Why do I nurse a toddler? I have a few reasons, but I don't know if any
one reason is *the* reason....My breastmilk is just as good for him today as it was for him the day it came in. I love the fact that I don't have to worry about how much he eats; some days he can be a bottomless pit at the dinner table, while on other days, he eats very little solid food. Because he is still nursing, I am comforted by the fact that he is getting a natural source of nutrition that is specific to *him*, not millions of other artificially fed babies.
I also appreciate that breastfeeding meets more than just his nutritional needs. The smile he gets on his face when I ask if he wants "nursies" (and he *does*).... he gets so excited! He almost jumps up and down for joy and makes excited movements with his hands and happy sounds with his mouth. When he is nearing a "meltdown", nursing can transform an unhappy little boy into a calm (maybe even sleeping) child. I think that breastfeeding is one way that I "give" myself to my son. It is one thing to be "present", but another to stop what I am doing and gather him into my arms to nurture him with the warmth of my milk. As I sit here typing this, he has nursed himself back to sleep, from an early morning awakening..... There is nothing like nursing a toddler..
Nursing makes nighttime parenting much easier... there is no running to another room to comfort a screaming baby; sitting awake in a rocking chair trying to get him back to sleep. Because he shares my bed, he is able to find me when he is first waking and nurse himself back to sleep. We both get a good night's sleep (and so does Daddy!).
Nursing makes *parenting* a toddler easier.... it's a great way to distract him from unwanted or unsafe behaviors, and so much less damaging than harsh words from someone he loves.
Weaning.... right now *wean* is a four-letter word for me. Although the process has begun (it began when he took his first bite of solids around 6 months of age), I believe and hope that the discontinuation of our nursing relationship is a while off. I intend on following his lead. I feel that it is too important to him for me to decide when it's over, at least not without it being something we do together. We are a partnership in this, and to dissolve the nursing partnership we will work together: both of us need to be happy with the decision.
Noah is my second child; the second toddler that I have nursed. But I have to say that I have a better and more understanding mindset about toddler nursing with him than I had with my first. I'm not sure I could have written these words 4 yrs ago when his sister was this age. I hold my experiences with La Leche League, experiences I didn't have until after my daughter was weaned (at the age my son is now, 20 months), primarily responsible for this change, this GROWTH, as a mother.
Karen ~~~ Mama to Emily (12/30/91) and Noah (12/30/95) Rockville, MD
Check out her super website!! Confessions of a Career Mom
The image of nursing toddler is copyright 1997 Lori Thompson Photography.
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Nursing a Toddler