Breastfeeding a Toddler – a personal take! With thanks to Pixie
Less than 3% of babies in Ireland are breastfed until they are 6 months old. I don’t think any records are kept to estimate the number of toddlers being breastfed but I imagine we could safely assume it’s a lot less than 3%.
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to two years or beyond as long as is mutually desired.
Many people seem to think these guidelines only apply in developing countries where clean water is near impossible to find. They don’t, they are guidelines for all babies, worldwide.
As someone living in Galway during last year’s Cryptosporidium outbreak, I can assure you that developing nations do not have the monopoly on potentially fatal water contamination!
I’m currently nursing my 22 month old daughter, she’s been walking confidently since she was 10 months old, so I guess that means I’ve been nursing a toddler for a year now.
The following is based on my experiences of nursing a toddler.
How often does a toddler nurse?All toddlers are different, with different eating patterns, sleep patterns, different needs, different wants. And so are all mums. I’m a stay-at-home-mum, my daughter feeds on request, she rarely nurses outside the house now as life is just too exciting, but she might have days at home where she nurses a lot. Other nursing toddlers may feed more than this, others less.
She is also still nursing at night and we don’t intend to start actively weaning her until she is at least 3 years old.
Nursing sessions typically don’t last more than a couple of minutes, toddlers are incredibly efficient nursers. However, if my daughter has bumped her knee and is nursing for comfort she may stick around a little longer for a snuggle.
Why am I nursing a toddler?Well, I guess there are a number of factors at play here.
- We decided that we would aim for the two year mark while I was pregnant, now it’s more like the three year mark, it gets pushed out little by little, which leads me on to my next reason…
- When you’re nursing your baby you don’t wake suddenly one day and see that you’re nursing a toddler, it happens almost without you noticing, one minute you’re nursing a newborn, the next it’s 22 months later and you’re writing an article about nursing a toddler!
- I have read extensively on the subject and believe that mother’s milk is just as important to the developing child in their second year and onwards as it is in their first.
But I heard that breastmilk is just water after a year!There are people who claim breastmilk is just water after 6 weeks, don’t mind a year, but the truth is it is an extremely nutritious food all the time, for as long as you make it. It doesn’t just turn to water at some magical point.
In fact, breastmilk from mothers who have been lactating for over a year is quite different to milk for newborns. It has a higher fat and energy content and also has increased immune factors, all of which suits an active toddler’s requirements.
It is the perfect food for toddlers who may go through periods of picky eating when teething or ill.
Breastfeeding your toddler can provide:
- 31% of his daily energy needs,
- 38% of protein requirements,
- 45% of Vitamin A requirements, and
- 95% of Vitamin C needs.
(Source: WHO/CDR/93.4 ) But the truth is that it's entirely normal and natural to breastfeed an older child. In Australia, 21.2% of children are still breastfeeding at 12 months (Donath and Amir, 2000). The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that the world average for breastfeeding is 4.2 years. WHO recommends that children be breastfed for at least two years. Anthropologist Katherine Dettwyler estimated the natural age of weaning to be between two and a half and seven years, based on developmental factors and comparisons with other mammals. Ok, but apart from nutrition is there any point in nursing a toddler?Oh absolutely, there are so many reasons to nurse a toddler:
Comfort: Toddlers derive huge comfort from nursing. It is a way to slow down after a busy day spent discovering the world. It soothes their busy little minds when they are overstimulated. It helps them to refocus themselves after a tantrum, and reassures them when they are upset or hurt.
Illness: Your breastfed toddler has a readymade medicine cabinet at her disposal. While she busies herself meeting other children and catching all their bugs, your body is busy making sure your milk is chock full of antibodies to keep her healthy. Research has found that breastmilk actually contains more immune factors in the second year than in the first.
Anyone who has cared for a sick toddler will know how upsetting it is when they go off their food and the worry about dehydration sets in. A breastfed toddler will often go back to “nursing like a newborn” when he is ill. “My daughter caught a nasty vomiting bug a few months ago and after speaking to my doctor I learned that if she had been on formula I would have had to take her off it and just get her to drink a rehydration drink. And those drinks are never the nicest!
However because she was breastfed, I could keep nursing her. She nursed almost constantly that day, it was not the most pleasant day ever for me but I was happy in the knowledge that even if she threw up (on me!) straight after a nursing session, breastmilk is absorbed so quickly in the stomach that she was getting some nutrition and fluids into her. And of course, she derived so much comfort from being able to nurse while she was sick.
And of course we can’t forget the other benefits, fewer allergies & higher IQ along with a reduction in your daughter’s risk of developing breast cancer in later life to name but a few!”
