Nursing a toddler offers great nutrition benefits!

[Kari78]

I'd just like to share the (nutrition) reasons I'm grateful to still be nursing my toddler!

~ If he's sick (which he's only been once) or teething and not feeling like eating "real" food, he still gets all the good calories/fat/vitamins from my milk.

~ I hardly ever worry about the picky stages toddlers tend to go through...if there's nothing I can find he wants to eat, I don't stress (too much, haha).  I know he's not going to starve to death!  Even when it seems like he eats 2 bites of food all day, LOL.

~ I don't have to worry about whether cow's milk is good for him, if he likes it, or any of that.  He never needs to drink cow's milk, since he has mine.

I didn't have any idea these benefits existed when I first started nursing.  It was hard for me as a first-time mom to think ahead to the toddler years, when he was a baby...I didn't know what came next or how toddlers eat.  So if you have a choice in the matter, I'd encourage you to keep nursing!  I'm very thankful for it, myself.

If anyone else has stories/anecdotes/advice about nursing a toddler, please share!  :-D

[dclham7]

I'm glad you posted this, cause i have been worrying lately about what and how much my all of a sudden picky 14 mo is eating. But she is still nursing 4x's/day so i guess she is fine.

[fibromom503]

Hi thank you for posting this It really made my day! I am a disabled first time mom and am still nursing my son he will be 21 month oct 18th. Anyway he was diagnosed with failute to thrive and is underweight for age group he is pretty healthy or so it seems and seems happy and is active and constantly on the go. He has been sick twice in his life once ear infection and once strep throat (luckily it was the milder kind) and the only thing that got him through was the 24/7 nursing I did and I even slept with him on our recliner and let him nurse throughout the night as he obviously did not want to eat. that was our saving grace for keeping him hydrated and helping him bounce back. I have had to keep doctor hopping as i am sick of them constantly telling me that I should not nurse him after he is one year old as it supposedly has no nutrtional benefits anymore and all their other spiel and because he is smaller he should drink cows milk even though i have told them time and time again that he hates cows milk and almost all dairy except he will eat some cream cheese on a piece of bread or eat some ice cream sometimes. He also hates cheese and eggs which i have to put into baked goods to get him to eat them. What really upsets me is they dont even give you resources and even the dieticians we saw could not seem to help us figure out some recipes from the things he does like or could not offer me anymore things as I have already tried everything with my stubborn little guy. He is just a picky eater and very strong willed and at least i know he has to be getting some kind of benifit from my nursing him as otherwise he seems to be pretty active and happy and has lots of energy to spare. I am now taking my son to see a natureopath doctor and a cnm family practice nurse as those 2 have been the most helpful to me and supportive. Now if I could only get him to try healthy foods luckily he likes v8 juice at least! Thanks for the website for the wholesome foods for toddlers I am so glad maybe i will find something my son will like that is good for him. None of the dieticians i saw had any good recipe ideas and one dieticain was with wic. By the way I was wondering if any of you know how many calories are in breastmilk and fat or if there was a way to find out like from a lab or something so maybe I could try to figure out how much calories he is getting from my milk. Unfortuneatley I am not one of those moms who can pump her bm as that takes all day for a few ounces but My milk comes out fine for my boy ( my body does not think plastic milk pumps are cute and cuddly and thereby does not respond but put my lil guy on my lap and were a ok!! If I can figure out how many calories is in my breastmilk then I am hoping i can do a guesstimate by how long he nurses and how many times and try to come up with an idea of what he is getting milkwise as the cow milk thing is not gonna happen for my boy. Thanks for your support and encouragement.

[Kari78]

I'm really glad you found support here, fibromom503!  Your toddler is lucky he gets to nurse, as he obviously still needs to!  Mine is almost 20 months, with no end to the nursing in sight.  I'm going to let him nurse as long as he needs to.  Although he's actually a very big eater and not generally very picky (he'll try anything once!), I'm especially thankful to be nursing during the cold/flu season for immunity reasons.

