Breastfeeding Your Toddler — Why on Earth?

“My old neighbor used to breastfeed her 3 year old,” a girlfriend of mine mused one morning. “It was disturbing. The child could nearly stand and take a sip any time he wanted!” This, of course, was coming from a woman who did not have a child and most certainly didn’t have any interest in having any ever.

And there I was, with my shirt hiked up and my 2 year old son on my breast, sucking away and grinning up at me.

Sure, the World Health Organization recommends that we breastfed up to 2 years in age, but why stop there? On our child’s 2nd birthday, we should immediately cut them off cold turkey? Where is the reasoning in this?

Let Your Child Decide When They Want to Stop

The first reason why I continued to breastfeed my son was because he was not ready to wean himself. There is strong evidence that shows that children who wean themselves on their own time actually become more independent and self assured as opposed to those who are cut off from the breast before they’re ready. Your little one will not have to face that unnecessary emotional trauma, and you will not find yourself endlessly entering into the “Battle of the Boob” with them (http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tpweaning/0,,3x0w,00.html). Children wean themselves any where between 2 ½ to 7 years anyway (the norm being 3-4 years in age) so why shove them off so soon?

Breastfeeding Can Comfort Your Child

Keeping your child there at your breast and offering this type of comfort and support also helps strengthen the bond that your child and you have with one another. You would be amazed how wonderful it is using your breast as a way to ease your toddler’s frustrations or to help soothe their pain.

Being your child’s “soother” is one of parents’ primary concerns: won’t I being their comforter make them co-dependent? Shouldn’t I just leave them be and let them sort out their problems themselves? That cannot be further from the truth. Remember, you are not dealing with a teenager who has the mental capacity to solve problems on their own or an older child who has the proper coping mechanisms for pain. You are dealing with a young child who needs someone there (you) to teach them how to problem solve and learn the coping techniques they will need later in life.

It Can Benefit Mom As Well

As if these weren’t enough reasons to consider breastfeeding your toddler, consider the benefits for you: additional weight loss (you burn approximately 500 more calories per day when you breastfeed) and a delayed menstrual period. Pretty nice, huh?

So the next time any parent gives you flack about breastfeeding your toddler, remind them of these important facts above. It won’t take much convincing to let them know that the choice you have made for you and your baby is the very best for the two of you.

photo by Joseph Hoban