Breast feeding (please don't enter if you cannot act like a grown up)

big soft moose said:
Also they can reasonably ask that it is done in a way that doesn't offend other patrons - as that in itself is not unfavourable treatment
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Because it will undoubtedly be picked up on by someone - maybe offend is not the best word? You are right, other patrons may not like to see someone breastfeeding which will be reason enough for some venues, although I can't see anyone actually being genuinely offended.

edit... yep, it got picked up by someone!
 
CanonDjango said:
How can breast feeding offend other patrons?
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Its what makes the world go around.
If we were all offended by the same thing,
liked the same thing, the the world would be a nicer place.
However we all have different standards and morals,
likess dislikes etc etc.

Tis human nuture, nature (;) ) free will and all that.
 
RichardtheSane said:
Because it will undoubtedly be picked up on by someone - maybe offend is not the best word? You are right, other patrons may not like to see someone breastfeeding which will be reason enough for some venues, although I can't see anyone actually being genuinely offended.

edit... yep, it got picked up by someone!
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must be someone ive got on ignore , because I didn't see anything

Someone could be offended , depending on how the breast feeding is done - if (as with most women) it is discrete without much flesh on display then yes its unlikely to offend - ... if it were more blatant with a large amount of flesh on display it would be easy to see other patrons being offended just as they would be if a woman got her breasts out for other reasons. - which was my point a venue could reasonably ask women to breast feed in a discrete manner , and probably wouldn't be guilty of discrimination if they asked someone who refused to do so to leave
 
CanonDjango said:
How is my post off topic? Your thread is about the aggressive protesting and my post was about that also.
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Simple because my response to you was in relation to you response to another poster where quite clearly you were attempting to perpetuate an off topic argument that this thread is some how about the actual act of breast feeding which it isn't
 
cant see anyone changing their mind from this thread and some of the comments are ridiculous. time to bow out and leave y'all to it :-) enjoy
 
CanonDjango said:
cant see anyone changing their mind from this thread and some of the comments are ridiculous.
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That'll be that Goddamned free will / human nature again ;)
 
There are laws to protect breastfeeding mothers in public. If you don't wish to see it, perhaps you should save yourself such uncomfort and avoid going out in public. A baby/child has a human right to be fed. The law is such that if a woman has the legal right to be somewhere, they have the legal right to breastfeed there (Equality Act 2010 http://www.maternityaction.org.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/breastfeedingpublicplace.pdf ) ...and I'm one of those militant mothers who ran a campaign that you speak of.
 
Haven't read all the posts in this thread in this thread but I've skimmed through a lot of it.

I've 4 kids and they've all been breast fed and I would add my wife has fed them all to quite a developed age. Not the odd thing you see where folk feed 9 years old by the way but up to 18 months for comfort or quick top ups.

I would say when they're little babies we've never had any issues in public places but once they're a bit bigger it has raised a few eyebrows.
 
It's a sad reflection on society, dinners. The international average weaning age is over 4 years old, and as you've rightly pointed out, it's more than just nutrition. I mean, no one flinches at dummy usage in public - they're nipple substitutes.
 
MagicMynx said:
There are laws to protect breastfeeding mothers in public. If you don't wish to see it, perhaps you should save yourself such uncomfort and avoid going out in public. A baby/child has a human right to be fed. The law is such that if a woman has the legal right to be somewhere, they have the legal right to breastfeed there (Equality Act 2010 http://www.maternityaction.org.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/breastfeedingpublicplace.pdf ) ...and I'm one of those militant mothers who ran a campaign that you speak of.
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And IMO if a company is breaching the law the correct thing to do is to go though the legal process of having them punished, it is wrong and in my eyes damages your moment to protest and threaten the individuals/organisations involved...sorry for the slow response I didn't see the notification
 
MWHCVT said:
And IMO if a company is breaching the law the correct thing to do is to go though the legal process of having them punished, it is wrong and in my eyes damages your moment to protest and threaten the individuals/organisations involved...sorry for the slow response I didn't see the notification
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We have a right to protest in this country. People died for that right. In this instance any sort of protest is 100% justified. So I'm afraid you are going to have to get over it. Unlucky.
 
MagicMynx said:
It's a sad reflection on society, dinners. The international average weaning age is over 4 years old, and as you've rightly pointed out, it's more than just nutrition. I mean, no one flinches at dummy usage in public - they're nipple substitutes.
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Sorry Nat, but whilst I have no objection to babies being fed in public, and did it myself albet very discreetly, if I was sat in restaurant eating and a parent next to me starting breast feeding a 4yo I would object, whilst it might be the norm, at that age a child can be reasoned with and wait until the mother is in a more private place
 
I do not see what is going to be achieved with protesting at the store/cafe ect. As i said i breastfed my 2 and one till she was 12 months... as for this still breastfeeding above the age of 2 say what happens when the child is at school? does mum go in when child want a comfort or top up? sorry i am just asking ask i don't see why.. going back to the protests.. as Nat has attended one she may be able to put me right about was something achieved i will stand corrected on anything i say if i am wrong andi am not trying to cause a row at all..
 
