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It's pretty normal to continue to breastfeed into the toddler stage. All of my mommy friends are letting their babies self-wean from breastfeeding, so the majority of babies my daughter's age (1.5) are still nursing daily. It just depends on what the mother and baby are most comfortable with.
My daughter nursed until 18 months. Of course she was eating other foods by then so it was just before nap time and bedtime. I remember being bitten only once during nursing and I instinctively withdrew. She never bit me after that. I never pumped and gave a bottle of breast milk, although she would drink juice from a bottle.
I don't have kids and have no idea, but this reminds me of the movie Grown Ups where the woman is still nursing the 4 year old... haha :)
He weaned at 2 years 4 months (last month). Pregnancy has made my breast milk dried up. I was letting him self wean and I know if it weren't for my milk drying up he would still be nursing.
Teeth aren't really a problem. Sure, some kids may bite, but they learn not too.
I was breast fed for 18 months and at that point I was too big/biting too often for my mom to continue.
I suffered through 4 months of nursing DS. It sucked. Major props to the ladies who can make it through longer.
I BF both until 8-9 months when they self weened.
Some go a little overboard and go until Kindergarten! UGH.
While I don't have kids yet, once I do, I would like to try to BF them until they are about 2, since not only is breast milk super-healthy, but it also creates a great bonding experience for the mother and child. (so I've heard; like, cuz the hormones released and stuff.) Plus, I'm pretty sure that in just about every culture up until our recent "modern" one, it has been the norm to BF well past age 2, and I don't know what changed to make that now seem "odd."
I don't have kids yet so I may change my mind on this when I do but I think if they are old enough to ask for it, they are too old to have it.
But then again my opinion may be tainted by the fact that my brother and I were only breastfed for about 2 months, (we turned out just fine), and I don't really plan to breastfeed either.
Thank you for clarifying!! I appreciate that you ladies are willing to share details about something that is really personal :) I guess I was just a little freaked out about the teeth/biting thing!
As babies my siblings were all lactose intolerant and many of my friends pump & bottle feed breast milk (so the dad can bond with the baby at feeding time as well) so it's something that never really came up in day to day conversation.
Some babies are even born with teeth, so the presence of teeth has no bearing on weaning age. My son bit me for about a week once he got teeth, but we worked hard on establishing nursing manners and he never bites now.
@DaneLady: (and to a couple other PPs who made negative comments about breastfeeding later,) Also, I am sure that you didn't mean to come across this way, but by the way you sounded so "weirded out," it came across as slightly critical of people who breast feed longer. It's great that you are being so open to asking PPs what they think is "normal," but keep in mind, that even for a mother who chooses to BF longer, it's not necessarily easy for her, but just remember that she is most likely doing what she thinks is best for her and her child! And... given that, even if you did see a mother BFing a 4-year old, I would hope that you all would be considerate enough to neither judge her for her parenting decisions (would anyone actually say that it is bad to BF so long!? So then what's wrong with it?!) and certainly not make any "weirded out" comments or even glances.
(ok, sorry...rant over!)
My son already has 8 teeth and he's only 8 months old, he actually started getting them at 4 months. I still EBF and haven't decided when I'll stop. I did want to mention that in other countries the norm is to BF until the child is a few years old.
I dont have kids yet but ideally Id like to breastfeed until 12-18 months. My SIL was breastfeeding her son until he was almost 3.5. I guess he really liked it (and so did she) and didnt want to give it up! Theres nothing wrong with it, but I think when you arent a parent or dont know people who are breastfeeding (or for that long) it is hard to understand that there is no right or wrong in this equation.
My baby is almost 7 months and the majority of her food is still breastmilk though she is starting to get some solids. We'll probably slowly increase the solids and see how long she wants to keep up morning/night nursing once she's past a year.
The current american academy of pediatrics recommendations are breastmilk only for the first 6 months with continued nursing along with solids for a minimum of a year. The world health organization recommends a minimum of 2 years of nursing some. There's lots of studies that show health benefits to breast milk, which are why the recommendations are what they are.
As for teeth - I don't have any experience yet but from mommy's I know it's a pretty quick fix. Babies learn quickly not to bite or they don't get milk. Some babies are even born with teeth! But it's impossible to bite and suck at the same time so it's really only when they stop or right before they start that you have to worry.
