To ask if you bf past a year?

[Susiethetortoiseshellcat]

I am currently breastfeeding my almost 1 year old. I only feed him 2/3 times a day now but I think he would struggle to be weaned from these as he still very much demands them, particularly the night feed.

I have a group of friends with similar aged babies and all the ones who are breastfeeding are on a deadline to give up at a year. They are surprised, if not a little disgusted, that I don't feel the same urgency to wean by then. I would like another baby and know it will be difficult while I am still feeding but other than this I don't see the great urgency if he's not ready. It's true he is now a good eater so perhaps is only breastfeeding for comfort but there must be some benefits, are there? If you continued past a year can I ask why and if you think there are any benefits or should I try to wean him completely now? He is not a fan of cows milk.

I fed mine until they stopped naturally at just 2 and 2.5. I think a far better question than "Why did you carry on?" is "Why would you stop at the arbitrary one year mark?".

Still going at 2.5. Children don't need a substitute for breastmilk (i.e. cow milk) if mum and baby are happy to continue breastfeeding until at least 2, when they really don't need any milk at all as long as their diet is good.

I bf my eldest dd till 20mo and then stopped as I wanted to get pregnant again. She'd probably still be feeding now if I'd let her.

Dd2 started refusing all feeds just after her first birthday, she'd always been fussy anyway.

I can't honestly say I enjoyed breastfeeding either, but I wanted to get to at least a year each time as I found the prospect of sterilising, making and remembering to take bottles out with me a little scary.

Ff seems to require organisational skills beyond my capacity.

I fed my eldest until he was two and my one year old baby shows no sign of wanting to give up his milky so we'll carry on. Doesn't the WHO recommend feeding for 2 years anyway?

Breastfeeding is great for toddlers. None of the latch/ hindmilk/ weight gain worries you get with little babies, just benefits! Breastfeeding is the quickest way to stop a tantrum, feed through illness, comfort after a tumble, get them off to sleep etc. I won't be trading it in for a plastic beaker of cow's milk anytime soon!

Oh and I fell pregnant again while breastfeeding both times. Easily, much quicker than with my first who took a while! So it's not necessarily a barrier to fertility.

two years one month with dd1, I fell pregnant with dd2 and a month in dd1 was sick after her morning feed, she told me the milk tasted funny so she decided that the milk must have gone mouldy! She never bothered with it again! Nearly 10 months in with dd2. I'm not good at many things in life but I like to think I'm good at breastfeeding 😊

I've stopped bf my 16m old in the last week or so, she never really asked for it and I'm pregnant so thought it would be nice to have a break before the next one starts!

I agree that people start getting weird over a year though, people kept asking me when I was going to stop, I've no idea why, I might've carried on and tandem fed if dd was more bothered.

Bf-ed dd till she was 2.4 - stopped because I was pregnant, could have carried on really but it just seemed a good time to wind it up, I didn't fancy tandem feeding a three year old and a newborn (nothing wrong with that but I just didn't fancy it)
Wasn't really thinking of the health benefits, main advantages to me were easy getting to sleep at nap time & bedtime, plus the ultimate tantrum stopper!
Dc2 weaned himself at 10 months , undoubtably because I introduced bottles at 6 months, I wasn't bothered - different child/ different circumstances (went back to work etc) . Don't worry about anyone else's opinions OP!

2.5 years. Actually miss that close bond now though I don't miss the loss of sleep.,

I bf my 2 year old. I work full time so just at bedtime, during the night and morning. We stopped day time feeds around 15 months I think.

Still doing night feeds and poorly feeds at 2yrs three months. I'll stop when he stops.

14 months. She started to bite then but the main reason was I had a few nights away coming up and wanted the get her to settle with someone at night

Also in a baby and toddler group we go to there are quite a few mums feeding their toddlers and a couple tandem feeding. It's so great to see an environment where breastfeeding children is normal. The more we see it the less 'weird' it becomes.

5 here, stopped discussing it past 2.5 as people are judgemental idiots. Nice to see other weirdos here .

I let my son decide when to stop. His last feed was a few weeks before his fourth birthday. When he was a couple of months old my MIL repeatedly asked if I'd stop at six months.

Coincided with return to work:
Helped with security
Helped us both reconnect after seperation
Useful when unwell starting nursery- keeps hydrated.
Didn't have a dummy or comfort toy and seemed little to withdraw his source of comfort.
Still transitioning to cows milk-complete at 18 months. So useful for calcium. Dietitian advised 2 good breast feeds would meet calcium needs.
Kept quiet when taking sibling to theatre/kids cinema showings.

We continued with breastfeeding until DD was 16 months. She was a great eater but wouldn't touch cows milk or formula, and it just naturally reduced over time. Towards the end she was only having a feed in the morning - one morning I offered and she shook her head and "Juice!"
And we never breastfed again. I was very happy that it had naturally tailed off and we'd avoided any drama / upset that might have been involved in enforcing a set time to finish. If you're happy carrying on them it seems pointless to set a deadline.

I'm tandem feeding my 2.5 year old and 7 week old. I think it did affect my fertility though, I noticed a shorter luteal phase which can apparently be caused by breastfeeding.

Oh and sometimes he tells me I should pour milk back into them so he can do it again. He's five now.

My best friends breastfed until just before 6. (They were down to just bedtime by then though.) Do whatever works for you.

Just BFing 17 month old DS. He only feeds before bed and sometimes once at night. He is feeling poorly from his jabs at the mo too.
All my other DC stopped about 12 months but DS still wants to BF, he'd be sad if i made him stop and it's good for him so would i?
I've had a couple of "you're not doing that for his benefit now" comments, which i ignore.

Oh yes, the insinuation that the mum has some weird addiction to it my brother thinks after one year it's because 'the mother can't let go'.

Such an odd viewpoint. It's not like they can leave home at one, or make their own tea, or be particularly independent in any meaningful way. So why this idea that they need distance from their mothers. It's not like we're on a regimented cuddle schedule, can't have more than ten a day or you'll be spoiled / ill be overly attached and driving down to your marital home when you're 30 for my extra cuddles....

I made it just past a year.

I could not express (with both my babies), and was returning to work at that point.

Just before his 4th birthday, my milk dried up at 24 weeks pregnant. He's 4 now, and I'm due in 7 weeks. He tries occasionally but there's still nothing there, but he says he'll go back to it when the milk is back.

We'll see. His latch isn't great now so I'm not sure will happen, but I'm happy to let him take the lead.

Bfed to 22 months, but I was admittedly getting fed up by then, and fortunately DD was less and less bothered, so we stopped. My target was always 2 years. Went back to work at 6 months and pumped for half a year. Hated it, but it was best for her, imo. At 1yo, I introduced cows' milk mixed with the bm to eke out my remaining freezer stash, but bfed morning and before bed.