TIME magazine has really done it now. It has shocked the world with a photo of a woman breastfeeding her three-year-old son. The internet is in an uproar over the photo, which will be on the cover of the May 21st issue of Time Magazine.
People already feel uncomfortable when they see a woman breastfeeding her baby in public, so to see a child well past the toddler age feeding off their mother makes people extra squeamish.
What is a good age to wean a child off the breast? Some mothers will tell you that once they grow teeth (Ouch!), it’s time to stop. Most children grow teeth around six months old. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for a whole year, so it is possible to breastfeed a child with teeth.If your baby is nursing properly, you shouldn’t feel their teeth, even if they have a whole mouthful of them.
So why should you stop breastfeeding after only a year? Breast milk continues to offer nutrition to a child even past the one year mark, so it isn’t a pointless act. Should women wean their children earlier than they feel ready to just because our society has a problem with it?
Check out the photo, and read more about it at Fox News Latino, and see how you feel about it.
About Cindy Tovar
My sister, because of her children’s allergies, nursed until about 3 years old. They were also home schooled up until high school. They are now grown going to USC and very successful. Stop judging. Do what’s right for your kid. Rather than worry about who nurses who and for how long let’s worry about kids on drugs, in gangs, in prison, and in real (not perceived) danger.
I need some too!
people are dumb. especially in this country. sexualizing something beautiful and natural. jesus.
Completely natural thing… i say if they are both happy doing it, then good for them. Why would you stop something that lets you bond with YOUR baby, just b/c society says “no”?
ITS THE BEST MILK EVER,, NO MAN CAN MAKE!!!!
Once they have teeth I don’t think they should need it any more but that’s my opinion my way may not be the right way
I MIGHT AS WELL TAKE DRINK MYSELF !! LOL
31YRS OLD
Who cares??? -_- people are so quick to judge others
Well babies start teething at around 6 months. And some don’t really become interested in solids til quite a bit later. Mine was interested in veggies around the 15 month mark and she would chew and spit out the meat at 18 months. She’s not a big meat eater to this day. But stopped at 15 because she was losing interest. If she continue, it would have been until she was 2. Kudos to the women that do it for longer. Usually by then it’s 1-2 feedings and not as long as how an infant would feed.
@Maria, some infants grow teeth at 4months. So that’s not a good suggestion. Once they turn 2 they need to be off the boob.
To eacH his own
It is up to the mother and no one else!
Breast feeding is the most natural thing in the world. I agree with Maylin. It is a ridiculous attack on nature.
If ppl in this country would stop making the women’s’ breast an object of pure sexuality then this might not be so hard to accept. God put those there for us to feed our children, and a mother has a right to breast feed her child for as long as she damn pleases! Calling DCFS would be ridiculous, the kid doesn’t see his mom as a sexual object, that’s the image that grown ups are seeing. I say “Leave them alone and get over it!”
I breastfed my daughter until she was 3 and she was very healthy! I never dealt with any illnesses that seem common among my friends who have formula fed: earaches, ear infections, flu, cold, fever, etc. For us it worked and I would encourage other Mothers to do the same, but to each their own. It’s just mind-boggling how people can find something sexual in it… It almost makes me question their mind and whether they might have some sort of sexual issues that need counseling. Breasts were made for to feed babies and the average weaning age worldwide is 4! I’ve raised my daughter mostly in the Middle East and Russia so far (we moved to the US when she was 4 and now we’re moving to Russia at the end of the month and she’s 6 now) and I remember how surprised I was by the attitude towards breastfeeding here in the US. Very strange… I nursed many times in public and nobody ever said anything to me! Even in the Middle East… Here it seems common to have to defend yourself for doing something so natural!
Breast feeding is very a natural, beautiful, and bonding experience between mother and child however, I don’t feel that BF-ing after 1-2/yrs of age is really necessary. By this time children are getting the needed nutrients and nourishment from other foods besides mothers milk. If a mother wants to continue to provide the benefits of mothers milk I would pump and put in a sippy cup. This is solely my opinion from experience but to each his (or more like her) own. I have a bigger problem with the way the picture was taken in my opinion is was not done tastefully – the child standing on a chair looking right at the camera like they shoved his face right into her chest and click. I’m pretty sure this isn’t how she nurses at home.
If you don’t mind breastfeeding your child in public, don’t mind me while I stand here and watch you.
Breastfeeding is not a taboo in any way, no matter the age. While I don’t plan to completely stop at 1, I’m not a fan of a 5 year old breastfeeding.
Can i have some for my coffee..
Oh, thanks! Now I’m craving a cookie.
This is awesome! This is the ONLY positive thread I have come across in regards to the Time article and cover. Yay!
I as a mother who bf her chidren dont have a problem with bfing. but it does bother me when a child can eat foods. I understand and completely agree with the child getting all the nutrients at a young age but why shove you tit to their mouth when you can just as well feed them natural foods starting at age 2!
I don’t think women should be judged for the choices they think are best for themselves and their families. At the same time, I don’t think we have to argue that breasts are there only to feed babies. They are functional, but they can also be sexual. We are sexual beings too, and for many women who don’t have children, their breasts are not superfluous simply because they will never use them to feed children.
and what is the problem?
i breastfed my son for a few months and plan to do the same for my next. While breastfeeding is an amazing thing, I think when a child becomes older and is more aware of body parts, a mother should just pump the milk out and give it to their child in a cup rather than having them suck from the breast.
At that age is gross!!!