Tips for Breastfeeding Toddler

As I write this, my daughter is nearly two years old, and we’re still nursing once a day (at night) – we only recently dropped the morning nursing session, based on her interest level.

It's been amazing to compare the different "seasons" of breastfeeding my daughter, from just satisfying the ravenous appetite of a nursing newborn to the end-of-day relaxation session with my breastfeeding toddler.

She only nurses now for about 10 minutes total right before she goes to bed, so I know she's not getting much nutritionally (at least, not like she used to) - and I hadn't planned on breastfeeding past her second birthday.

But the sweetness I hear in her voice when she asks, "Nurse?" and climbs into the rocking chair before bed is too beautiful to cut her off just yet!

I had known that I wanted to try to continue nursing her for as long as she wanted to beyond the first year, for a variety of reasons – and again, because this was much longer than pretty much anyone I know, I was navigating new waters all alone. I’m here so that you have at least one friend to try and help you on this path – so here we go!

The upside to breastfeeding toddlers…

My favorite part of my toddler breastfeeding time is just that – the time I get to spend with my daughter, since it's really the only time of the day that I can get her to stay still!

In these days where she wants to be free and independent and push me away so she can do things herself, breastfeeding is one of the few times of the day that she will just settle down and cuddle with me.

Personally, I also love that she can communicate with me that she wants to nurse; at first it came out sounding like “soouse,” and she would climb excitedly into my lap and giggle as she laid down to breastfeed. To me, it was just the cutest thing to see!

Of course, these are just the emotional elements to breastfeeding toddlers – there are so many other benefits of breastfeeding that don’t go away just because your baby turned one.

…and some of the challenges

-Are you worried about biting? No problem – it’s big on the minds of any mom breastfeeding a teething child! But it's totally manageable, once you know what to do when it happens (and trust me, any self-respecting toddler will try it at least once!).

- Breastfeeding toddlers tend to get extra distracted – there’s so much to see and do in this world, and nursing is old hat to them by now. Here’s what to do when she’d rather explore than eat.

- And of course, eventually one or both of you will decide that it’s time to wean. When you’re ready to know how to stop breastfeeding, I’m here to help with that too.

One of the little things I've noticed as my daughter has grown is that she has GROWN – and all of a sudden, it isn’t so easy to position her to nurse! Her legs dangle way off the edge of the breastfeeding pillow and my back is strained from lifting her to switch sides. (Truth? I'm actually leaning against an ice therapy pack on my back as I type this!!)

But the giant pink-cheeked grin she gives me when we switch sides, combined with the cuddling I get at the end of each nursing session, is totally worth it.

I hope you’ll have the same happy experience! Good luck!

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