{"id":44293,"date":"2026-03-27T01:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293"},"modified":"2026-03-27T01:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:18:16","slug":"mom-fires-back-at-critics-who-call-breastfeeding-her-4-year-old-inappropriate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293","title":{"rendered":"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>A mother is speaking out after getting strong reactions online for breastfeeding her 4-year-old daughter, which some called \u201cinappropriate.\u201d However, she says there is nothing wrong with what she is doing.<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"jnjwj6a05cf584d81c\" ><div style=\"width:100%; max-width:1200px; margin:0 auto;\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/bolt-casino.com?r=0BFDBF1283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n    <img \n      src=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/f8693ebb-2018-480f-a2f7-0096810c07f0.jpg\" \n      alt=\"200% Deposit Bonus + 10% Cashback\" \n      style=\"width:100%; height:auto; display:block; border-radius:8px; cursor:pointer;\"\n    \/>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.jnjwj6a05cf584d81c {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.jnjwj6a05cf584d81c {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.jnjwj6a05cf584d81c {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.jnjwj6a05cf584d81c {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.jnjwj6a05cf584d81c {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<p>34-year-old Shinnai Visser, a mother of two from Cape Town, South Africa, has long shared her life as a mom on social media. She talks openly about her parenting style, which includes homeschooling, home birth, and letting her children grow at their own pace.<\/p>\n<p>However, those things have not drawn especially loud criticism. Instead, it\u2019s because she is breastfeeding her 4-year-old daughter-<\/p>\n<p>Many users have commented on Shinnai Visser\u2019s clips, with surprise and even anger. Some argue the child is too old to be breastfed, while others call the situation inappropriate. Shinnai states that people are judging her without knowing the full story.<\/p>\n<p>According to her, breastfeeding her 4-year-old is not common. She told\u00a0<a id=\"https:\/\/people.com\/mom-defends-breastfeeding-4-year-old-says-its-not-inappropriate-exclusive-11929494?\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/mom-defends-breastfeeding-4-year-old-says-its-not-inappropriate-exclusive-11929494?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" type=\"link\">People Magazine<\/a>\u00a0that it is no longer about food, but about comfort and connection.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-189674 entered lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/03\/25131225\/shinnai2.png\" alt=\"Shinnai Visser and family. Credit: Instagram\/mindful_mamma_za\" width=\"654\" height=\"746\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/03\/25131225\/shinnai2.png\" data-ll-status=\"loaded\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shinnai Visser and family. Credit: Instagram\/mindful_mamma_za<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhen I learned that humans historically breastfed far longer than we do today, it reframed the idea that extended breastfeeding is unusual. It\u2019s not biologically strange \u2014 it\u2019s culturally unfamiliar,\u201d Shinnai Visser said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-mom-who-breastfeeds-4-year-old-daughter-speaks-out\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mom who breastfeeds 4-year-old daughter speaks out<\/h2>\n<p>The mother continued by explaining that in many parts of the world, children breastfeed longer than people in Western countries are used to. Because of that, it may feel unusual to some, even if it is normal in other cultures.<\/p>\n<p>She claimed that her younger child, who is still a toddler, breastfeeds more often, which she feels is natural for that age. For her 4-year-old child, nursing mostly occurs when the child needs comfort, feels tired, or is going through a difficult moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome days she nurses once, and other times she doesn\u2019t ask for a few days,\u201d Visser explained, adding that at this stage, \u201cit\u2019s very minimal and very intentional. It\u2019s brief, calm and led by her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even though the criticism has been strong, Shinnai Visser says she is not ashamed.<br \/>\nShe hopes that by talking openly, other parents will feel less judged for making different choices.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-189673 entered lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/03\/25131220\/shinnai.png\" alt=\"Shinnai Visser and family. Credit: Instagram\/mindful_mamma_za\" width=\"694\" height=\"574\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/03\/25131220\/shinnai.png\" data-ll-status=\"loaded\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shinnai Visser and family. Credit: Instagram\/mindful_mamma_za<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the end, she says parenting is not the same for everyone \u2014 and what matters most is that children feel safe, loved, and cared for.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-strong-balance-between-attachment-and-independence\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strong balance between attachment and independence<\/h2>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_30-0\">When it comes to the benefits of extended breastfeeding, Visser told\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/mom-defends-breastfeeding-4-year-old-says-its-not-inappropriate-exclusive-11929494?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">People Magazine<\/a>\u00a0she has seen \u201cgreater emotional regulation and a deep sense of security\u201d in her 4-year-old. Moreover, she states that she sees a strong balance between attachment and independence.