How Old is Too Old? Mayim Bialik (aka Blossom) Still Breastfeeds her 3-Year-Old Son

April 11th, 2012 - By Veronica Wells

Being that I’m not a parent, I try to reserve judgment with the way people choose to raise their children. Notice I said try. Being that my mom and aunt own a daycare, I’ve seen my fair share of poor parenting, and by now it’s easy to recognize the signs of a parent who has their priorities out of whack, a parent who’s too lazy to take care of their own child or a parent who’s enabling and essentially spoiling their child rotten.

But I’m not quite sure where to put Ms. Bialik.

You may recognize her from the hit ’90′s television show, “Blossom.” Well she’s all grown up now. With children of her own. And the child actor, turned doctor (she has a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA), turned mother and now author believes in what she calls “attachment parenting.”

And that word attachment is used literally. The goal of the technique is to keep your child as physically close to you as possible. NewsOk.com reported that the technique, which was made famous by Dr. William Sears, includes natural birth, breast-feeding, sleeping with your children, wearing your babies in slings and gentle forms of potty training and discipline.

The emphasis on breastfeeding is why Bialik still breastfeeds her three and half year old son, Fred. Which is a little unusual, to say the least. But that’s not the only tenant of she and her husband’s parenting style. The couple sleeps with their two sons on the floor of their one-bedroom home and don’t believe in our country’s consumer culture when it comes to rearing children.

Mayim has written a book about attachment parenting called, ”Beyond The Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children The Attachment Parenting Way.” Though some might deem her unusual methods to be inappropriate, she’s only doing what she thinks is best for her children. Which is what she told NewsOk.com. “Most of our life is centered around trying to be the best parents we want to be,” she said.

What do you think of Mayim and her attachment parenting style?

If you want to learn more about it, read the full story at NewsOk.com.

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http://twitter.com/Swambo Swambo

Aha….waiting for somebody to call on Freud…..hey I read that she doesn’t believe in diapers…..babies walking around peeing and pooping all over the house? ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm Oh hell to the naw!!!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1218442432 Krystel Smalls

If they can ask for it using a complete sentence they’re too old.
If they can breastfeed and work a video game controller at the same time, they’re too old.
If they can dial 911 to report you for trying to shove your tit in their mouth, they’re too old.
If they have their favorite shows saved in your DVR, they’re too old.
If they can ride a tricycle you should stop shoving your gross, flat, bumpy tit in their mouths.
- Bfisbest
  
  You seem really ignorant. I hope you are able to become educated on this subject before flapping your yap in front of someone who will school you on this. Do you even have children?
Trisha_B

Why can’t she pump? Give him the milk in a cup & he will be good. He’s too old to be sucking on her. He’s gonna be a very dependent boy/man. I thought we were suppose to raise sons to be strong, independent men? But this is not worst than the lady who still breast feeds her 8 yr old smh. Girl had her feet hanging off the couch while hooked on her moms breast
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1438551270 Jessica Lucinda Williams

i agree it’s her child and she has that right i suppose, but think of that boys self esteem if one of his little playmates saw him. she should spare him this, because that is something he will never get over. i think they are more attached to the children, than the children are to them, lol!
- Bfisbest
  
  It’s highly unlikely that he nurses in public. My son, and others who breastfed for an “extended” time period, were by this age only nursing once or twice or for comfort.
IllyPhilly

Didn’t they say Einstein didn’t talk until he was 3yrs old? WTF? If you believe that ya grown a$$ kid sucking ya tit makes him smart then you also believe eating dirt makes your hair grow or swallowing gum sticks to your chest.
Zan

Not a good parenting style in my opinion. The child can become extremely attached as they grow older or have difficulty detaching from parents. Freud’s psycho-sexual stages and other developmental stage theories which have proven true states that at each stage if there is insufficient or too much of one stage it can cause problems for them psychologically in the future.
http://www.facebook.com/RosarioRed Rosario Stefania Scarsci

So many things wrong with this story. Smh. It sounds very unnecessary to breastfeed any child once they’re able to eat solid foods. Ridiculous.
- Bfisbest
  
  It sounds unnecessary to you so it’s ridiculous? Babies who are formula fed continue to drink that formula after they start solid foods.
kickash

yea that s**t weird but it aint my kid so i dont care. shes funny as hell on big bang theory too.
Didshereallygothere

My Question: where’s the article confronting moms stuffing their infants’ gullets with KARO SYRUP-INFUSED Cow-Breastmilk-Based powdered formula. Childhood Obesity and Diabetes much?
- Illuminarie
  
  Ewww people do that?
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1438551270 Jessica Lucinda Williams
    
    yep, they did it back in the day. however, i never was a fat child and i never had diabetes either.
- FromUR2UB
  
  Many people, including myself, were raised on the old-fashioned evap milk/Karo syrup formulas. I raised my kids on it too. We weren’t fat children and didn’t have many incidents of diabetes because we ran, jumped, played and stayed active. Children also weren’t allowed to eat as much sugar in those days, and were made to eat some produce. My kids were also slim children and are slim adults now. There are several factors that have contributed to the rise in childhood obesity and diabetes.
Kenedy

