How Long Breast Milk/ Formula?

I breastfed my daughter for three years. I think the "if they are old enough to ask for it, it's time to quit" idea is so wrong, considering my daughter could ask for it using sign language by about 5 or 6 months. Like many people said below, do what feels right for you and the baby. But I'd say shoot for a year, to start. That's a good solid foundation for baby.

My pediatrician recomended whole milk at age one. There are several formulas designed for toddlers, but my pediatrician said there is not enough benefit to them for her to endorse spending the money. However, I do know a little girl who is two and a half and does not dronk cows milk, but breast milk in her cup.

I breastfed for one year and that was perfect for me. Then I started with Cow Milk/oy milk. I didn't want my daughter to be walking around lifting up my t-shirt to be breastfed anymore... :-) She is pretty healthy considering that she goes to full-time daycare.

I totally agree with Tiffaney! My daughter is now 27 months as well and still bf's for nap and bedtime. It's a very personal decision. It all depends on what you feel comfortable doing. I also do not give cow's milk. We drink other types of milks...there are so many out there which have more nutrition in them. We also supplement with green veggies, etc. Of course, my intention was not to go this long, I was planning on starting the weaning process when she was 1, but that just didn't happen...she wasn't quite ready yet. So, we've weaned a lot, but we haven't quite stopped either! Best of luck! Do what's right for you and your family (husband and child) not extended family. Don't pay attention to what everyone else has to say. If it feels right, then it is right!

Hi C.,
I am a real mom and I breastfed my son until he was 2.5 years old. My original goal when he was born was to reach a year. Then, after he turned a year and neither one of us wanted to stop, my new goal was 2 years. Recently, he no longer asked for "mama's milk" so I knew he was done. You can only do what you feel is best for your child and what you feel most comfortable with. Some people think it's weird to breastfeed period and others think it's weird to give formula. I say try to nurse as long as you can, continue to set goals, see lactation consultants, and live day to day. Best of luck!

I breastfed my son, with no formula supplementation, until he was 26 months old. Yes, he was eating food, but I never gave him formula or cow's milk. Kids do not need cow's milk - ever. They can get the calcium and other nutrients from other sources. My son has always consumed soy milk, as well as a healthy vegetarian diet. Have you talked to your pediatrician? Are there lactation consultants or La Leche League meetings near you? Those would be some good sources of support. In regards to weaning, it is a very personal decision and you will know when the time is right. If you choose to nurse when your child is a toddler, you will be able to develop a routine that is comfortable for you; for us, if my son wanted to nurse he asked for "milk". I found this to be a socially acceptable thing for him to ask for (no public embarrassment) and I knew what he meant. Breast is best!

All 3 of mine were switched to whole milk at 1 year.

You've gotten some great answers--I breastfed both my children until about fifteen months. My mother breastfed four children until two years old--mostly at bedtime toward the end.

I helped my oldest to stop because we'd had a difficult time and I was ready for some space, but I wish my youngest had kept going. He was just in love with his solids, though!

Breastfeeding is so good for you and your child that generally it is recommended for 2 years and longer if you are willing to continue. When I had my first child I though "I'll give it a try and maybe get to 6 months if I can".... Well she nursed like an infant for almost 3 years and weaned herself due to the changes ( I was 6 mo preg when she stopped asking). I am still nursing my 20 mo old and am 4 mo pregnant.

Even though nutritional benefits change as they get older, it is still very beneficial in so many ways. I highly recommend getting good support from online chat groups such as Yahoo egroups that are for nursing beyond age 1. The groups are Extended_Nursing and Nursing Beyond One Year. You could also get a good Le Leche League book called How Weaning Happens for tips on limiting nursing sessions if/when you are ready. I'm a big fan of child-led weaning but realize some boundaries can be put in place for an older child.

Best wishes, do what you feel is right fir your child. Educate yourself on all the continued benefits for both YOU and your little one :-)

The minimum is one year for whichever method you are using. If you are use formula, the doctors say you can switch to milk at a year. If you are breastfeeding, your baby is receiving far more benefits than what formula provided and you are encouraged to do it for as long as you and your baby wish beyond the first year. The WHO recommends breastfeeding until age 2, I believe.

I breast fed each of my girls for 14 months. Most doctors say to try and nurse for at least 6 months to a year for maximum health benefits, then switch to whole milk for the second year, then reduced fat milk after that.

I think you have to be the judge and do what feels right for you and your child and don't worry about feeling pressure from anyone else to do what they believe is right.

Every mother and child is different.
I breastfeed my 1st child for 18 months.
I breastfeed my 2nd child for 11 months. And
I breastfeed my 3rd child for 21 months.

So it all depends on you and your little one.
Go with the flow. Relax, your the boss.

