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When you travel in Mexico, you see women breastfeeding older kids in public. For example, they'll be on a bus and the child is standing in the aisle nursing from the mom who is sitting in a seat. In a place where you don't know how safe the food supply is, mother's milk is a safe food.
I don't think it is bad to breastfeed an older child, but.. in the US, kids this age are not doing this for nutrition. Thus, I do think that it is odd to be doing it when you are out at a restaurant when the child could be eating regular food and drinking milk or juice from a cup.
In countries where the drinking supply is unsafe, I can see doing this in public, but not so much here or in any other first world country.
My children were breastfed and I did breastfeed in public when they were infants, but by the time they were 2 to 2.5, the feedings were pretty much only at night time or nap time. Once in a while a comfort feed happened if my dd got hurt, but that was very rare by that age. I think sometimes that some mom's miss the signs that a child is ready to wean because the bonding is so lovely.
I'm curious, when does breastfeeding in public become an "ick factor" for you? As a mother, when would you stop (or when did you stop) breastfeeding? Did you do it in public with an older (as defined by you, whatever "older" means to you) child? I've personally never seen any kid past the age of 2 (I'm guessing here how old they were) in real life but seeing the segment, I kind of feel like if they can say "milk" in a distinguishable manner and have all their chompers, maybe try to be more discreet about BF-ing him/her. A healthy snack can be good for the kid, too!
Please don't be vulgar or spiteful in your posts. Thank you.
The oldest child I have ever known that was still breastfeeding was a 5 year old and they only nursed a couple of times a week and for less then a minute at a time. I saw this child nurse once and it did not bother me at all. I know that children who are allowed to wean on thier own will wean before they reach an age where there would be an "ick" factor for me. I choose to only nurse at home after a certain age because that is more comfortable for me but I have no problem with others choosing to breastfeed an older child in public if that is comfortable for them.
I had a friend who breast fed her three year old daughter in public while we were with her. I found it a tad odd at the time. I have never been a mother so my feelings were that it wasn't for me to judge. My friend wound up passing very unexpectedly about a year later. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that she had that special time with her daughter after all.
How are they breastfeeding for so many years? I mean obviously I know how but how can they stand it? I breast fed my son(and still am but I'm now weaning him) but around 6 months the sensation changed, and I didn't like how it felt anymore. I can't explain it but I started to feel annoyed everytime I breastfed him and could not wait until he was done-this went on at every feeding. I stuck with it, because I realized it was best for him. But the day after he turned 1 years old, I began weaning him and I expect to have him completely done with breast-feeding by mid November. I just don't understand how mom's can continue doing it, am I the only one that finds the sensation bothersome as they get older(6 months plus). I found it especially annoying during PMS(which I am experiencing now). Ugh I'll be glad when he's completely weaned.
I am not interested in breastfeeding past infancy, for my own children. The 'squick out' reaction starts for me around age 3-4. I'm not going to approach a woman and share my unasked-for opinion, though.
The notion that we only become uncomfortable with older children breastfeeding because breasts are sexualized in the West may be perfectly true. But the other side of that coin is that the second grader who still nurses is beginning to receive some of those sexual messages from our society. Damage may be possible due to the prevailing climate that would not occur in the distant past, or drastically different cultures.
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