Hey…..i don’t have a problem with it….its her child, as long as she’s not doing anything illegal. But, i would think that breast milk runs out after a certain period..no? How long do new mothers lactate for?
- Ladylum2
  
  You lactate as long as there is need. Since the child is still nursing, the breast will continue to produce milk. It’s her child and if it works great. I love her character on The Big Bang Theory.
  - http://www.facebook.com/RosarioRed Rosario Stefania Scarsci
    
    I’m sorry but this makes no sense. So the body will still lactate when the child is 16? Come on. After a while the body will stop. Women don’t lactate for decades because “there’s still a need.” That that _ock and bull story somewhere else, thank you.
    - Lalatarea
      
      you need to do some research before u comment cuz uh yes you can lactate for decades! as long as there is need aka suckling then yea the body willcontinue to produce milk. back in the day way back in the day there were professional “nursers” who wud breast feed others children when the biological mother couldn’t or wouldn’t. and yes this cud go on for decades! ugh when the ignorant teach smh
    - Bfisbest
      
      You really have no idea what you are talking about.
cherryvalentine

While studies have proven that the longer one breastfeeds their child the higher the child’s IQ becomes along with a few other healthy benefits that a child may obtain the longer they breastfeed; three is seemingly on the older side for that I would think, however to each his own. I have no room to judge or call the woman names I have not yet had a child nor do I know this lady. If it works for her then it works.
Jaida Bang

My mom always said if the child is big enough to pull the breast out and start suckling without your assistance, you may want to consider discontinueing breast feeding. I feel like if the child is old enough that it needs other nutrients besides what the breast can provide it is a good time to start pumping.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1438551270 Jessica Lucinda Williams
  
  i agree. that’s the way i was able to tell mine were ready to potty train. when they got the diaper and wipes and brought them to me, it was time to sit that booty on the potty, lol!
- Bfisbest
  
  I’m quite sure he is eating other food. She says nothing in this article (or any other that I have found) that is is exclusively breastfeeding for nutrition.
  Also, she didn’t say he walks up and “pulls the breast out and starts suckling without assistance”.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JAI4SRENU2A5WKRTELXXYJPDSI Kayla

I don’t have kids so I’m no expert. But after awhile doesn’t the nutrients in the breast milk no longer benefit the child once they reach a certain age.?
- Surburban Soulja
  
  Not quite, Sweetling. Perhpas I may invite your consideration upon a research-worthy question: being it that we don’t come FROM cows……how does THEIR breastmilk supercede the nutrients in the milk of a child’s own mother? If what was in her body sustained them en utero; why not post-partum? JS.
  - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JAI4SRENU2A5WKRTELXXYJPDSI Kayla
    
    Well like I said I’m not an expert. But I do know we aren’t cows. Other animals breastfeed as well, so what that baby animal requires in terms of nutrition may be different for humans. And I also know other animals don’t breastfeed as long as humans do. Take for example my cat, who recently had a child, the baby only been breastfeed for about a week and a half.
    
    Now Im not sure how long she plans on breast feeding the child. But I do know that at a certain age children needs other foods for their nutrition. And there is certain vitamins,minerals,nutrition etc. found in food, that the child needs which isn’t found in breast milk. I’m also unsure whether she feeds her child regular food as well. But for the sake of it, I will give her the benefit of the doubt.
  - Lalatarea
    
    i don’t think she was saying not to breast feed as is what it seems like ur implying just that after awhile doesn’t the breast milk no longer provide ENOUGH of what is needed? Which of course the answer is yes!
    - Bfisbest
      
      And of course that is when the child will be eating solid foods as well.
- JenK
  
  This is a good question, and one I’ve heard a few times. (And for the record, thank you for asking a polite question instead of just bashing. Online comments turn into feeding frenzies so often that I rarely reply.) The interesting part of your question is that my pediatrician said this to me–that after a year, there are no benefits to breastfeeding and that I should wean my daughter. There are lots of studies that support the benefits of breastfeeding beyond infancy. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends at least six months of exclusive breastfeeding, and then continued breastfeeding, along with solids as the baby is ready, for at least another six months (http://www2.aap.org/breastfeeding/files/pdf/Breastfeeding2012ExecSum.pdf). The World Health Organization recommends six months of exclusive breastfeeding, and then at least an additional year and a half after that (http://www.who.int/topics/breastfeeding/en/). Many countries breastfeed longer than we do in the United States, so a woman nursing a toddler like this is not unusual in other places.
  
  Mothers who practice extended nursing like this feed their children other foods, just like everybody else. Often, nursing happens at nap time, bed time, or a just a few other times during the day. Children still get the nutrients, in addition to nutrients they get from solids. It’s also a great way to stay emotionally connected with a child–it settles them down when they get a scraped knee or are overstimulated or just need to reconnect with Mama.
  