This is a great page on calories/fat in breastmilk: 

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/change-milkfat.html

[fibromom503]

Thanks for the kellymom info. I am glad that i am still nursing my now 21 month old and have not given in to pressure from some of the mainstream mds as I just feel in my heart that if my son still needs to nurse than I should not deprive him of that and I feel that bfing is best for our situation and has helped keeped my son healthy even though he is underweight he still thriving and very happy and active and playful and hardly ever gets sick. Luckily I have found some supportive doctors for my son who support my breastfeeding him and that are helping me come up with a healthy diet and supplements for him and me to help him gain weight and do even better. He seems to be eating alot better lately so i am pretty excited and hope he keeps it up. My favorite book I got that is great for moms with nursing toddlers is called mothering your nursing toddler written by norma jean baumgarner and every time i feel stressed or pressured by anyone about nursing my son like when some mds have told me that after they turn one year old that they shouldnt nurse anymore as it has no benefits I read the book again and I feel better and know that i am making the right decision for my son. I feel that each child will quit nursing when they are ready and will let you know, some sooner, some later but i think if you let the child decide when they are ready it just makes the whole process so much less stressful and the whole breastfeeding experience for both mom and child will be looked back fondly as a special time for mom and child and plus when the child decides to wean on their own without being forced its a bigger milestone for them as it also helps the childs self esteem and it helps pave the way for them to be able to start making decisions for themselves as big kids. Plus it gives them a sense of control and security and establishes a trust with your kids that lasts a lifetime. Plus an extra bonus is no major tears for mom and kid and alot less stress. Thanks for all the help and support this is a great group as its hard to find info about nurtrion things for toddlers and little ones!

[cuteasabutton78]

I'm glad you posted this, it made me feel better about still nursing. My son will be 2 in December and is still nursing quite frequently. He doesn't seem to like to much table foods. My parents ask everytime they see me-"Is Jarrod eaing more foods? You can' let him be that picky!"

After reading your post it made me realize I don't need to worry about what he is or isn't eating. He is getting the best from "mothernature".

This week is the first time he's shown any sickness and it's just a runny nose. 

He might now be eating fruit and veggies but he is getting the nutrients he needs to survive.

You made me feel better about the whole nursing a toddler situation. 

[Kari78]

Oh yay, that's so good to hear!  Do your parents think you should force the food down his throat or what?  lol.  I was under the impression it's practically impossible (not to mention mean) to make someone eat what their body tells them not to.  Your son is lucky to have you sticking up for his best interests.

Quoting cuteasabutton78:

I'm glad you posted this, it made me feel better about still nursing. My son will be 2 in December and is still nursing quite frequently. He doesn't seem to like to much table foods. My parents ask everytime they see me-"Is Jarrod eaing more foods? You can' let him be that picky!"

After reading your post it made me realize I don't need to worry about what he is or isn't eating. He is getting the best from "mothernature".

This week is the first time he's shown any sickness and it's just a runny nose. 

He might now be eating fruit and veggies but he is getting the nutrients he needs to survive.

You made me feel better about the whole nursing a toddler situation. 

[strwberryjoy]

 

Quoting fibromom503:

Hi thank you for posting this It really made my day! I am a disabled first time mom and am still nursing my son he will be 21 month oct 18th. Anyway he was diagnosed with failute to thrive and is underweight for age group he is pretty healthy or so it seems and seems happy and is active and constantly on the go. He has been sick twice in his life once ear infection and once strep throat (luckily it was the milder kind) and the only thing that got him through was the 24/7 nursing I did and I even slept with him on our recliner and let him nurse throughout the night as he obviously did not want to eat. that was our saving grace for keeping him hydrated and helping him bounce back. I have had to keep doctor hopping as i am sick of them constantly telling me that I should not nurse him after he is one year old as it supposedly has no nutrtional benefits anymore and all their other spiel and because he is smaller he should drink cows milk even though i have told them time and time again that he hates cows milk and almost all dairy except he will eat some cream cheese on a piece of bread or eat some ice cream sometimes. He also hates cheese and eggs which i have to put into baked goods to get him to eat them. What really upsets me is they dont even give you resources and even the dieticians we saw could not seem to help us figure out some recipes from the things he does like or could not offer me anymore things as I have already tried everything with my stubborn little guy. He is just a picky eater and very strong willed and at least i know he has to be getting some kind of benifit from my nursing him as otherwise he seems to be pretty active and happy and has lots of energy to spare. I am now taking my son to see a natureopath doctor and a cnm family practice nurse as those 2 have been the most helpful to me and supportive. Now if I could only get him to try healthy foods luckily he likes v8 juice at least! Thanks for the website for the wholesome foods for toddlers I am so glad maybe i will find something my son will like that is good for him. None of the dieticians i saw had any good recipe ideas and one dieticain was with wic. By the way I was wondering if any of you know how many calories are in breastmilk and fat or if there was a way to find out like from a lab or something so maybe I could try to figure out how much calories he is getting from my milk. Unfortuneatley I am not one of those moms who can pump her bm as that takes all day for a few ounces but My milk comes out fine for my boy ( my body does not think plastic milk pumps are cute and cuddly and thereby does not respond but put my lil guy on my lap and were a ok!! If I can figure out how many calories is in my breastmilk then I am hoping i can do a guesstimate by how long he nurses and how many times and try to come up with an idea of what he is getting milkwise as the cow milk thing is not gonna happen for my boy. Thanks for your support and encouragement.

