Experts agree that there are positive health benefits for both the child and the mother. Breastfeeding is known to provide protection against infections, diarrhoea and vomiting in babies and it is thought to reduce the risk of obesity and other diseases in later life. For mum, breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. At present, there isn't enough UK evidence to recommend how long breastfeeding should last so the advice, in general, is open-ended.
It adds: "You and your baby can carry on enjoying the benefits of breastfeeding for as long as you like. The World Health Organization agrees that breastfeeding should continue "up to two years of age or beyond". But Dr Max Davie, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, says there is limited evidence of additional nutritional benefit beyond the age of two. However, there are lots of factors involved in any woman's decision to carry on, cut back or stop breastfeeding.
They include going back to work, support from family and friends, and feeling comfortable and confident breastfeeding. Until around the last years natural term breastfeeding was a cultural norm. This occurs around five-and-a-half to six years in modern humans around the same time as achievement of adult immune competence suggesting that throughout our recent evolutionary past the active immunities provided by breastmilk were normally available to the child until about this age.
The UNICEF report 2 , entitled Preventing Disease and Saving Resources , published 18 October , sets out the ways in which the longer a baby is breastfed the greater the health benefits for both mother and child. Human milk continues to complement and boost the immune system for as long as it is offered.
Extensive research on the relationship between cognitive achievement IQ scores, grades in school and breastfeeding has shown the greatest gains for those children breastfed the longest. Natural weaning allows for differences in children. A child who weans gradually is able to maintain his emotional attachment to his mother, rather than being forced to switch to an inanimate object such as a cuddly toy or blanket. Abrupt weaning may leave the child feeling his mother has withdrawn her love as well as her breast.
Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Is Weaning? When Is the Right Time to Wean? But others will give moms clues that they're ready to begin the process of weaning, such as: seeming disinterested or fussy when nursing nursing in shorter sessions than before being easily distracted while nursing "playing" at the breast, like constantly pulling on and off or biting.
Babies who bite during nursing should immediately be taken off the breast and told, calmly but firmly, "No biting. Biting hurts. Making the Change Easier Weaning is easier if a child has also taken milk from another source.
Here are some more ways to make this change easier: Engage your child in a fun play activity or an outing during times when you would usually nurse. Avoid sitting in your usual nursing spots or wearing your usual nursing clothes. Delay weaning if your child is trying to adapt to some other change. Trying to wean when your little one is just beginning childcare or during teething might not be a good idea.
If your baby is younger than 1 year, try to introduce a bottle or cup when you would typically be nursing. For an older child, try a healthy snack, offering a cup, or maybe a cuddle.
Try changing your daily routine so that you're otherwise engaged during breastfeeding times. Enlist your partner's help to provide a distraction at a typical nursing time. If your child picks up a comforting habit such as thumbsucking or becomes attached to a security blanket, don't discourage it.
It's often easiest to begin weaning when your child initiates the process — which might be sooner or later than you expect. Weaning often begins naturally at about age 6 months, when solid foods are typically introduced. Some babies begin to gradually transition from breast milk and seek other forms of nutrition and comfort closer to age 1. Others might not initiate weaning until their toddler years, when they become less willing to sit still during breast-feeding.
How long you breast-feed is up to you and your child. If loved ones — and even strangers — share their opinions about when to wean, remind them that the decision is yours.
Try not to worry about what other people think. Instead, trust your instincts. Breast-feeding beyond infancy can be an intimate way to continue nurturing your child. If you're considering breast-feeding beyond infancy, think about what's best for both you and your child — and enjoy this special time together.
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