Charlie Langton: How Old Is Too Old To Breastfeed??
Time Magazine is grabbing folks' attention with its provocative cover of a model suckling a 3-year-old. Beaumont's Dr. Howard Belkin says there can be long-term psychological consequences when a mother breastfeeds for her own needs and not the child's.
Doctor Belkin joined Charlie and said you have to look at the psychological reasons why the mother feels a need to breastfeed an older child. Why do these mothers feel a need to breastfeed past the point where there are health benefits for the child? Moreover, kids who are breastfed for too many years may have a hard time with socialization with other kids. For this child on the cover of Time Magazine, imagine how other kids will treat him when he's older and how he might interact with other kids.
Charlie asked the doctor what the role of the father is in these situations. The doctor acknowledged that the question was a good one. What does the father think about toddlers being breastfed? About the relationship this mother has with their child that at some point becomes abnormal?
Listen to the full interview here: Dr. Belkin
