How Long Should You Breastfeed Your Children?
The other day I was reading an article that was talking about a mother who was still breastfeeding her children, one who was seven, and the other, 5 years old. While I think it’s safe to say that 99.99% of women don’t breastfeed their children for such a long period of time, many do wonder how long one should breastfeed their children.
To be frank, there is no exact answer to this, as some sources will say that you should breastfeed your children exclusively for at least six months, such as the American Association of Pediatrics. After six months they recommend that you can introduce solids, but should still nurse at least through the end of the first year.
I think this is a good rule of thumb, as I personally breastfed both of my daughters for six months before introducing any solid foods, and continued breastfeeding until they were about 18 months of age. My cousin breastfed her children past the age of two, and continued to breastfeed the younger of her two children until he turned three years old.
While many healthcare professionals will recommend breastfeeding your children for a minimum of one year, the World Health Organization recommends that children be breastfed until the age of two.
Although there is nothing wrong with breastfeeding your child until the age of two or three, part of the reason why some women stop breastfeeding after one year is due to the way the public perceives breastfeeding a toddler. Unfortunately, many people don’t think it’s “natural” to breastfeed a child past their first year, when nothing can be further from the truth.
Since breast milk [http://www.breastfeedingdietblog.com] retains its nutritional value as long as the mother continues to breastfeed, there is absolutely nothing wrong with continuing to breastfeed your children after one, or even two years of age. While doing so might be frowned upon by others, the fact remains that breast milk is in all likelihood healthier than the food being fed by those mothers who may criticize you.
So while there is no specific answer to the question “how long should I breastfeed my child?“, just keep in mind that any period of time is beneficial to your child. So my advice would be to not listen to your peers, but instead, follow your instincts.