Your breastfed baby has thrived off your milk and is doing quite well but she’s approaching her first birthday. Now people are saying your baby should drink cow’s milk, rather than exclusively drink milk from the mama.

Do breastfed babies need cow’s milk?

Nope! There is nothing special about cow’s milk. It’s merely a convenient way for children to get calcium, protein, fats and vitamin D–all of which can be consumed from other sources. Your child’s calcium needs can also be met through broccoli, kale and other leafy greens, fortified nondairy milks (soy milk, rice milk, etc.), fortified OJ, blackstrap molasses, sesame seeds… and the list goes on.

Protein is included in most foods, especially beans, peas, tofu and meat. Fat can be obtained from oils and nut butters. Vitamin D comes from sunlight exposure and cod liver oil.

Cow’s milk is not necessary for a breastfed baby.

Breastmilk is much more nutritious than milk from a cow – and you can’t be allergic to human milk (although rarely your baby may react to proteins that show up in the milk, the most likely of which is dairy proteins).

After all, breastmilk was meant to nourish and sustain humans–not cows, who have drastically different nutritional needs.

So if your child hates cow’s milk or you choose not to provide it, there’s absolutely no need to feel guilty.

Outside of the US it’s completely normal to nurse a toddler. The worldwide average age of weaning is between two to four years old. So the next time someone shoots you a dirty look or makes a rude comment about nursing a two year-old, tell them the facts are on your side. The World Health Organization even recommends nursing until your baby is at least two years old.

So there. Nurse away and ignore those naysayers.

Breastmilk storage bags are a convenient and safe way to store your expressed milk.

Breastmilk Storage Bags

Ditch those flimsy plastic bags and instead opt for breastmilk storage bags, which are specially designed for breastfeeding moms.

Regular plastic bags and bottle liners can easily burst, especially when frozen.

Imagine this—you have pumped for days and have finally created a pantry-worthy supply of breast milk in your freezer except—oh no!—the bags have popped, leaving your “liquid gold” pooled on your freezer’s shelf.

Spare yourself!

Store your milk in breastmilk storage bags, which are made of thicker plastic, have a double zipper seal, are pre-sterilized, and are lined with nylon to prevent any fat from adhering to the sides. Many bags will easily fit in your freezers. Just make sure to write the date you stored the milk on the bag.

photo credit: Daquella manera

Get breastmilk storage bags online here.

Nursing pads are a necessity for some moms. They help hide any embarrassing (though common) leaks.

Other moms hardly need nursing pads at all. Leaking varies among moms, although most women will find nursing pads to be quite useful in the immediate postpartum period when their body is adjusting to breastfeeding.

Nursing Pads – What Kind to Buy?

There are both disposable and reusable nursing pads and every nursing mom has a preference for one or the other. Most reusable nursing pads are made of cotton and are easily washed and dried. You can even find ones made of soft fleece or flannel and ones made of organic material.

Disposable nursing pads are thin, discreet and highly absorbent. Look for ones made of cotton or paper and avoid any pads with unbreathable plastic linings, which trap heat and wetness up your risk of infection.

With both reusable and disposable nursing pads, make sure you change them immediately when wet. Don’t try to save money by wearing damp pads, which may lead to thrush.

Moms can make homemade nursing pads with cut-up rags or cloth diapers to save money. Another good idea is to ask for nursing pads when you have baby showers. If you do a baby gift registry, you’ll find nursing pads in most large baby stores as well as department stores.

Popular nursing pads you can buy:

NatraCare disposable organic pads

Lilypadz silicone nursing pads

Organic cotton nursing pads

Including this one by Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess who says extended nursing is more common than you may think. One of the reasons this is so is because many nursing moms engage in “closet nursing”, especially once their kids cross over into an age that our peers think is too old. Generally this happens after the one year mark, but can happen even earlier.

When I was a kid, I was close to a woman who nursed her older children. I babysat for her and since she was older than me and such a “cool mom”, I really admired her. I also dated a young man who was famous among his friends for having nursed until 5 – the oldest person I had ever known. Then I observed my sister nurse her toddlers, so it seemed like no big deal to me to let a child wean on their own.

When I had my own kids, I didn’t “set out” to nurse for an extended period of time, it just happened that way. It seemed like an ideal way to meet the child’s need for comfort, soothing, whatever.

And I was always VERY grateful when an older toddler fell ill and was still nursing.

One reason is because toddlers often refuse food when they’re sick. If they’re still nursing, even if they vomit or have diarrhea, there is typically litttle worry about dehydration, and the milk they keep down is highly nutritious. Often an older child will revert to exclusive nursing when they’re ill. It was comforting to me and the child to be able to meet their needs in this way.

Hopefully, at some time in the future it will become more acceptable in our society to practice extended nursing – and more moms will come out of the closet. Until then, we are powerful when we simply live our lives doing what we feel is best.

Science certainly is on our side, as Amy’s post points out above. People who study such things (anthropologists and the like) say that our teeth show that humans are probably meant to nurse for several years, not months. And indeed this is common practice in much of the world, even today. Worldwide the median age for weaning is 4.2. When women aren’t told “what to do” by outside authorities, they seem to have no problem nursing for years.

No closet needed.

photo credit: Sellers Patton

Breastfeeding has countless benefits for mom and baby. However, one of the so-called disadvantages of breastfeeding is the perception that mothers are tied to their babies or to the nursing chair all the time.

Unless you’re good with a breast pump, you can’t just drop your baby off with the sitter when you need to run an errand or take time for yourself. What if she gets hungry while you’re away? And how can you explain to a babysitter why it’s so important not to give a bottle of formula while you’re gone?

