Toddler Nursing – A new experience that I LOVE

Toddler Nursing – A new experience that I LOVE.

So, I’m nursing a toddler now. He’ll be two next month and I’m happy about my decision. I forced my first child to wean at 12 months old and we suffered for 2 weeks because we weren’t ready. I just wanted to go back to normal. Now I’m realizing more and more that breastfeeding is normal.  Different babies wean at different times and it’s wonderful to let them do it on their own. My son might need a little intervention because I think he has a date set to wean in 2020. But for now it’s wonderful for the both of us, so why do so many people frown upon toddler nursing?

I always hear the same comment, mostly by ,I’ll say more mature women (as in my mother’s age but I’m not telling you how old she is, just know that she is young and beautiful ) telling me that breastfeeding is great until they are old enough to ask for it, then it’s time to stop. Can anyone answer me as to why that makes any sense AT ALL? Is it something that everyone says because they hear everyone else say it?

One of my wonderful customers plainley pointed out “So they’re saying that a child with early speech development should be weaned earlier as opposed to a child with slower speech development or a speech delay?” Or do they mean the non-verbal cues to nurse means it’s time to wean. Even newborns can tell you when they’re hungry. When my son tugs on my shirt to nurse is it not the same as when he bangs his head on the pantry door because he knows where the cookies are? Or when he hangs on the refrigerator handles, isn’t that a cue that he needs something?What’s the big deal- oh wait, there isn’t one.

My thoughts are this- If my child learns how to ask to nurse and I take it away, is that not teaching him something negative about communication. To me it says this, “Once you learn how to communicate your needs/wants to me, I will stop giving you what you need/want.” And, yes I do believe that human milk is something that babies need. The milk itself is made specifically for our species but the act of breastfeeding is what creates that healthy emotional and sociological development. Brain food is what I call it, other’s call it liquid gold. Potato, PoTatoe….. If the most critical stages of brain development occur during the first couple years of life, why not promote that healthy development with boobie fuel?

 

I respect every mother’s decision to nurse or not. My goal is to help educate – so until I find evidence that toddler nursing is detrimental to my son’s health other than “he can ask for it”….I give toddler nursing 4 thumbs up. 2 from me and 2 from the little boy that can nurse standing because we are both handsfree.

 

Here are some benefits to toddler nursing from the La Leche League
http://www.llli.org/faq/advantagetoddler.html

Tags: Breastfeeding, toddler breastfeeding, toddler nursing