[twinzplus3]

I am wondering how many of you have breastfed or want to breastfeed for longer than 1 year. How long would you consider breastfeeding?

[mcmama]

My youngest went until he was 16 months old. He walked late, but once he got his legs under him he did not want to stop. So once he was so disinterested that he would take a sip and then jump around, and then come back, drink a little more, then run run run, that was it. I stopped offering and he did not even notice.

I think that between ages 1 and 2 you take your cues from the child on this. After 2, unless there is a medical reason, you need to initiate "withdrawal" otherwise you run into negativism and terrible twos, and independent threes, and it becomes manipulative for all.

[twinzplus3]

See, now I think the terrible two's is a great time to be breastfeeding. I'm not sure what you mean by negativism and that it becomes manipulative though. . .? But I agree that you take your cues from the kids. . .

[WordsAplenty]

My first for 1 year, second for 1.5, and the third for a little over 2. Better not have any more or I'll be breastfeeding till college!

[mcmama]

By negativism I meant the two year old saying no no no no no n o no.....Not anything other than that. If you are still nursing at an age when they begin to develop independence, it is an undiscovered country for many of us.

I've sat through enough daycare and preschool registrations where the mom is trying to answer my questions and focus and the kid decides mom can't have anything to do with anyone else and starts lifting her shirt. That is manipulation. And so if you are going to nurse into that stage of development, you have to have the issues pretty well thought out.

There's a poem by AA Milne, the author of winnie the pooh, which talks about the 3 year old boy who tells his mom "you must never go down to the edge of the town if you don't go down with me". I found that was very true of both my kids, and was glad that nursing didn't enter into all the other latching they were doing at that point!

[Merrymom4]

I wanted to nurse my two birth children until they were two. My husband read a study that said kids who were nursed until two had higher IQs. At the time, that was very important to us. And I tried! Just before my daughter turned one, I found out I was pregnant with my son. So, she was weaned by 14 months. My son simply lost interest at around a year. The good news is that their IQs seem just fine, as do the IQs of my two children who were never breastfed a day in their lives.

[twinzplus3]

O.K. Janet--I see what you mean. I have nursed forever. . .we joked about nursing my oldest after her SAT's. (But just for the record she is happily weaned.)
My oldest was exclusively nursed until about 13mos. (no solids, no pacis, no sippy cups etc.) because she was not able to easily eat solid food. She self-weaned at about 3.5yo.
My son weaned at around 2.5. . .and also self-weaned. I found the experience with both of them to be helpful in their toddler years. I didn't have a lot of issues with them though--I just set boundaries to when and where.
I should mention here that we live in a very multi-cultural area and among some of the ethnic groups we live around, breastfeeding until around 4-6 years old is the norm!
On the other hand, my 3rd daughter I weaned her at around 18 mos.--she didn't particularly have a hard time weaning, but I think over all it was hard. Out of all my kids, I think she could've benefitted from the nursing relationship the longest.
The twins are one year now and show no signs of slowing down. . .

[twinzplus3]

Originally Posted by Merrymom4

I wanted to nurse my two birth children until they were two. My husband read a study that said kids who were nursed until two had higher IQs. At the time, that was very important to us. And I tried! Just before my daughter turned one, I found out I was pregnant with my son. So, she was weaned by 14 months. My son simply lost interest at around a year. The good news is that their IQs seem just fine, as do the IQs of my two children who were never breastfed a day in their lives.

--You never know, that extra breastmilk could've pushed their IQ's up just a little more than the other ones!
I nursed through my pregnancies. So I was nursing #1 while I was pregnant with #2. Then I nursed #2 & #1 halfway through my pregnancy with #3. Then I nursed #2 & #3. Then I was just down to #3 again as my son lost interest. . .and I found out I was pregnant with twins. So #3 got the boot because although I seem to be the breastfeeding queen. . . I do not know how to nurse 3 at once!
(Actually I weaned due to pre-term risks with twins).

[andi3]

I breastfed 2 of my three children. the first child that I had I couldn't breastfed due to medicine that I was on. So when my second one arrived I breastfed him until he was 15 months old and that is when I found out that I was pregnant with my 3rd child. I breastfed her until she was 16 months old. I didn't want to stop, but she lost interest! I can say that people sometimes will tell you that the longer you breastfed, the more chance you have to having a child with speech problems. I DON'T agree. My 3yr old does have a speech and language delay and we are not sure as to why. But, my 18 mo old is talking in sentences already! So don't let anyone discourage you from feeding your baby for however long you or they want! Good luck!
Andrea

[twinzplus3]

I've never heard that before. I have heard studies that say that the longer you breastfeed the higher the IQ although IMO, there are so many factors that effect how you score on an IQ test that I'm not sure I totally believe that either. My son, by the way also had a speech language delay due to a series of very serious ear infections. However, my oldest daughter and my twins all started talking around 11 months.