breastfeed my son past his second birthday

I breastfed my first son until just after his third birthday. The weaning was gradual, lasting about six months and was not traumatic for either of us. I could tell that breastfeeding this long is part of human biology because it worked perfectly when I didn’t fight it with cultural ideas. I am working on 20 months of breastfeeding with my second son and we’ll probably follow a similar pattern of weaning around 2.5 gradually.

past his second birthday & still going!

I breastfed my daughter until she was almost 2 1/2. The only reason I stopped when I did was because I was pregnant with my son—and it was a gradual weaning; I was still breastfeeding her intermittently until I was 7 or 8 months pregnant. I let her decide when she was ready to stop completely.

It’s definitely worth it: it gave my daughter comfort, especially when she was sick or feeling scared or insecure; I knew she was still getting important vitamins and nutrients; and it was a special ritual for us before she went to sleep.

When I was pregnant, I wanted to breastfeed for a year. A year came and went, and I loved nursing my son, and he loves nursing, so here we are. I believe that two years is the minimum. Babies brains and bodies still need milk for developing properly until two years. I’m not sure where we will go from here. He seems very insistent still on nursing on demand. I am getting alittle tired, though, so I’m trying to discourage the constant nursing. It works when there is enough going on to distract him. I wouldn’t change anything, though!

Babies need breastmilk at least until they are two. Their brains need the fat and cholesterol. They need the immunities and all of the nutrients that are in their mothers’ milk.

After two, we’ll see what happens. I’m not sold yet on child-led weaning. Other mammals as far as I know, all wean their young! And we want to try for another baby, and I’m not all that excited about tandem nursing.