Breastfeeding - How Long is Too Long?

I disagree.I think that past a certain age it's more for the mother than it is the child and that is just sick.

Most children do wean themselves if they are allowed to. Let down becomes more difficult and they often get to busy. However, if they chose to there is absolutely nothing wrong with extending breastfeeding. I'm an extended breastfeeding advocate and have done papers on this subject. The Western lifestyle is the only lifestyle in the whole world that sexualizes the breast and does not support breastfeeding to it's natural conclusion.

I think most children do stop when they are ready. My oldest was a bit less than a year when he just quit; I guess he was ready but I was not. It was hard to adjust. I went back to work about 4 months after my daught was born. I pumped my mild which she got from a bottle. She gave it up fairly early, too. But my youngest, I was able to stay at home and nurse until he was ready to quit; he was four years old and still asking for titty every once and awhile. My kids are all the healthiest kids I've known. They have one cavity between the 3 of them and my oldest is almost 14. The stigmatism of nursing needs to be abolished.

I do not believe that a breast fed baby is going to be way more advanced than a child that was formula fed. All three of my children were formula fed and all three are advanced for their ages. My oldest has spoken clearly and in complete sentences since she was a year and a half. She walked early, talked early, wrote her complete name by age 2 1/2. She is in first grade but reads on a sixth grade level. I believe that it has to do with how you raise and nurture your children. If you read to them and spend time teaching them they are going to be advanced. Doing that has way more to do with how intelligent they are than because they were breast fed. As for breast feeding them beyond the age of three; I think that is just wrong. I can not see how that could be beneficial to them. I also do not believe that it would not mess them up psychologically. There are people that say that a child should not have a pacifier past age 3 but yet getting milk from your mother's breast is ok. I do not agree and I feel that is mentally damaging.

I am the mother of three beautiful children.... all of whom I breastfed. My last was nearly three when I stopped. They are all perfectly beautiful and healthy, and it almost seems that the longer I nursed them, the smarter they became and the more self-confident, sharp, and healthy!!! I'm not sure how I feel about 7 years, but I could definitely see it happening.... my husband was not as supportive as this one, so I stopped, but who knows if he wasn't around what would've happened.

Sorry but when the diapers go, so should the breast.

The science confirms that the natural length for breastfeeding in humans is between 2 1/2 and 7 years.

Length of breasfteeding varies widely among mothers and babies.
Babies, when the mother makes breastfeeding available, will nurse for as long, and only as long as they need it. There is no way to make an unwilling child take the breast. Just as there is no way to make an unwilling mom breastfeed.

Breastfeeding is the natural optimun way to nurture babies with all the nutrients and antibodies for immunity human babies need. Human milk is best for human babies.

Although our polluting ways have resulted in mother's milk having contaminants, so does cow's milk and other breast-milk substitutes. The solution to contaminant danger is to green our consumer and energy habits and act to clean up our air, water and earth.

I breastfed our 4 children. Our 3 sons and daughter each nursed for different lengths of time from 2 years to nearly 4 years old for one son. All are independent and healthy, and close to both parents. Each had their own unique pattern of natural weaning, just as they each had their own unique developmental paths and have their own unique personalities and souls. Looking back, I now see that the way each baby weaned was, interestingly, similar to the way they have navigated other deveopmental milestones, and they way they move on their paths as adults.

I support all mothers right to choose whether and how long to breastfeed their babies.

It is my personal opinion that if you can't be bothered to spell the word "your" and instead replace it with "ur" you're not a person of high enough intelligence to be dictating what anyone else should or shouldn't so with their child. While I have no interest in breastfeeding an eight year old myself I can see how it could happen and don't find it creepy or strange. Breastfeeding is biologically factual and therefore more "normal" than formula feeding could ever be.

You are SO right! 3, 4, 5, 6. 7 , 8 years old. These folks are WEIRD!

My daughter had a cell phone at the age of 8 because she did competition dance & sometimes was at the dance studio for 4 hours at a time on the weekends. She would call during her breaks or if she wanted me to bring her something. I can't imagine her calling me and asking me to bring "nummies"!!!

Amen If it is private do not video tape it for 14 million people to see.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with breastfeeding an infant or even a toddler...but an EIGHT YEAR OLD? REALLY? That's unnecessary and a little creepy. It's more about the mother then the child...cut the cord, ladies, and some therapy, and try to fill your emotional voids in more productive ways.

I breastfed four children, one for 9 months (not long enough), but stopped due to pressure from my mother in law. The second child for 12 months, my son for 15 months, who just weaned himself one day. And my youngest for 3 1/2 years, and she just became a Civil Engineer, and graduated college in 4 years. I also breastfed a little boy who was not mine, and he is grown now, and still asks his mother about me. I have not seen him for 18 years, but have run into his mom. There is nothing more "normal" than breastfeeding. A mere 70 years ago, there was no other choice.

I have three children and was unable to breast feed though I tried for months, when I couldn't breast feed I pumped so they still got the nutrients. I believe breast feeding is very natural and needed, if you feel like you can do it. There are people out there who can't its not that they don't want to. But the fact that we think it is ok to breast feed school age children makes me wonder what is missing in the mother's and possibly the child's life.
There is a point were you as the mother must make a decisson and what is truly best for the child. Remember what school was like for you at that age and then add in this thing that your school friend's are not doing. My understanding on breast feeding is the immune system building is great but to assume you can get smarter by drinking breast milk is absurd. I think what we have to remember is to spend time with our children in the same amount of time and maybe that is all that is missing.