God bless. = )

In response to your question about what real moms are doing for breast milk or formula... My pediatricians have always told me it is ok to change them to regular milk at 1 yr. I am a firm believer in breastfeeding, as I am currently nursing my third child, but I have never gone beyond 1 year. Nutritionally speaking, the child is eating most everything by then so they are getting vitamins from fruits and veggies. By then they are usually able to handle regular milk (unless they are lactose intolerant). This is based on 3 doctors and personal experiences with my own kids. As far as formula, it is so expensive so why use it any longer than you have too? Good luck!

I did my first one until 19 months when I got pregnant and it was too painful (but had planned on tandem nursing, just didn't work out) and then my second one I nursed until 23 months. I would have gone much longer but he kind of weaned himself, it was very sad. He weaned himself and in one month he was potty trained. I would just let your situation guide you and not go by what other people do but go by what you and your child need. Good luck, any time is better then none for breastmilk!

Hi C., I breastfed my first son for one year and the second son for two years. Amer. Academy of Ped. recommends 2 years and so did their doctor. I got teased a bit for breastfeeding beyond one year, but you have to shake that off and do what you feel is right for you and your child.I was the exception to breastfeed this long, but I felt it was worth the effort and today they are both healthy, smart and strong boys.

Hi C.,

The recommendations from your ministry believe or not isn't hard to believe. It's encouraged to breastfeed for at least 1 year. I actually breastfed my son until a little over 2 1/2 years. You must be thinking, "Is she crazy!!"..lol Well I actually wanted to stop sooner but neither I nor my son was ready for that transition and the bonding between a mother and child while breastfeeding was so special to me. Everyone is different and everyone will have there own thoughts and beliefs. Just go with your gut feeling, there is no right and wrong way when it comes to breastfeeding. Even if you had only done it for a month at least it's a month of nutrition going into your child. Good Luck with everything. :)

My son has been on whole milk since he was 9 months old. There is a finger stick that you dr does to check something (sorry cant remember what it was). And as long as the levels are where they should be they told me there was no reason he couldn't switch. He loves his milk and we have had no problems.

I know more authorities are recommending until age 2, but that is a long time. My first actually weaned my from breastfeeding about 8 1/2 months and I transitioned to formula and then to milk at 1 year.
I am currently breastfeeding and will continue as long as he will let me and then transition to milk which again, I am guessing will be around 12-15 months.

I did formula until 12months and then started weaning over to whole milk. Used whole milk (plus food of course) until 2years now she drinks 2%

Dear C,
My daughter is 2 yr & 1 mo--I am still weaning her. It's been a long process, but she resists the more aggressively I try to wean. I never thought I'd nurse past one year, but here we are. Our pediatrician's wife nursed all 5 kids until 2. Our midwife nursed both of her kids until 3 1/2 and 4. Many countries support long-term nursing and it has to work for your child and for you.

I can say that the actual nursing process after a year or so changes. I can only speak from my own experience: Mine nurses for short bursts without a schedule. After all, a majority of her nutrition comes from solid foods. Nursing is mostly prompted by emotional moments (like skinning her knee, crankiness of bedtime, a loud/sudden noise).

Best of luck to you, whatever you decide.

Actually the WHO says breast feeding can be done until 5 or 6. I nursed my daughter till she was 4, she would have continued longer too.
I'm sure there are women here who think that's gross. You know what I find gross? Giving your child the breast milk of a cow! Why anyone would nurse their child and then switch from human to cow milk blows me away.

I stopped both of my kids right at the 12 month mark. My kids dr said that when they turned one we should switch them to regular milk, and so we did. Got rid of all the bottles and went straight to the sippy cup, no resistance from them either, it was fantastic!

My son had formula until 11.5 months, and then we switched him to whole milk. He's now 22 months and drinks 1% milk.

That's about right! I nursed my daughter 25 months. My son is 13 months and still nursing. I don't know if we'll make it 2 years though since he's not as attached to it as my daughter was.

I did introduce cow milk at one year with both kids because I wanted to be able to leave them (I work very part time and my schedule is never the same) and I didn't want to pump while I was away. So they got/get cow milk if I'm not home and nursed when we were together. Around 18 months my daughter only nursed at nap and bed time and almost never in public. My son is headed the same direction now. He rarely nurses in public either. Over a year I don't see anything wrong with setting limits as needed. Neither of my children was/is groping me in public demanding to nurse. I'm going to stop writing now because I read the other responses and I get incensed when I read comments like stopping when they can ask for it, etc.

I breastfed my first child for 14 mo and my second for 2 years.

Good luck!

I gave all three of my sons formula until they were one. Then they switched to milk.

