In a viral TikTok video, a woman shared how she sets boundaries with her toddler who still breastfeeds. The demonstration sparked a debate among viewers about whether her son is too old to nurse.
The TikToker (@mamadelamyco) began a conversation with the toddler by asking if he wanted “leche,” the Spanish word for “milk.” When the toddler eagerly responded yes, she asked him which breast he wanted to nurse from.
After he selected, the mother put her hand up to stop the toddler and said, “Mommy does it,” before lifting her shirt for him. When his mother gave him the “go ahead,” the toddler began breastfeeding.
Eventually, the mother asked her son if he wanted “the other one” meaning the other breast. Again, she made him wait and not touch as she lifted her shirt off her other breast before he began breastfeeding.
“Honestly, I know this probably looks weird to a lot of people, but I ALMOST quit (breastfeeding) because this was so hard to accomplish without any good extended breastfeeding models,” the mother wrote in the video’s on-screen caption.
The video had more than 7.4 million views and by Tuesday. At the end of the video, the mother asked, “Is this gross to you?” in the video’s on-screen caption.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization both recommend exclusively feeding babies breast milk until 6 months, if possible, but vary on recommendations for how long to supplement solid foods with nursing for toddlers.
As the New York Times reports, there is no universal consensus on the age to wean babies, and averages can be affected by education level and region.
Viewers were happy to answer the TikToker’s question, but their opinions were starkly divided. Several viewers said the toddler was flat out “too old” to still be breastfeeding.
“I feel he is old enough to drink out of a sippie cup why not just pump,” a viewer commented.
One viewer wrote, “I think he’s too old.. just my opinion—I feel like at that stage it’s more for you not wanting to let go then his benefit. That could be harmful later.”
“A little too old don’t cha think??” another viewer asked.
Other viewers disagreed with the “too old” commenters and commended the mother. “I think your doing a wonderful job. we went to 3 years with my youngest and I def taught him nursing etiquette,” one TikToker wrote.
Some TikTokers viewers said it wasn’t gross but admitted it’s uncommon to see toddlers breastfeeding. One comment read, “No this is natural. if people stopped sexualizing something meant to feed our babies, no one would feel ‘weird’ about this! good job mama.”
The Daily Dot reached out to the creator via TikTok comment.
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