 acclimated to different environments and situations, but an upbringing that denies necessary freedom will surely skew this natural path of development.
Extreme breastfeeding not only limits a child’s mobile independence, but their mental development as well. Babies develop the ability to self soothe within the first few months of life, and continue to do so throughout their childhood. It is one of the first personal abilities they will have, and is therefore vital in development. It is acceptable to breastfeed a three month old when they are inconsolable, but when a child is breastfed into their elementary school years, they will not know any other way to calm down in upsetting situations. Extreme breastfeeding has proven itself as a way for mothers to give themselves a purpose when their preschooler skins their knee, no longer a way to provide food for their baby. If a child from a home where extreme breastfeeding can be found has a meltdown in school or any other public place, the first thing they will want is their mother’s breast. Mothers seem to forget that they will not always be there for a quick feeding session to stop the tears. After infancy, it is unhealthy for a parent to suppress their child’s ability to self soothe. Without this mechanism, children are unable to develop more advanced mentalities and grow to their potential.
Social limitations have presented as negative side effects of the extreme breastfeeding craze as well. Kids learn to socialize, ask questions, and initiate conversation during this time period. They are able to communicate their needs and wants. Children who are breastfed into their educational years will have a much harder time making friends and learning in a school setting, thanks to a mother who never let them think for themselves. Parents are setting their child up for failure by denying them the right to grow. Nothing gives schoolmates license to tease more than a child that is still breastfed. Kids are crueler and more desensitized to the things that once hurt the feelings of others, and damage to a child’s self-esteem at this age will have lasting effects. Jamie Lynne Grumet’s son will forever be known as the little boy who suckled his mother on the cover of a national magazine. He is homeschooled, perhaps because his parents want to shield him from what other children might say about their own choices and how it effects their son. Maha Al Musa’s daughter will always be reminded of how her mother posted daily pictures of the two during feedings. This kind of attachment parenting is detrimental to this age group, cementing a stigma on these children that will follow them for the rest of their lives.
Perhaps one of the most shocking results of extreme breastfeeding thus far is the heavy dose of confusion it gives children. Personal boundaries seem to no longer have meaning. Dr. Ellie Cannon published an article,“That’s just selfish and wrong: How the image of a mother breastfeed a toddler reignited a health controversy”, speaking out against breastfeeding older children, specifically spotlighting Jamie Lynne Grumet’s public display. Cannon made excellent points refuting Grumet’s choices. She states that children who are breastfed well past infancy will not understand limits and appropriate talk and use of bodies. Commentators and authors of separate articles similar to Cannon’s spoke out, many saying that they have witnessed a child demand in perfect speech that they want to be breastfed, like the author of “Breastfeeding Controversy: What’s Normal? What’s Accepted?” Some have even recalled watching a child go up to their mother, open her shirt, and feed without permission. This, in addition to the sensitive period of childhood where children become more interested in gender identity and body parts, will complicate this stage of development. If a child can go up to their mother and open her shirt to breastfeed, where will they place boundaries on the bodies of others? They have no true idea of what is acceptable.
When extreme breastfeeding is analyzed, there are questions to ask. 