{"id":14886,"date":"2026-03-27T00:27:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T00:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/?p=14886"},"modified":"2026-03-27T00:27:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T00:27:29","slug":"mom-explains-her-choice-to-breastfeed-4-year-old-amid-online-reactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/mom-explains-her-choice-to-breastfeed-4-year-old-amid-online-reactions\/","title":{"rendered":"Mom Explains Her Choice to Breastfeed 4-Year-Old Amid Online Reactions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shinnai Visser, a mother of two from Cape Town, South Africa, is speaking out after receiving strong reactions online for breastfeeding her 4-year-old daughter, a practice some have called \u201cunusual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visser, 34, shares her parenting journey on social media, discussing topics such as homeschooling, home birth, and allowing her children to grow at their own pace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Continue reading on next page\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--nextpage-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While her lifestyle has generally been well-received, extended breastfeeding has drawn significant attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"654\" height=\"746\" src=\"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-193.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-193.png 654w, https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-193-263x300.png 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 654px) 100vw, 654px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cultural Context and Comfort<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In interviews, Visser explained that breastfeeding her older child is no longer primarily about nutrition, but about comfort and emotional connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I learned that humans historically breastfed for longer periods than is common today, it reframed my perspective,\u201d Visser said. \u201cExtended breastfeeding isn\u2019t biologically unusual \u2014 it\u2019s culturally uncommon in some places.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also noted that in many parts of the world, children continue to breastfeed beyond what Western societies typically expect. For Visser, nursing her 4-year-old is brief, calm, and child-led, often occurring when her daughter needs reassurance or is feeling tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Parenting and Emotional Security<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visser emphasizes that extended breastfeeding can support emotional regulation and a sense of security in children. She said, \u201cIndependence grows best from secure attachment, not forced separation. Breastfeeding doesn\u2019t replace independence \u2014 it supports it by helping children feel safe and cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite criticism online, Visser says she is proud of her parenting choices and hopes sharing her experiences will help other parents feel less judged for following their own paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cParenting isn\u2019t one-size-fits-all,\u201d she added. \u201cWhat matters most is that children feel loved, safe, and supported.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shinnai Visser, a mother of two from Cape Town, South Africa, is speaking out after receiving strong reactions online for&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14886"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14889,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14886\/revisions\/14889"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}