  Another benefit is that, since breast milk is so easy to digest, it’s a great solution for sick children. If a child is sick and is restricted to clear liquids, breast milk counts, and it is better for the child than those electrolyte drinks that are available in stores. In this case, nursing keeps kiddo close to Mom and provides a bit of nutrition when he needs it most. (http://theadventuresoflactatinggirl.com/2011/01/14/the-benefits-of-breastfeeding-a-sick-toddler/)
  The immunological benefits continue, too. A child’s immune system is still developing, and he or he still gets antibodies from the milk. Example: Kid goes to daycare, gets exposed to virus. Kid brings virus home to Mom. Mom’s fully developed immune system creates antibodies; kid gets antibodies from breast milk; kid either doesn’t get sick or doesn’t get as sick as he would have if he had to rely on just his own immune system. (http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/breastfeeding/a/bf_toddler.htm)
  
  Before I had children, I thought extended nursing was weird, and I was shocked the first time I saw a nursing toddler. I remember saying that if children are old enough to ask for it, then they are too old to nurse! However, as my own children grew out of infancy, it didn’t seem weird anymore–it’s not like I started out nursing a toddler one day. The more I read about it, the more I realized that there are physical and psychological benefits to nursing beyond the early months. My children nursed for 3.5 years and 3 years. It worked well for us to go for that long, and I’ve never regretted a day of it.
Truthhurtz

I personally think the child is too old for this. If she wants to pump the milk, that’s fine, but the kid is too old to be breastfed in my opinion. However, it’s her kid and she has that right.
RedButterfly81

Shoot I was watching a documentary about a British woman still breastfeeds her 8 year old daughter. My daughter is 3 years old and I haven’t breastfed her since she was 9 months old. And BTW, her child, her business.
- LaLaLaMeansILoveYou
  
  I couldn’t agree more…her child, her business. She isn’t hurting him so who are we to say what is “right or wrong” for her child??
  
  I’d much rather see a mother breastfeeding her 3 year old than a mother cursing out and smacking around her 3 year old around (which I see WAY more often)…which one of those 2 kids do you think will grow up with bigger issues?
F3ral Anarchy

yea the breastfeeding a 3 year old seems kind of crazy when you can (as another poster stated) just pump the milk. But at the same time the list of things that could be worse would be about as thick as a brand new pack of paper.
Nikkita Michelle

Breastmilk is extremely good for our children. It’s her child and she should do what she believes is best. But at this point she should be pumping her breast only. That child shouldn’t still be latching on with his mouth full of teeth. Maybe her breasts are made of steel.
- Bfisbest
  
  Your ignorance is showing. A child with teeth can breastfeed easily, without injuring the breast in the least. There is absolutely no need for the milk to be pumped.
J A SASSY aka salon22w

a bunch of bull crap.. i dont be,ieve that IQ thing.. it is just disgusting to see a almost 4 year old breatsffeding .. give it up blossum…. you look like a freak!
- activist1
  
  You may not want to believe it but several studies have shown a positive correlation between advance IQ and breast feeding. A quick Google search of just a few will confirm that. Science tends to be right about such things…
- IllyPhilly
  
  Hey that was my answer!
- Bfisbest
  
  And you look ignorant.
Lalatarea

i think she may end up raising a boy who will never find the right woman cuz she isn’t like his mom, literally! i see very co-dependent children in her future. and as far as breast feeding if they’re old enough to ask for us than they’re too old.
- Bfisbest
  
  My child “asked for it” when he was 8 months old. All babies “ask for it” by crying or indicating that they are hungry.
  - Lalatarea
    
    I’m sorry that u couldn’t understand that when i said”ask for it” i meant to literally speak and ask for it, guess i should have made that MORE obvious, sorry.
    - Bfisbest
      
      I’ve heard this sentiment often and find it ridiculous. My son was 8 months old when he literally requested to nurse, with words, out of his own mouth. Literally.
      Do you understand now? Was that obvious enough for you?
activist1

There are benefits to extended breastfeeding such as increased IQ. It does seem a little off to see a walking talking child dangling from his/her mother’s teet. A clingy child can be a headache.
- Didshereallygothere
  
  So is a child with childhood obesity/diabetes, non-hereditary allergies, and the intellectual capabilities of a bag of frozen peas.
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1438551270 Jessica Lucinda Williams
    
    i agree breast milk is best in the formative years, but damn get a sippy cup or something. if this child is walking around and old enough to ask his mama to take out her boobie so he can eat….that is very off-putting! and breast milk is not a cure all. or the pharmaceutical (sp) industry would be out of business.
- VelvetStaccato
  
  I agree with you 100%. It’s great that she recognizes the benefits of breastfeeding but at age 3, he should be holding a cup. She can always pump, store and pour and he’d still get the same benefit without him potentially suffering from some sort of breast-separation anxiety later!
  - Bfisbest
    
    How do you know he’s not holding a cup? Come on, there is no reason to pump when the child is perfectly able to nurse. At his age it is usually about comfort anyway, and done only a couple of times a day if that. And that’s usually at home.

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