Gremlin said:
Sorry Nat, but whilst I have no objection to babies being fed in public, and did it myself albet very discreetly, if I was sat in restaurant eating and a parent next to me starting breast feeding a 4yo I would object, whilst it might be the norm, at that age a child can be reasoned with and wait until the mother is in a more private place
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Why on earth would you or anyone else even contemplate that you have any right to object to someone nursing their child. Do you sincerely have nothing better to do with your time than demonise a parent who doesn't parent to your personal choices? People might not want to see a child being fed, - but they may not want to see a person using a wheelchair, or with a different colour skin to them, - my advice to all of them is either close your eyes or don't go out in public. Laws are in place for all of the above people to be protected and to be quite frank, if anyone traumatised my child, or disrupted me feeding, especially affecting my letdown (stress slows and can stop the letdown reflex) there wuld be hell to pay. If it was in Scotland they would be arrested - the same in England if the law changes as is being campaigned for. Why should it be in a private place? There is nothing indecent about it and the sooner that people stopped this kind of attitude, the better.
 
I'd quite like to see the evidence which supports the alleged average weaning age of four years, and would hope it includes a split between so called developed and non developed nations.

Edit....and I personally flinch more at the use of dummies past toddling age than breast feeding. IMO it's lazy parenting by that point.
 
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gumbo-67 said:
I do not see what is going to be achieved with protesting at the store/cafe ect. As i said i breastfed my 2 and one till she was 12 months... as for this still breastfeeding above the age of 2 say what happens when the child is at school? does mum go in when child want a comfort or top up? sorry i am just asking ask i don't see why.. going back to the protests.. as Nat has attended one she may be able to put me right about was something achieved i will stand corrected on anything i say if i am wrong andi am not trying to cause a row at all..
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There was no need for a protest (thankfully) in my campaign, but it got close. The point for my campaign was too get some signs removed telling women to feed in a changing cubicle and for staff to get training on the Equality Act 2010 - which was achieved. The point of the Sports Direct protests this week/weekend, in my opinion, is to make a statement that their behaviour is not acceptable and that there is support for each other. Having faced many hurdles myself, support among peers has been invaluable.
With regards to school, children that age usually feed only a few times a day, if at all. One 5 year old boy I know can go weeks between feeds. Another 6 year old girl I know, only nurses once on a night at bedtime. A 7 year old I know, who was formula fed, has a dummy, which is a substitute for a nipple. Breastfeeding is more than just nutrition, but comfort, bonding, extra IQ points (4 for every year nursing), immunity boosting, vitamin boosting (more than 70% of a breastfed preschoolers RDA of vit B12 fo eg) etc. I've known babies self wean before 1 and children still nursing at 6. Whatever works for the family - who are we to judge? After all, most of us are more than happy to drink milk produced for another mammals young, right through our lives.
 
Thanks for telling me about your Protest and i understand all of that.. as for the one this week i do think that there may have been a better way. Maybe they should have done what you and your friends did.

Mine never had dummies and never had a bottle of any sort i fed them totally myself and living in some of the places i lived that was a challange.. i am not going to go on about the school age children, and breast feeding as that is another issue all together.
 
I'm sorry but by seven a dummy is not a nipple substitute, it's nothing more than a precocious child feeding on parental weakness.
 
viv1969 said:
I'd quite like to see the evidence which supports the alleged average weaning age of four years, and would hope it includes a split between so called developed and non developed nations.

Edit....and I personally flinch more at the use of dummies past toddling age than breast feeding. IMO it's lazy parenting by that point.
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That's what is quoited by NHS on breastfeeding courses and NCT, so possibly WHO. With regards to dummies past toddler age - I personally don't see any need to take something that comforts a child and has done their entire life, away from them before they're ready to give it up.
 
And if they still "need" it at 10?....13?

Edit. ...children whine....give them what they want and they stop. It's indulgence.
 
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Sheer lack of personal development.
The denial of the opportunity to mature, to integrate.
The overindulgence by a parent/parents.
 
