I was listening to the radio on the way to work this morning, and the co-host was telling his wife ON THE AIR to stop breastfeeding their now 2-year-old.
Apparently, they had an agreement about 6 months ago (also on the air, it sounded like) that she would stop breastfeeding when the boy turns 2. And he turned two a couple of days ago.
Dad wants his “toys” back and is complaining that their son does not need to be breastfed anymore. He described it as buying a car but does not get to drive it, and the new car is being driven by someone else who is not paying the down payments.
Sounds like Mom has 2 babies at home.
Mom said that she wants to and will stop, but the boy needs breastfeeding to go to sleep. She makes a great point that it is their son who still needs it. A girl co-host asks Dad if he is ready to deal with the scream-fest of denying the little boy his bedtime comfort, but he side-stepped the question.
Listeners were encouraged to call to weigh in on what Mom should do: should she stop breastfeeding or not?
I was surprise to hear that the few callers I heard (all female) all sided with Dad. They said that the son is now old enough and does not need any of the nutrients from breast milk. Mom should just stop. Period.
From how I have relayed the story, you can probably tell that I am siding with Mom. Not that I am pro-breastfeeding until the baby/toddler/child is 5 years old. I simply think that you cannot put a definite time on it. I am unimpressed with how simple they make stopping to breastfeed sounded.
Breastfeeding is not only about nutrition. It is also about comfort and security.
Granted, I did not know the depths of it before I was already months into it (and no regrets here), it is a more complex issue.
Since it is a two-person relationship, it is important to evaluate whether both parties are ready or mostly ready. If Mom is ready, she can gently set it up to slowly wean the baby.
The post You must stop breastfeeding now! appeared first on lilhoneydreams.