Breast feeding older children?

Mandig990 · February 2015

I wanna keep breastfeeding my daughter until she's probably about 2 years old. I'm wondering how other moms do it. I'm trying to avoid nursing her at that age because I have large breasts and it's hard enough now and my LO is only 2 weeks old

. So I'm wondering how the veterans breast feed past infancy.

TheBorg7of9 · February 2015

I'm not sure I understand the question?

Mandig990 · February 2015

I wanna know how breastfeeding works with older children. Do you nurse them on your breast or do you pump and give them a bottle or something?

TheBorg7of9 · February 2015

Oh. Well, I feed them on the breast when we are together. Before age one, they drank pumped breastmilk from a bottle while I was at work. After age one, they drank sippy cups of cow's milk while I am at work. Nursing a kid older than one is actually incredibly easy. Once you get past 6-8 weeks, it gets much easier and by the time they're one, it's a walk in the park.

Mandig990 · March 2015

TheBorg7of9 said:
Oh. Well, I feed them on the breast when we are together. Before age one, they drank pumped breastmilk from a bottle while I was at work. After age one, they drank sippy cups of cow's milk while I am at work. Nursing a kid older than one is actually incredibly easy. Once you get past 6-8 weeks, it gets much easier and by the time they're one, it's a walk in the park.

Awesome thanks

Abenedict2011 · March 2015

I'm at 9months breast feeding and as pp said it gets much easier after the first 6-8weeks.

Everyusernameistaken · March 2015

I bf'd until 19 months. I nursed at the she we were together and just gave cows milk when I was out so I wouldn't have to pump. I still nursed him in cradle position with my Boppy but I know other moms find other positions that work, like LO sitting on your lap facing you.
ETA, the cows milk was after a year, before that it was pumped milk

linzeek44 · March 2015

I find that nursing a toddler is much much easier than nursing a baby. He understands so much now. If I ask him to have a more gentle latch or switch sides or be all done, he understands. Toddlers can also understand "not now" which is nice for times where I don't want to nurse him right then and there.

I pumped at work through 18m. Around that time he stopped wanting breastmilk in a cup. So I stopped pumping it because that was a waste, but he is still nursing a year later.

andrea0418 · March 2015

I'm still nursing my 19 month old. He can ask for it himself now and says more when he wants the other breast. He never drank from a bottle so I didn't pump. Like pps said, it's so much easier to nurse a toddler. He climbs up on my lap and just goes to town. I don't have to worry about positions and latching anymore.
Good luck to you! I hope you can nurse as long as you want to.

sunnyday016 · March 2015

I nursed my DD until she was 19 months. Toddler nursing was incredibly easy. I never had to pump past 10-11m or so because my supply was so regulated. I nursed her comfortably in the glider or on the couch or laying in bed. Much easier than having to position a baby, that's for sure!

etayislove · March 2015

Nursing a toddler is great, once past the baby stage it's easy to establish boundaries as far as how the nursing relationship is to continue. At around 18 months I no longer felt comfortable nursing in the grocery store, even though DS was in a carrier. I had to explain to him that it wasn't time to 'nur' but that once we got home I would love to snuggle and nur then. Of course, he wasn't happy about it the first time, but by the second or third trip he was A-ok to nurse once we were home.

Nursing is still a wonderful bonding experience and a comfort for toddlers. It can help calm them from a fright or hurt, and allow them some one on one time.

My DS and I are still currently nursing at 29 months and I'm also pregnant with #2

ABeautifulMind · March 2015

I nursed my DD until she was 2.5 yrs (when she weaned herself). She'd jump up on my lap, nurse, ask to switch sides, etc. It was a breeze. When she wasn't with me she'd drink either pumped milk or raw cow's milk from a sippy cup.

Want a personalized experience?

Breast feeding older children?

Re: Breast feeding older children?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards