Do Babies and Toddlers Really Need To Breastfeed So Frequently? Fifteen Reasons Your Child Wants To Breastfeed... No amount of research and scientific findings could ever pinpoint every reason as to why babies and toddlers breastfeed frequently.
No amount of scientific exploration into the composition of breastmilk could grasp the variety of possible answers to the question, “why does my child breastfeed so much?” This is because breastfeeding is much more than just “the milk”. It is much more than the nutritional importance of breastmilk. It is much more than quenching thirst and hunger, more than getting your baby through that growth spurt…breastfeeding is about mothering. La Leche League International (a mother to mother breastfeeding organization) talks about “mothering through breastfeeding” in their book, The Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding. Fifteen reasons your baby or toddler is breastfeeding frequently… 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Don’t worry! Instead of asking the question, “why do you want to breastfeed again?!” Trust your instincts and follow the lead of your baby… The Natural Age of Weaning. Mothers today are bombarded with all kinds of conflicting advice on how long they should breastfeed.
Some are told it’s “gross” or “weird” to nurse beyond six or 12 months. Some consider nursing a 2 or 3-year-old to be “extended” breastfeeding. The World Heath Organization recommendation is “up to two years or beyond,” which is confusing in and of itself. “Up to” sounds like a maximum, with a “beyond” thrown on the end to satisfy La Leche League members who likely complained. Nine reasons my child is not too old to breastfeed.
Through the eyes of a breastfeeding support group. Before you read any further, I think I should clear one thing up from the off about me as a mother – my breastfeeding journey started out the same as many women’s.
I thought I’d give it a go and see how we got on, but I wouldn’t beat myself up if it didn’t work out. I thought I’d probably feed for a year if all went well, and then I’d be done with it. I’d seen photos of women breastfeeding much older children, and whilst I wasn’t horrified, I didn’t really understand why they’d want to. Weren’t they just trying to keep their children babies for longer? It’s not like those galumphing toddlers and chatty pre-schoolers really needed breastmilk anymore… So what I’m saying is, I get it. But here’s the thing – children only age one day at a time. So why do I believe that letting him lead this is the best way forward? But what’s it really like, feeding this tiny human that is so big and yet so small all at the same time?
BUT – wow! Bedtimes are peaceful and easy nine times out of ten. Breastfeeding in Mongolia. Posted with author's permission In Mongolia, there's an oft-quoted saying that the best wrestlers are breastfed for at least six years - a serious endorsement in a country where wrestling is the national sport.
I moved to Mongolia when my first child was four months old, and lived there until he was three. Raising my son during those early years in a place where attitudes to breastfeeding are so dramatically different from prevailing norms in North America opened my eyes to an entirely different vision of how it all could be. Not only do Mongolians breast feed for a long time, they do so with more enthusiasm and less inhibition than nearly anyone else I've met. In Mongolia, breastmilk is not just for babies, it's not only about nutrition, and it's definitely not something you need to be discreet about.
Biting. A Letter to My Nursing Toddler - Mothering. By Megan Leary My dear toddler, You were tired.
It had been a long morning in the car and then visiting with strangers. You rubbed your eye with one hand and said, “Nurse?” At home I would have scooped you in my arms and cuddled you close while you nursed yourself to sleep. I looked at your confused face and made a decision. You don’t understand that its taboo for a mother to nurse her toddler in our culture. My love, I promise to never do that to you again. xoxo, Mom Originally published on Mothering in Feb 2014 About Megan Leary I am a work-at-home mama of one darling girl and handsome baby boy! The Adventurous Mailbox Packages from abroad containing captivating adventure books, a top-secret code to join a team of world explorers, engaging lessons, and so much more!
Start the Adventure Here! Breastfeeding Manners. By Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC © 2005 P.
Yount Kneading, patting, twiddling, scratching, pinching, grabbing mom’s nose, biting, pulling at mom’s shirt, playing with or pulling mom’s hair, blowing raspberries on mom’s breast, breastfeeding standing up, breastfeeding upside down, acrobatic breastfeeding… Does any of this sound familiar?? All of these things are very normal breastfeeding behaviors for older babies and toddlers. The Natural Human Weaning Age - IAmNotTheBabysitterIAmNotTheBabysitter. By Katherine Dettwyler, PhD Department of Anthropology, Texas A and M University The photo form the 1930s shows a Roma woman breastfeeding a child.
In the grass near her are two other children. A Natural Age of Weaning My research has looked at the various “life-history” variables (such as length of gestation, birth weight, growth rate, age at sexual maturity, age at eruption of teeth, life span, etc.) in non-human primates and then looked at how these variables correlate with age at weaning in these animals. These are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, especially gorillas and chimpanzees, who share more than 98% of their genes with humans. An aristocratic French lady breast feeds her baby in front of visitors.18th century.