Thoughts on breastfeeding a toddler?

[atait1502]

Looking for some general thoughts and opinions on extending breastfeeding. I have a nearly 2 year old, and planning to continue for now. Had a mixed bag of responses from people so just looking to see others opinions and thoughts?

I am looking to wean eventually in the near future just not sure how to just yet!

My period didn’t come back until I was 14 months postpartum. Got pregnant with my second at 18 months postpartum.

My first fed every two hours day and night (including while pregnant and then after as we tandem fed) until she was 2.5, and carried on breastfeeding until she self weaned at 3.

Thank you @StayingAlive4858422 for continuing to mention my deceased child in your arguments. I hope you feel very impressed with yourself. For those who thought it is hilarious to point out the fact I’ve lost a child so I can’t share an opinion on breastfeeding or motherhood, please PM me. Where I can share our child, their story and you can see the real family behind those vile comments. This is a forum, there’s always been a breastfeeding vs formula debate but to mention and berate a dead child?

With my first at 9 months but she was dropping feeds at that point. I breastfed her till 2.5 when she weaned naturally. I'm still breastfeeding my 3 year old who really does not want to wean yet, but hopefully will stop soon. She was much more into breastfeeding than my first and period returned at around 12 months PP when feeds dropped to 3 times a day.

My friend's baby was born with teeth.

Breatfeed as long as you're comfortable OP. No one else's business.

Mine returned at approx 13 months when I made an attempt to night wean. Others I know have said similar, that there is a link between feeding overnight and menstruation returning.

I can't remember when mine returned, but I got pregnant again when DS1 was 17 months old, and continued to breastfeeding him for another 3 months. I hadn't heard of tandem feeding, otherwise I might have done that

I don't feel the need to spout nonsense.

I’ve had regular periods since mine was 6
months, she feed throughout the day and night til about 14 minths then gradually cut down to 1 feed now shes 21 months. We have zero
plans to conceive again though 🤣 it’s so random tho.

What a horrible comment.

Comfort is a huge thing for toddlers. Maybe it was that woman's way to comfort an overstimulated, tired toddler. I'd rather see that than listen to a screaming toddler.

Babies have teeth and can chew food from 6/7 months. They still need milk.

And 2 year olds are still recommended to have milk. They could get it sucked out of the tit of a cow, have it produced in a factory with added sugar and shit I would hesitate to give my child, or from their mother as designed by nature.

She made up all those conclusions to spread misinformation. What a sad person to randomly hate extended breastfeeding so much when it doesn't affect her at all.

Breast milk beyond infancy is better than cow's milk and there's benefits to both mother and child to continue if they are both happy to. This is a fact. People having a problem with that and refusing to accept facts is the strangest thing I've ever seen. No one is forcing them or their children to breastfeed! 😂 And if they give cow's milk to their children or drink it themselves, then they are also hypocrites. Why don't they think it's even grimmer to drink milk from a cow?!

Here's a summary of various studies on the benefits of extended breastfeeding https://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/ebf-benefits/
Will it make a difference to a healthy child? Probably not. But it's a natural thing to do that provides comfort and nutrition so why not?

My own personal opinion.. I'd say before they're old enough to remember. I wouldn't have liked my first memory being latched on to my mother's breast.

This thread has taken such a dark turn. (And I'd be embarrassed for a teenage boy using ignorant language like "sucking on a tit" to describe breastfeeding, let alone an adult woman. Breastfeeding is normal, natural and bloody hard work). I still don't understand why on earth OP invited random strangers to discuss whether they thought b/f a TWO year old is right or wrong. Especially as it's usually something completely done in private!? People are bringing up all kind of anecdotal and bizarre anti-breastfeeding rhetoric. The number of times I've been in a pub and seen a phone shoved in a toddler's face to keep them quiet is countless - a toddler being breastfed? Never. I imagine it happens very occasionally by a brave lady wanting to comfort her child, or whatever reason it may be (and well done on that woman for not hiding in a corner or going home) but it is incredibly rare in the UK. OP, I'd go to some better informed sources if you really want someone else's opinion besides you and your child. This is a very interesting and informative book about the source of some of the anti breastfeeding messaging out there. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Politics-Breastfeeding-When-Breasts-Business/dp/190517716X

Hi all. Can we ask that the discussion moves back to something helpful for the OP? If you're unable to stick to that, please step away from the thread. Thanks.

Before I leave this thread, can I ask where Mumsnet stands on threatening posters by DM?

My daughter got her first tooth at four months. Why on earth would I have stopped when she still had eight months of needing milk as her main source of food????

@Flamboozled it's against our guidelines. Please report the message to us and we'll take a look.

Thank you. I will be leaving this thread now. I don’t think it’s right for a poster to refer to breastfeeding on a site for mothers with such awful language and to be allowed to continue posting to rile people up. To be DMing posters beyond that is ridiculous.

So I should have stopped at four months??? What would she have eaten? I'm pretty sure nature didn't make formula!

I’m and GP and a mum of three breastfed boys.what a wonderful start in life you have given your child. Breastfeed as long as you both want to.
no one else gets an opinion on your breastfeeding relationship.
WHO recommends breastfeeding until at least 2 years and beyond.
join FB group “Breastfeeding older babies and beyond” for support, or LaLecheLeague in real life.

to all the uninformed on this thread this article was written recently on breastfeeding beyond infancy for Healthcare professionals and is fully referenced.
https://abm.me.uk/breastfeeding-information/breastfeeding-beyond-infancy-a-gp-guide/

Some get teeth at 4m

I think whatever is good for you I breastfed until just after my sons 2nd birthday, it was only really at bedtime. We stopped because I was ill and cracked a rib coughing otherwise we would have continued longer.

I'm fully aware she made it up. That's why I'm asking! She can't provide the evidence because it isn't there.

Then why does the NHS recommend a certain amount of cows milk/ dairy products alongside their full and varied diet? Can't you see that it's better to have that supplemental milk from a human rather than a cow?

So breast milk magically loses all of its nutrition and immune protection when a child turns two???? What does it become, white water?