Nutrition for Breastfeeding Toddlers

Here's some great info from Kellymom on nutrition for breastfed toddlers.

Did you or are you nursing a babe past 12 months old? What's your favorite thing about nursing a toddler? What's your least favorite thing?

 

Spencer is just finally done. It's been about 2 weeks since the last time he wanted to nurse. He'll be 3 in May. He went 5 days last summer without BFing when I went to camp with the girls from church. I thought that might be the end and I also worried that it would be a hard time for DH to deal with for Spencer not having mama milk. It wasn't a problem at all, much to my great relief.

I love how mama milk heals owies. I love that snuggle time, especially for those on-the-go toddlers who never want to snuggle otherwise. I love how it actually seems to foster independence, because they feel so secure. I love that I'm giving them extra antibodies and giving myself increased protection against some cancers. I can't think of much anything negative about it.

 

I nursed the twins until they were 18 months old and loved every minute. At that age my supply just dwindled away due to some health issues I was having and I figured that at their age it was not necessary to fight to keep up or even increase my supply. It was less of a conscious decision, it sort of happened and I did not have the strength to prevent it. As this was a gradual process my LOs were also ok with weaning although I did mourn the end of the nursing relationship and still find myself missing it some days.

The best things were
- the closeness it created after I went back to work;
- the best comfort for sick, hurt, upset toddlers;
- the knowledge that I was giving them valuable antibodies;
- drifting off to sleep with them at naptime or bedtime - perfect peace and happiness!

My least favourite thing was that I had no support for extended nursing among my family and little among my friends; I hated having to defend such a personal choice all the time or resorting to trying to keep it secret. Even DH who was fully supportive of breastfeeding was beginning to ask about weaning because the pressure from his family was wearing him down.

 

I nursed my oldest until about 20 months. The only reason I quit was because I found out that I was expecting two instead of one and my doctor strongly suggested that I should wean (otherwise we probably would have kept going). We were only breastfeeding part of the time because we had moved her to whole milk during the day while I was at work and I was sick of pumping.

I loved the closeness that it fostered and the antibodies that I fully believe played a roll in her never getting really sick (until the week after we weaned!).

I hate that I took some of the schedules around other types of feeding so literally since I was breastfeeding and didn't push her into solids a little harder. But that's a lesson learned for this time around!