How a parent chooses to feed their child is a personal decision. Whether formula, breastfeeding, or combo feeding, caregivers should feel empowered to do what works best for them. But the decision continues to stir controversy, especially when it comes to how long a parent decides to nurse.
For years, Coco Austin, wife of rapper and actor Ice-T, has been at the center of such criticism. The TV personality opened up again about her decision to breastfeed her daughter, Chanel, now 9, for six years.
“It wasn’t like I was feeding her cuz she needed a meal,” Austin explains on a new episode of Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast. “She was able to eat, by a year, full solids.”
Extended breastfeeding was a bonding experience for the mother and daughter. “It was more like she wanted to be around me,” Austin shares, adding that Chanel nursed mainly when she went to sleep as a source of comfort.
“So, I was like, I’m going to let her stop when she wants to stop. She’s not going to be 16 on my boob. She’s going to eventually figure out, ‘OK, this is kind of strange or weird, and stop,” she went on. “And that happened around 6.”
Backlash Over Her Decision for Extended Breastfeeding
While Austin says she’s received positivity from others about her breastfeeding decision, she notes that she’s had tons of opinions come her way too. For example, in 2020, she shared an Instagram post nursing her daughter when she was 4—and many left comments calling it “ridiculous” and “weird.”
The reality is, she’s not doing anything that medical experts don’t recommend. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends parents exclusively breastfeed for about six months, and then continue with complementary foods for at least two years and beyond “as mutually desired.” The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans also offer the same guidance.
These recommendations aren’t possible for everyone, and that’s totally OK, as a fed baby is best. But for parents who want to follow these recommendations and practice extended breastfeeding, well, that’s OK too.
As the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) points out, “There is no evidence that extended breastfeeding is harmful to parent or child,” although it’s not the norm in the United States, something Austin also touches upon on the podcast interview. Plus, children typically outgrow breastfeeding on their own, according to the La Leche League, an organization offering support and guidance to breastfeeding mothers and parents worldwide.
Austin’s 2020 Instagram post also received a lot of support, including from one mom who shared she wasn’t able to breastfeed. That mom voiced a valid perspective shared by other commenters, too: “People need to mind their business.” Yes, parental shaming of all kinds needs to end.
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