(Mum to Ella)
Don’t toddlers bite?Any baby might accidentally scrape you when they first get teeth, they might even playfully nip you to see if they get a reaction. The good thing about toddlers is, if they do this, removing them and saying a firm but quiet “No, that hurts” usually puts an end to it. Their bottom teeth are under their tongue while nursing so they will not be an issue. If you notice marks on your breast from their top teeth, you should check your child’s latch and positioning and adjust if necessary. A baby or a toddler’s saliva can become more acidic while they are teething so it might be worthwhile having some nipple cream handy in case of sore nipples or express some milk onto the nipple after a feed. Aren’t you just doing it for yourself?After all those benefits I listed above, I’m surprised you’d ask that. But you know, there are plenty of advantages to longer term nursing for the mums too: - While you are nursing you continue to benefit from pregnancy hormones, prolactin “the mothering hormone” relaxes you, while oxytocin “the love hormone” helps you to feel loving and nurturing towards the world!
- You get a little rest each time you nurse, and sometimes every little rest counts.
- You may experience a delay in the return of your fertility as ovulation can be suppressed, especially if you are night nursing, this is known as Lactational amenorrhea <link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactational_amenorrhea_method>. This obviously may not be considered a benefit by all women, and should not be relied upon as a method of birth control.
- After the first few months most women find the extra baby weight falls off them quite quickly!
- And “extended” breastfeeding also provides increased protection against:
- ovarian cancer
- uterine cancer
- endometrial cancer
- osteoporosis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Breast Cancer
- Diabetes (it has been shown to decrease insulin requirements)
So while I’m not just doing it for myself, there are a fair few benefits there for me too!
Remember, nursing a toddler is normal human behaviour!
In most cultures toddlers are nursed for several years, often self-weaning between the ages of 3 and 4, so it is important to remember that you are not doing something crazy, it’s perfectly natural.
Build yourself a support network of like-minded parents, both in real-life and a on-line. Internet forums can be a great way to meet other toddler-nursing mums and to compare experiences and get support. Pop along to your local breastfeeding group and you’ll probably meet a few more toddler nursing mums there. Through them you might be lucky enough to find a weekly mother & toddler group where breastfeeding children of all ages is a common sight.
Remember that your doctor may not be familiar with a nursing toddler and may not be aware of the differences between treating a toddler who is breastfed and one who is not, for example, you do not need to stop nursing during a vomiting bug, but you would usually have to stop feeding formula.
Your doctor may also not be familiar with treating the mother of a nursing toddler, and may be overly cautious when prescribing medications. Consider getting your hands on a copy of Dr. Hale’s Medications and Mother’s Milk to bring along to your appointments with you, or email :
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
and they’ll get back to you asap with medically sound advice regarding your particular medication.
Above all though, the main reason I breastfeed my toddler is…
Now, all these amazing benefits aside, the main reason I breastfeed my toddler is because we both love it. It’s our special time together, we can giggle as she launches at me, using her latest phrase “boo-boos peese” and she keeps me entertained me with her acrobatic nursing abilities. I love snuggling up with her for her bedtime feed as we read her favourite book, Breastmilk makes my tummy yummy, I even manage to get a good laugh out of the fact that I have now nursed most, if not all, of her cuddly toys. And so has she!
Yes, sometimes nursing a toddler can be overwhelming but, you know, it’s so worthwhile and it’s so rewarding, in fact today my daughter informed me after a feed that it was “nice”, a fine compliment indeed!
Further thoughts!:
Tips for weaning a breastfed toddler
www.normalfed.com
References: WWW:
Breastfeed a Toddler – Why on Earth? – Dr. Jack Newman
What are the benefits of breastfeeding my toddler? – LLL International
Why I love toddler meetings by Laura Wilder – LLL International
From Baby to Toddler by Debbie McKinney – LLL International
Extended Breastfeeding Factsheet – Kellymom
Toddler Nursing: What to expect – Kellymom
Extended Breastfeeding Myths - Kellymom
A Natural Age of Weaning - Katherine Dettwyler, PhD
Why nurse Toddlers? - Katherine Dettwyler, PhD
Why Mothers Nurse Their Children into Toddlerhood - Norma Jane Bumgarner @ The Natural Child Project
(author of Mothering your nursing toddler (link below in books) )
Extended Nursing – Breastfeeding beyond the first year – ParentWeb
Sustained Breastfeeding by Kate Mortensen Grad Dip (Counselling), IBCLC, NMAA Counsellor – Australian Breastfeeding Association
Extended breastfeeding: Are there still health benefits? - iVillage
Toddler Nursing Testemonials – Nursing a Toddler
Comfort versus Nutrition By Kathryn Orlinsky – Breastfeeding Mother’s Support Group, Singapore
Are you Still Doing That? by Jan Andersen – Mothers over 40
PubMed:
Gubala JA. Merits of breastfeeding children through the toddler years. Am Fam Physician. 2007 Sep 15;76(6):765; author reply 765, 769.
Onyango AW, Receveur O, Esrey SA. The contribution of breast milk to toddler diets in western Kenya. Bull World Health Organ. 2002;80(4):292-9.
Hendricks K, Briefel R, Novak T, Ziegler P. Maternal and child characteristics associated with infant and toddler feeding practices. J Am Diet Assoc. 2006 Jan;106(1 Suppl 1):S135-48.
Books:
Mothering your nursing toddler - Norma Jane Bumgarner
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Ages and Stages of feeding 
