Benfits of nursing past 1 or 2??

[Nerissa]

Will someone please tell me the benifits of nursing past say 18 months. I only did it to a year or so. I can see until maybe two but anything after that I do not get.

For the next LO I might reconsider if I knew why

And for those taht did past 1 or 18 month how do you get over the gross factor of having a toddler sucking on your boob

[crunchymamaNY]

Please view my sticky in red on the forum. It's informative on the benefits of breastfeeding toddlers.

[VeganCupcake]

The sticky has awesome information.

But for me, getting past 18 months or 2 years or whatever was not really a big deal because from one day to the next, your child doesn't change that much. I nursed her yesterday, and she's still essentially the same little person today. It's not like one night you fall asleep nursing a newborn and then you wake up the next morning to a nursing preschooler.

Plus, at that age, they aren't nursing very many times a day: often just before bed and naps, and first thing in the morning. There isn't that much difference between a drowsy toddler and a drowsy infant. They're both very snuggly and cute.

[Nerissa]

I get that there are some nutritional benifits but if a toddler is only nursing say twice a day what is the point. Obviously most of thier nutrition will come from other foods. I am trying to prepare my self for the next LO. Are they even getting milk if they are only nursing twice a day.

[RedheadMom09]

DD is 27 months and she still nurses 4-6 times a day. In answer to your last question - yes, they are still getting milk even if they only nurse twice a day. While milk may no longer be the primary source of nutrition, it still provides valuable vitamins and minerals (which is particularly important given the typical toddler's picky diet) and antibodies that fight infection.

There is no "gross factor". For me, there's very little difference between when DD nursed as a newborn and her nursing now as a toddler. She's still cuddly and clingy like a baby when she nurses, still curls up in my lap, etc.

[cbreeding]

Although my 2yo usually only nursed 2-3x a day, at wake up, nap, and bedtime; when she was sick, it's the only thing she would eat. I never had to worry about dehydration, and she seemed to get over whatever illness very quickly. She also did not get sick very often.

For me the idea seems "grosser" than the reality. It changes one day at a time.

There is still nutritional benefits, although no longer the main source, but there is still the comforting benefit. Nothing cured a tantrum or a hurt child like nursing. For us it had an instant calming effect.

[Erinne]

My dd only eats veggies a couple of times a day. Does that mean they're not necessary?
I'm sorry, but you really should have worded your question differently. You may not choose to nurse your children past infancy, but it's not "gross" and that was pretty rude.

[VeganCupcake]

Originally Posted by Nerissa I get that there are some nutritional benifits but if a toddler is only nursing say twice a day what is the point. Obviously most of thier nutrition will come from other foods. I am trying to prepare my self for the next LO. Are they even getting milk if they are only nursing twice a day.

Sure, they're still getting milk if it's only two or three times a day.

They're also getting a lot of important emotional and physical nurturing. I've read that once your toddler weans and potty learns, s/he receives much, much less physical contact than previously. We know that toddlers and preschoolers need to be held and touched. Nursing a toddler is just another very natural way of nurturing them--one that has largely been lost in our modern Western culture. It's strange to me that one of the most natural ways of comforting and cuddling a toddler is considered "gross".

[molafishlover]

My 20mo mostly nurses at night, in the morning, and a couple times during the day.

Since I had GD nursing until 2 is supposed to help reduce both of our risks for getting type 2 diabetes. Also the calorie burning lets me eat too much food still

Like pps said, they grow one day at a time so your don't even notice.

[Qbit]

Originally Posted by RedheadMom09 DD is 27 months and she still nurses 4-6 times a day. In answer to your last question - yes, they are still getting milk even if they only nurse twice a day. While milk may no longer be the primary source of nutrition, it still provides valuable vitamins and minerals (which is particularly important given the typical toddler's picky diet) and antibodies that fight infection. There is no "gross factor". For me, there's very little difference between when DD nursed as a newborn and her nursing now as a toddler. She's still cuddly and clingy like a baby when she nurses, still curls up in my lap, etc.

I could have written that. Except with DS in the place of DD. My DS has always been such a great eater (solids)...up until just very recently. He's all of a sudden a randomly picky toddler. I love that I'm still BFing. I feel like I can relax a little when it comes to his nutrition. I know he's still getting so much good stuff from me.

Originally Posted by Erinne My dd only eats veggies a couple of times a day. Does that mean they're not necessary? I'm sorry, but you really should have worded your question differently. You may not choose to nurse your children past infancy, but it's not "gross" and that was pretty rude.

I also felt that it was a little rude