These challenges can be overcome so as not to disrupt the breastfeeding relationship. Here are some ways you can plan to get things done while you’re breastfeeding your baby.

• Ignore the things you can. If household jobs are calling, put them off if possible. After all, the bedroom will wait if it doesn’t get painted this month, or this year. Baby, on the other hand, is growing and changing everyday.
• Lower your standards. Life after a new baby is a time of adjustment. Life will never be the same, and you have new priorities now. If your home doesn’t pass the white glove test, so what? You’re raising a new human. What could be more important than that?
• Invest in a sling, and use it. A sling keeps your baby close to you while you work around the house. The rocking motion and your closeness will help baby relax. And it’s very convenient when it’s time to nurse. With some slings you can even nurse hands free so you can be doing things you need to do while meeting baby’s needs.
• If you do have to be away from baby, enlist the help of your friends and family. Bring a friend along for an appointment or function to help occupy your baby, and when it’s time to nurse, you’ll be right there. Or, invite her over to your house to cuddle baby while you get stuff done. When baby gets hungry, you can take a break and nurse.
• If you do need to use a babysitter, look for a breastfeeding friendly caregiver who you can educate on the importance of breastfeeding. If you think you’ll want a babysitter, start looking for the right person before baby’s arrival. Once she’s here, you’ll want to spend time with your new baby, instead of looking for someone to look after her.
• You may want to begin by leaving baby with a caregiver between feedings, so you know she isn’t likely to get hungry while you’re away. If you plan to leave a babysitter during a feeding, tell your caregiver to hold your baby while she gives your baby your milk in a bottle, and to pick her up when she fusses.

This time with your baby is precious, and you won’t want to miss a minute of it. But when you do need to get things done, relax and find an option that will work for you and your infant. If you do take the time you need, you will be a happier Mom, which means a happier baby.

Weaning can be one of the most difficult times in the breastfeeding relationship, both for mom and child. For many forced weaning feels like an attack on the natural bond that breastfeeding created in the first place. Often children weaned earlier than they are ready for can become upset, act out, and fight to reclaim breastfeeding. This is a natural reaction to the loss of something that has meant food, comfort, and security to a young child. So how can mothers ease the weaning process and make it less painful for their children?

One important step a mother can take is not to rush to wean. Though there can be circumstances when weaning early is the only option, often extending the breastfeeding time is a simple and natural process. Many mothers that have practiced extended breastfeeding have commented on how normal it felt to simply continue doing what they have been doing all along. Though in our modern culture it is often looked at as odd, there is really nothing more normal than continuing breastfeeding until the child is older and ready to wean.

How long it can take to wean a child naturally varies from one child to the next. Most children wean themselves naturally near their third year, though some may wean sooner or later than that. The World Health Organization has stated that a minimum of 2 years is the best time frame that a breastfeeding relationship should last, with the option to continue longer if the mother and child want to. Though breastfeeding for this long is often countered by claims that this hurts a child psychologically, the American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that “no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer.” In fact the longer breastfeeding continues the greater the health gains there are for both mother and child, such as decreased chances of diabetes and some cancers.

Older children generally slow down their nursing amounts on their own. The frequent, long breastfeeding periods of infancy gradually slow to shorter, less often times as the child ages. You can gently guide this natural process by cutting back on the amount of breastfeeding offered. This is often referred to as the “do not offer, do not refuse” rule of weaning. Rather than offering breast milk at certain times offer something else that your child enjoys. A story in place of a bedtime nursing or a snack in place of an afternoon nursing. However if your child insists on wanting to breastfeed allow them to do so, though you may shorten the length of time. Helping your child to see that there are other options to breastfeeding for their comfort and nourishment while still allowing them to nurse if they need gently eases them into weaning acceptance.

As a child grows they will naturally move away from breastfeeding on their own. This natural process of weaning is often the easiest for both mother and child, putting little strain on the mother-child relationship and creating the least amount of fuss. It also provides the extended benefits of increased nutrition for the child and increased immunity for mother and child. Though natural weaning takes longer than breastfeeding is commonly encouraged for, to the mothers who try it with their children it is often seen as the most normal and gentlest way to wean.

Image source – Cupcake Butt

The busy toddler years don’t lend themselves to the younger baby years of snuggling and contentedly gazing into each other’s eyes. Toddlers are on the move all the time! This is one of the reasons nursing a toddler is nice. It gives you a bit of a break from the constant activity and allows you to snuggle your little one  they grow up so fast!

Of course, there are many benefits of extended breastfeeding including immunological and others.

If you’ve made up your mind to continue nursing your toddler, here are a few things to consider.

-The American Academy of Pediatrics favors nursing toddlers, as long as both you and your child are still enjoying the process. Keep in mind that worldwide, the median age for weaning is 4.2. Nursing toddlers is neither unusual nor strange in most cultures around the world.

-The days of quietly (and discreetly!) nursing in public may be over. Most toddlers are quite acrobatic during nursing, although you can set limits with this kind of behavior. Keep in mind that your toddler may not want to accept different rules, so be consistent about what you expect, both in the privacy of your home and in public. Finding a quiet spot with limited distractions to nurse will also give you added privacy. A baby sling can also be a very useful tool to help you nurse in public.

-Most nursing toddlers have become quite efficient at emptying your breast. They may be content to nurse for five minutes (or 30 seconds!) and be satisfied. It’s important to allow this if that is what they’re comfortable with.

-Your fertility will likely be postponed if you’re nursing your toddler. So, if you want to get pregnant again soon you may have to adjust your nursing schedule to jumpstart ovulation. Of course, for many mothers, the natural delay in fertility is a welcome thing!

Recommended:
Mothering Your Nursing Toddler – required reading for any mom nursing the older baby or toddler.