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_30-0\">\u201cIndependence grows best from secure attachment, not forced separation,\u201d Visser said. \u201cBreastfeeding doesn\u2019t replace independence,\u201d she says. \u201cIt supports it by ensuring emotional needs are met, not suppressed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you think about this? Please share your thoughts in the comment section on Facebook.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A mother is speaking out after getting strong reactions online for breastfeeding her 4-year-old daughter, which some called \u201cinappropriate.\u201d However, she says there is nothing wrong with what she is doing. 34-year-old Shinnai Visser, a mother of two from Cape Town, South Africa, has long shared her life as a mom on social media. She&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[19,17,11,20,24,15,12,25,22,18,16,21,14,23,13],"class_list":["post-44293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chronic-diseases","tag-fitness","tag-health-tips","tag-healthcare-technology","tag-healthy-lifestyle","tag-healthy-living","tag-medical-advice","tag-medical-awareness","tag-medical-research","tag-mental-health","tag-nutrition","tag-patient-care","tag-preventive-care","tag-public-health","tag-wellness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d - VM News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d - VM News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A mother is speaking out after getting strong reactions online for breastfeeding her 4-year-old daughter, which some called \u201cinappropriate.\u201d However, she says there is nothing wrong with what she is doing. 34-year-old Shinnai Visser, a mother of two from Cape Town, South Africa, has long shared her life as a mom on social media. She...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"VM News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-27T01:18:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"vmfavorite\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"vmfavorite\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"vmfavorite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad\"},\"headline\":\"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-27T01:18:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293\"},\"wordCount\":499,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Chronic Diseases\",\"Fitness\",\"Health Tips\",\"Healthcare Technology\",\"Healthy Lifestyle\",\"Healthy Living\",\"Medical Advice\",\"Medical Awareness\",\"Medical Research\",\"Mental Health\",\"Nutrition\",\"Patient Care\",\"Preventive Care\",\"Public Health\",\"Wellness\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293\",\"name\":\"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d - VM News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-27T01:18:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/\",\"name\":\"VM News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad\",\"name\":\"vmfavorite\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ae7ad0af0818c5b3c7c52f4610bfa26e9985055e4db731befcf55c2fdcfd9b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ae7ad0af0818c5b3c7c52f4610bfa26e9985055e4db731befcf55c2fdcfd9b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"vmfavorite\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d - VM News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d - VM News","og_description":"A mother is speaking out after getting strong reactions online for breastfeeding her 4-year-old daughter, which some called \u201cinappropriate.\u201d However, she says there is nothing wrong with what she is doing. 34-year-old Shinnai Visser, a mother of two from Cape Town, South Africa, has long shared her life as a mom on social media. She...","og_url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293","og_site_name":"VM News","article_published_time":"2026-03-27T01:18:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"vmfavorite","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"vmfavorite","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293"},"author":{"name":"vmfavorite","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad"},"headline":"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d","datePublished":"2026-03-27T01:18:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293"},"wordCount":499,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg","keywords":["Chronic Diseases","Fitness","Health Tips","Healthcare Technology","Healthy Lifestyle","Healthy Living","Medical Advice","Medical Awareness","Medical Research","Mental Health","Nutrition","Patient Care","Preventive Care","Public Health","Wellness"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293","url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293","name":"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d - VM News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-27T01:18:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/656674345_1366675332158159_320725953066530592_n.jpg","width":600,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=44293#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mom fires back at critics who call breastfeeding her 4-year-old \u201cinappropriate\u201d"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/","name":"VM News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a2e30a4c480fba08110aa92dceebedad","name":"vmfavorite","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ae7ad0af0818c5b3c7c52f4610bfa26e9985055e4db731befcf55c2fdcfd9b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ae7ad0af0818c5b3c7c52f4610bfa26e9985055e4db731befcf55c2fdcfd9b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"vmfavorite"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/news-vm.com"],"url":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44293"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44295,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44293\/revisions\/44295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}