Last Updated on November 13, 2019
While breastfeeding a toddler may raise an eyebrow or two, one inspiring mum shares her own experience and explains why she breastfed her baby until he was a toddler.
Breastfeeding a toddler is great for them and great for you;
My first baby was bottle fed but I decided to at least give breastfeeding a try when my second baby came along. I managed to successfully breastfeed him for five months and I would have liked to have continued for longer but I suffered badly with Mastitis and it became too painful for me.
I was not offered any support in regards to breastfeeding from the health professionals, which I found sad.
By the time I had my third baby, I already knew that I would be breastfeeding again.
I didn’t plan on breastfeeding a toddler but continued to breastfeed him until he was twenty-eight months old and I am very proud of myself.
The reason I chose to naturally feed my babies myself was for all the positives that breastfeeding includes.
I also found that breastfeeding is far more convenient as I had ready-made milk at the correct temperature available on tap so to speak.
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There was no waking up in the middle of the night and rushing downstairs to start preparing bottles or heating and cooling them.
I did not have to stand and wash out bottles and makeup formula feeds either, it saved time when I had a hungry baby.
There was no waste and no worry that the milk on offer was past its sell-by date. It also saved us money; breast milk is after all free.
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While many friends questioned my reasons for extending breastfeeding, I rationalized that breastfeeding a toddler was offering the same great benefits that I did to him as a baby, why stop just because he grew bigger?
Most of my family and friends were supportive of my choice, as was my partner.
With so many, added benefits breastfeeding was the right choice for me. I was able to help protect my baby from allergies and helped to make him more immune to illness.
I had a fantastic bond with my children and I believe that breastfeeding helped with this.
An added bonus was that I got my body shape back quickly after giving birth; breastfeeding is beneficial to mums too.
I personally do not see any negatives to breastfeeding a toddler
It certainly should not be something that is frowned upon by others.
I know that some mums say that bottle feeding a baby is more helpful as the baby tends to sleep longer periods, I would argue that sleepless nights are part of motherhood.
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My first child was bottle fed and at the age of six has had nothing but health problems; she has eczema and asthma and is forever catching the latest bug going around at school.
My other two children, both breastfed have not had anywhere near as many bugs and both are clear of allergies and eczema and I do believe that is because of the benefits of breastfeeding them.
There is no better feeling in the world than knowing that you have provided your baby with the exact nutrients that they needed.
Breastfeeding a toddler may not be for every mum but I would do the same again if there were any future pregnancies planned.
What are your own views?
Could you ever see yourself breastfeeding a toddler?
How long did you breastfeed for?