As for daddy/daughter bonding there's so many things he can do other than feed. My husband will take a couple feeds a week but our LO is extremely attached to her daddy even though he doesn't feed her much. He usually does her bedtime routine, they have their own set of games they play and songs they sing. A bottle isn't necessary for LO to be obsessed with daddy.
@joy2011: You're right, I didn't mean to come across as critical- but thanks for pointing it out. I wasn't wierded out that someone would want to give their child breast milk, I was a little put off by the fact that the mother might be bitten. I see though that there are "manners" and that you can teach very young children not to bite. I just hadn't thought of that since I have absolutely ZERO experience with it!
I do appreciate everyone's openness & honesty though! I felt kind of odd asking such a personal question but I am thankful for the feedback :)
I was only able to exclusively breastfeed until DS was 2 months old. I had to have surgery and I was terrified to nurse with the meds I was taking so we gave him formula during my recovery and pumping didn't keep my flow up. I tried to continue nursing him but I couldn't get my flow back up enough and we kept having supplement with bottles of formula, so I eventually gave up and exclusively formula fed.
Personally, I would have weaned him between 6-12 months old. I agree that once they are old enough to ask for it then they are too old, but that's just my opinion.
@joy2011: While I understand what you're saying, the movie was meant to be humorous and that's what I found it to be ... humorous.
I think people make all kinds of decisions that I wouldn't personally do with my own future children, but I don't care what you do with your own child (the collective you, not you personally), so no, I wouldn't judge anyone for their parenting decisions, especially not publicly in glances or comments to the mother. There is no "right" or "wrong", but people have to understand that some of their choices (especially ones viewed as abnormal) other people will think are "weird", and that's just the way it is. I'm sure not everyone will get on board with my parenting choices when I finally have them but I'm ok with it and don't really give a flip if someone thinks my methods are "creepy". And I won't be bf-ing for 4 years, but more power to any lady who chooses to do so ;)
My MIL breastfed for quite a while with some of the kids. My husband told me recently they had to be like "mom, seriously? come on....." when the kids were talking and asking for milk....
I knew someone that BF until their kids were like 5 or 6. I watched the kid ask for it and then tried to unbutton Mom's shirt until she told the child, "I will do it." completely weirded me out.
@PitBulLover: "when you arent a parent or dont know people who are breastfeeding (or for that long) it is hard to understand that there is no right or wrong in this equation."
exactly! When I got pregnant my young, single non-pregnant friend exclaimed, "you better not be one of those moms that breastfeeds their kid until they're like 3!" I was so offended, not because I was planning on it, but because she had no right to say that or assume it's "wrong"! If I wanted to bf that long, that's MY choice as a parent!
@troubled: Yup. I read The Baby Book and The Pregnant Book by Dr. Sears while TTC and while pregnant and Dr. Sears definitely advocates BF'ing until children are 2 years. I am all for that!
Also, great point on teething, they bite, no milk! haha one mom I know also would say very sternly "no" (she was always sure to only use that word when she really meant it, like safety reasons), and took her daughter's finger and bit it back, not too hard, but not too gently. She said she didn't even cry, she was stunned. Once she realized that biting hurts (they really don't realize it does!), she never did it again.
I plan to breastfeed my son until he's two years. I know how most of the public perceives breastfeeding beyond 12 mos, so I'll probably just avoid ever doing it in public. I have read research on it and I see no reason why I shouldn't.
I have known a mom who breastfeed her daughter until she was 3.5 and it was very interesting to be able to hear from the child how she felt about it. It was a very emotional thing for her, she felt very close to her mom and trusted her so much. She was the most obedient child I had ever met and I really do think that her mom being attentive to her emotional/physical needs by continuing to breastfeed really impacted that. I have high levels of respect for moms who choose to go against the grain and breastfeed as long as they are able!
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For those of you who breast feed, at what age did you stop nursing? I work in an endocrinology clinic and we had a child who is nearly a year and a half & the mom is still nursing. I mean, the kid is walking and has TEETH!!!! I think I am more wierded out by the fact that he has teeth than anything else (I know a lot of people who pump & bottle feed their children breast milk when the kids start teething). Anyway, I was just wondering what the "norm" is, and I'm sure it's different for everyone. Thanks, and sorry if this is an idiotic question!