered a "lewd" act, regardless of the child's age. He said that it is absolutely ridiculous to think that a cop would ask for proof that the child in question belonged to the mother.

Hubby also said that if he were dispatched to a call of a possible crime because a mother was nursing an older child in public, whether discreetly or not, there would be NOTHING that he could or would do about it. In our state at least, breasts are not defined as "genitals", seeing as though they are NOT genitals, and a woman could choose to walk around topless in any public area without worry about repercussions. Since the law doesn't define breasts as sexual entities, there is absolutely no reason to be so concerned with a woman potentially exposing herself while nursing her child (regardless of age) in public. If it disgusts YOU, then you are the one with the problem and you can feel free to look away.

[ADVentive]

Originally Posted by 2girlsand2boys

I really can't believe that there are 25 pages in this thread. It is getting a little redundant.

You must have different settings than me - I'm on page 7!

Carry on...