The level of criticism a mother of a two-year-old kid had after posting a TikTok video about weaning him from nursing was described as “shocking.”
Emma claimed the criticism started after a video she uploaded on October 3 showing her sitting on a couch as her kid pulled up her blouse and attempted to nurse. Emma only used her first name on social media, and her TikTok username is @a mothers tale. The video has a message that said, “Week 1 of weaning got us like..”
The video attracted 2.1 million views, but it also drew criticism. According to comments reviewed by Insider, her youngster seemed to be “far too old” to still be in need of breastfeeding, and tugging up his mother’s shirt was “improper” for a child his age.
The producer of the video said in a follow-up video that was uploaded on October 5 that she believed many of her commentators were unaware that her son, who featured in the tape, was only two years old.
She also posted what seemed to be a screen capture of her comments section, where users were allegedly condemning her actions “When you upload a TikTok of you weaning your two-year-old and wake up to this, the caption that appeared on screen stated. The decision was or is startling.”
She stated: “Literally, my jaw was on the floor. I’ve received hatred, like I cannot believe it, since I got up this morning, and people have called me nasty. I’ve heard that I’m mistaken. I have significant troubles, so they say. And I really received a message from someone telling me that I need to be locked up.”
In the TikTok, the user said that she believed that others who felt her actions were wrong were excessively sexualizing the act of her kid tugging up her shirt.
She apologized, saying, “I’m not the one with the problems if you have issues with that video and you are sexualizing the bond between a mother and a two-year-old kid.
The user continues to provide parenting advice on her account for her 31,000 followers and has uploaded multiple TikToks over the last week detailing her experience with the weaning process.
Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics advise that breastfeeding should continue for children “up to 2 years and beyond” and that newborns should begin eating solid food about six months old.
A 2019 research supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grant discovered that “significant health advantages” may be obtained by continuing to nurse a child over the 12-month mark, a practice known as “extended breastfeeding.”
This was supported by a 2020 study by British academics for the Women and Health journal, which discovered that although women who breastfed their child past infancy frequently felt like they played a more “central role” in their child’s health, they still encountered “social and cultural stigma due to a lack of public awareness of current breastfeeding recommendations.”
However, those who post their experience with prolonged breastfeeding often report that social media users criticize them for their choice.
Actors Coco Austin, Mayim Balik, and Danica McKellar are a few of the well-known figures who have defended their prolonged nursing practices.