My DD was labeled at 15 months as FTT as well.  It was complete crap and totally irritating.  She weighed about 1/2 pound less at 15 months than at 9 months.  Anyways, now she is 2.5 and still prefers nursing over any solid!!!  I think her body is thin because the breastmilk is perfect for her.  And she has since started gaining again.

Added bonus...you never have to worry about forgetting the sippy cup when out and about since you have sippy boobs! :)

[Kari78]

Oh my gosh, I can't believe other nursing moms would say that!  That's not true in the least.  Nursing past the first year still provides a TON of health benefits!  From kellymom:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html

Quoting mr2snafu:

you know i nursed my daughter to 18mos-stopped cuz i was pregnant with my son, and i nursed him til he was 2 1/2.  i have been told by my other breastfeeding mothers that while it isn't harmful, after about 1 year breatmilk isn't that helpful to a child.  there's no reason to stop nursing because of that, but food wise there isn't much there for a toddler.  not to discourage anyone, it won't stop me from nursing for 2 years with the lil one on the way, but it's nice to know...

[Lcherniske]

Thanks for this.  I keep getting the opinion from everyone that if I would stop nursing that he would just miraculously become a great eater.  Personally I think he would just want more chocolate milk lol.  I used that for a few days trying to cut down on nursing and realized it was rediculous.  Anyway he eats better for me sometimes then the sitter and he is with her for 7 hours a day.  He is 20 months old.

[monalisasus]

Look into baby led weaning/solids. There is a great book by gall rapley

Quoting fibromom503:

Hi thank you for posting this It really made my day! I am a disabled first time mom and am still nursing my son he will be 21 month oct 18th. Anyway he was diagnosed with failute to thrive and is underweight for age group he is pretty healthy or so it seems and seems happy and is active and constantly on the go. He has been sick twice in his life once ear infection and once strep throat (luckily it was the milder kind) and the only thing that got him through was the 24/7 nursing I did and I even slept with him on our recliner and let him nurse throughout the night as he obviously did not want to eat. that was our saving grace for keeping him hydrated and helping him bounce back. I have had to keep doctor hopping as i am sick of them constantly telling me that I should not nurse him after he is one year old as it supposedly has no nutrtional benefits anymore and all their other spiel and because he is smaller he should drink cows milk even though i have told them time and time again that he hates cows milk and almost all dairy except he will eat some cream cheese on a piece of bread or eat some ice cream sometimes. He also hates cheese and eggs which i have to put into baked goods to get him to eat them. What really upsets me is they dont even give you resources and even the dieticians we saw could not seem to help us figure out some recipes from the things he does like or could not offer me anymore things as I have already tried everything with my stubborn little guy. He is just a picky eater and very strong willed and at least i know he has to be getting some kind of benifit from my nursing him as otherwise he seems to be pretty active and happy and has lots of energy to spare. I am now taking my son to see a natureopath doctor and a cnm family practice nurse as those 2 have been the most helpful to me and supportive. Now if I could only get him to try healthy foods luckily he likes v8 juice at least! Thanks for the website for the wholesome foods for toddlers I am so glad maybe i will find something my son will like that is good for him. None of the dieticians i saw had any good recipe ideas and one dieticain was with wic. By the way I was wondering if any of you know how many calories are in breastmilk and fat or if there was a way to find out like from a lab or something so maybe I could try to figure out how much calories he is getting from my milk. Unfortuneatley I am not one of those moms who can pump her bm as that takes all day for a few ounces but My milk comes out fine for my boy ( my body does not think plastic milk pumps are cute and cuddly and thereby does not respond but put my lil guy on my lap and were a ok!! If I can figure out how many calories is in my breastmilk then I am hoping i can do a guesstimate by how long he nurses and how many times and try to come up with an idea of what he is getting milkwise as the cow milk thing is not gonna happen for my boy. Thanks for your support and encouragement.