Nat you have made the point was trying to in your post 97, a child should not need to be fed on demand
As I said a baby I have no problem with, but perhaps you could tell me how an older child can be fed discreetly and TBH no matter how it upsets your feelings
I have no wish to eat a meal next to someone who's breasts are hanging out, your recent pictures showed that quite graphically.
There are other things I don't want to be subjected to whilst eating and thankfully never have been because people have some respect for
others feelings.
Please don't try and bring disability, race, creed etc. into this argument it has absolutely nothing to do with it
 
I made clear my views about breastfeeding and protests in support of it earlier, but the question of age has made me stop and think.

What is the right age to stop breast feeding? I've no idea.

However, instinct drives most mammals to stop at a certain stage of development. (I prefer that phrase as opposed to age.)

We humans are capable of overriding instinct through intellectualising and justifying our actions.

I don't know if there have been any full and proper studies into the matter so I'll go with my instinct.

It seems to me, instinctively, that breast feeding should probably stop around the time a toddler learns to walk.

Other people's instinct may be different, of course. Unless there is firm evidence to suggest they are harming the child, fair enough I say.
 
when to stop...........?
Any time before before the kid goes to nursery school.
Though mammary interest seems to start again after puberty.
 
Gremlin said:
Nat you have made the point was trying to in your post 97, a child should not need to be fed on demand
As I said a baby I have no problem with, but perhaps you could tell me how an older child can be fed discreetly and TBH no matter how it upsets your feelings
I have no wish to eat a meal next to someone who's breasts are hanging out, your recent pictures showed that quite graphically.
There are other things I don't want to be subjected to whilst eating and thankfully never have been because people have some respect for
others feelings.
Please don't try and bring disability, race, creed etc. into this argument it has absolutely nothing to do with it
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They are all covered under the equality act 2010. The rest is simply your opinion. A business owner has a duty to ensure that a breastfeeding woman isn't treat unfavourably - that includes being harrassed by other customers. I can assure you, if you were to harass me for feeding my child in public, I would ensure that the business owner was aware of the law and their duties. With regards to discreetly, do you eat discreetly? I should hope I never see such a sight...

With regards to when a child should stop nursing, I assume none of you consume dairy?
 
MagicMynx said:
With regards to when a child should stop nursing, I assume none of you consume dairy?
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Not often but when I do, I "take it" from a glass or cup.
Or indeed as a solid, between two slices of bread :)

I have nothing against breast fed infants, but I like a few others have noted,
there is something slightly disturbing about a "school or pre school" child that is still being breast fed.
I assume that by this time the child is also taking solids though?
And that breast milk is not the only source of nutrition?


 
Nattelie, I'm sure you realise I largely agree with your position, but I can't support the unsupportable.

I eat dairy - I'm 56 years old - I stopped being a child, oh, sometime soon or never. Can I breastfeed in public?
 
MagicMynx said:
With regards to when a child should stop nursing, I assume none of you consume dairy?
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Why yes I do....but I don't pop into Starbucks and suckle on an udder to do it.
 
Cobra said:
Not often but when I do, I "take it" from a glass or cup.
Or indeed as a solid, between two slices of bread :)

I have nothing against breast fed infants, but I like a few others have noted,
there is something slightly disturbing about a "school or pre school" child that is still being breast fed.
I assume that by this time the child is also taking solids though?
And that breast milk is not the only source of nutrition?
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Why is it disturbing? Because it's not seen in public very often due to our formula feeding culture. Breastfeeding isn't just about nutrition. At a certain point in a child's development it isn't possible physically to breastfeed.

Why is it more acceptable to consume milk, from another species intended for a beast that weighs a tonne (literally)?

With regards to dummies (above) if a child doesn't self wean, surely the question should be raised as to why they seek that reassurance and if the reason is an issue that needs to be addressed rather than the comforter being the issue?

However, I am getting bored of going around in circles.

For those who are genuinely interested, Kellymom and La Lache League make interesting reading. :) They can answer a lot more than I could possibly dream of answering, I'm just a mother raising her child. :)

I'm quite disturbed by attitudes to be frank.
 
I really can't see these two groups enjoying a great increase in members.
 
MagicMynx said:
Why is it more acceptable to consume milk, from another species intended for a beast that weighs a tonne (literally)?.
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Its neither more or less acceptable to consume milk from one species or another.
(Human or Bovidae etc)

No one is trying to deny a 4/ 6 year old a glass of milk,
but from a breast seems a little out of the ordinary TBH.

Its generally accepted that the mother gets just as much "comfort" from protracted breast feeding as the infant.
So for one reason or another, protracted breast feeding could also be classed, at worst a selfish act, at best a symbiotic act,
of comfort, rather like a child that carries around a blanket / comforter well into school age.
 
MagicMynx said:
I'm just a mother raising her child. :).
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And you continue to raise that child the best to your abillity :thumbs:
As I said before human nature / nurture / freedom of choice
 
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