Ok...So how old is the oldest nursling you know? Or have heard of?? - Page 2

[broodymama]

The oldest I know IRL is 2.5 At the last LLL meeting I went to my DS was the oldest nursling there.

[ChrisCountryGirl]

IRL--About 2yrs. old. The sad part is, nowdays the majority of the babies or when they were babies, they were formula-fed from birth.

Online--9yrs. old

[IncaMama]

IRL: my son, 37mo
Online: 6yo

[Heffernhyphen]

Oh God. If my husband ever hears of a nine-year-old nursling . . . . I keep telling him ds will self-wean by four at the latest. Oops.

[Nora'sMama]

The oldest nursling I have met IRL was 4.5 (at a LLL meeting). Online the oldest I have seen is 7.5, I think.

[UrbanPlanter]

the average weaning age worldwide is something like 4.7 years, and the general range is something like 2.5-7 years (I'm sure www.Kellymom.com can correct me...)

so anyway, anyone who is CLW and thinks they might be done by four... you may be falling short by a year or two

[~*SugarMama*~]

Sadly, my DD is the oldest nursling I know IRL. But I have heard of 7-8yr old nurslings here.

[Meiri]

DD turned 7 a few weeks back. When she went two weeks without asking, I thought we might be done. Now we're back to about once/week.

I don't know what the general range of weaning age is, but the 2-7 years is the biologically normal age range for weaning. I have yet to read of a current culture in which going this many years is a Norm though. 3-4 I've heard of, but not 7.

[bamamom]

that is so cool...i love to hear of kiddos getting to stay attached to mama for a while longer...

[Christi]

I have a friend who nursed her youngest until he was 9. She had had 5 children that she nursed them all for a long time. She lactated continously for 25 years. I can't imagine that.

[bamamom]

Originally Posted by Christi

I have a friend who nursed her youngest until he was 9. She had had 5 children that she nursed them all for a long time. She lactated continously for 25 years. I can't imagine that.

WWWWWWWWWWWHHHHOOOAAAAAAAAAA!!

now that I think about it, I have a friend who has ten kids...and she has either been pregnant or nursed for 23 years. But i think her baby has weaned, and she is inmenopause now, but Still!!!

That is a LONG time!!

[firstwomantomars]

I recently read on the WHO website that the worldwide AVERAGE nursing time was 4 years! Of course I didn't save the link...

[Meiri]

I recently read on the WHO website that the worldwide AVERAGE nursing time was 4 years!

I'm not doubting you. I've seen variations of that number in afew places.
It just seems to me that when the range goes from days through 7 years or more, that the concept of an average is meaningless.

[KeanusMomma]

My grandma nursed her youngest (number 5) until she was 6 years old. DS and I are almost 1/3 of the way there!

[dulce de leche]

FIL weaned when he was 7. Sadly, none of his kids were bf at all But it wouldn't surprise me if dd follows his example.

[uzra_hashmi@rediff]

The oldest nursling I "know" is my DH, who nursed sometimes on demand till he was 8. My MIL had two other younger children, so milk was no problem with her. My DH once told me that he very well remembers the taste of bm, his mother's scent and the feeling of nursing. He especially liked when his mother would talk to someone hiding him under her long shirt as he nursed. He remembers my MIL with great respect and affectioon. That is great.

There is also a family friend whose 10 year old son, about a year ago, resumed nursing under mental depression. I am told he continues to nurse still.
Uzra

[dancindoula]

The oldest I know of IRL was 5, but I read an interesting article a while back (can't remember where it is, will try to dig it up) talking about a Native American tribe far in the North where a woman is not considered "old" until she stops breastfeeding, so they continue to nurse their warrior sons into adulthood especially before they leave for a hunt (for luck). The article was an excerpt from a book written sometime in the early 1900's. The author was very matter of fact about what he witnessed while living with these folks and mentions watching a woman lean over from one canoe to allow her grown son in the other canoe to nurse before he went off to catch a whale. I thought I had saved the article. I'll try to locate it and post it here.

[ColoradoMama]

I personally know a 7 year old who still nurses ocassionally. And, while it's totally cool with me, it feels a little weird because my 2 1/2 year old seems to have self weaned! I say seems to because it's only been two weeks. We'll see! And yet - I'm the strange one in my family!

[baby182498]

my daughter is 7 and is in only what i hope is the "weaning" process. i didn't go into this saying i'll nurse her till shes seven....lol...i always just assumed she would stop on her own. i am not producing milk at least not that im a were of. i only night nurse i stopped day nursing about a year or so ago. shes always been a very picky eater and i always fell back on the boob for her instead of forcing veggys down her....alittle sorry i didnt force the veggys but not sorry about the breast feeding...even if its lasted longer then i planned it to......before me, i had only known 1 little boy who nursed till he was 5ish.

[doula mary]

IRL....7-8 years old...

SEVERAL 6 year olds,

Personally nursed DS#2 5 years 8 months

Nursing DD She will be 5 in September with no signs of quitting.

Nursing 10 years 4 months straight.
Mary