Where do you live? I have 2 girls. Each one was different. Doctors recomend the first year breast milk or formula. i bresta feed my last one until 7 months. Hope this can give you an idea. But, remember everyone can give you what works better. Take care

It's all about getting the antibodies of breastmilk from you for as long as the baby's immune system is immature. 1yr as a minimum is good - that's the standard I use and is using on my 8 mo old. Others go beyond that as they feel comfortable, but I believe after a year or when they can start eating solids and getting the nutrients from table food, then it's a mother's option. The longer you can do it and feel comfortable go for it. Personally though, I don't think I would want a walking toddler to be in the store hunting at my breast for milk and furthermore they are hard to pick up (lol)

For my song I breastfed him exclusively for 6 months when I introduced rice cereal and eventually other foods like fruit, meats, veggies. He had a medical condition and I had to introduce formula around that time also but he was being nursed twice a day (breakfast/before bed). I will assume that you're not in the US since here the Academy of Pediatrics recommends at least 6 months of breastmilk only and they do recommend 1 year of breastfeeding. My song as I mentioned before got 6 months and then formula was introduced. At a year old he starting to drink milk and was no longer on formula. My daughter got 3 months of breastmilk only and now she gets nursed in the morning and 4 bottles of formula during the day. Most moms breastfeed for at least 6 months. Some stop because of work/child teething etc etc. Some stop before 6 months before work and some continue to breastfeed for even up to 2 or more years. It's really more of a personal choice. Hope this all helps.

My son is 27 months old today and still nurses at bedtime.

I'm surprised at the ignorance of some of the other comments that have been written. Just because a child is two doesn't mean they are boob obsessed, always 'asking' for it or groping you in public. My son knows that he gets to "night-night" at bedtime and that is usually the only time he expects it. He doesn't pull on me during the day time or ask to nurse. (And, what a ridiculous thing to say....stop nursing if they can ask for it. Are you going to stop feeding him in a few years when your child can tell you he's hungry???)

I started out hoping to be able to nurse for the first year, but when he turned one, he just wasn't ready to transition to milk. Quite frankly, he hates milk and the more research I've done, the more convinced I am that milk just isn't necessary...and quite often is wasted excess calories. So cow's milk will be left for the cows. I am focusing on making sure he eats a wide variety of foods, especially dark greens that contain calcium. The nutrients in cow's milk are readily available in all sorts of other foods.

I think, until you hold your own child and bond with him, it's hard to predict how long you will want to nurse. Each child is different and each nursing relationship is different. I want to do what is best for my son and give him the best nourishment possible, not a substitute made by a chemical factory or a cow. Before having him, I would have thought 2 years was a long time too...but now it's just the blink of an eye.

Our current goal is to wean him completely by the beginning of next year. He'll be 2 1/2 years then and we will have gotten through this year's flu season. (I want him to get all the great antibodies and such in breastmilk to help minimize any illness.)

Do what feels right to you. It's a personal choice between you and your child. Whatever you decide, don't let the discomfort or ignorance of others impact your decision.

this is a very personal choice and you should do what feels right in your gut. i nursed my first until 18 months but i was already pregnant and i think the change in taste made him want to wean. personally, i believe in nursing for a long time, up to two years is fine with me. some moms go longer, other want to wean at one year.

12 mos is the standard I have always followed.

If you breast feed your child until 2 you have given the best gift of a great immune system.
Skip the formula- that is not good nutrition- just great money for big business.
Also check out Weston Price, and Adele Davis for the best info on nutrition.
best, k

I nursed my girls to almost 3. We believed in the health of it and let them practically self ween. Most of my circle of friends nursed until 2 as well.

Hi C.,

I have two daughters and had different experiences with them. As a new mom, I nursed my oldest daughter for about 8 weeks- supplementing along the way with formula- until all the sudden I seemed to run out of breast milk. She was just as happy with the formula so I quit nursing, switched to the bottle/formula full-time, and all was well.

My youngest daughter hated formula and wouldn't have anything to do with a bottle- so I nursed her until she was two years old. Of course, she also ate solid food by then- but loved the comfort of snuggling down and nursing before bedtime and naps.

Both of my daughters are in their teens now... and have always been healthy and well-adjusted. I believe it's important to nurse at least the first few weeks, so the baby
gets that all-important Colostrum with it's "liquid gold" proteins and immunities that are so important for newborns.
Plus- it's free... you don't have to wash bottles... and it's precious bonding time that just can't be beat!

Congrats- and good luck!!

2yrs r they serious? My first daughter, Allie, was completly off by 17months. My other one is only 2months right now. My doc wanted Allie off around 15 months as she was getting enough nutrients through solids for her meals. Allie just had to have her morning bottle (like her coffe or she was miserable. Same plan again for child #2. I hate washing bottles.

It all depends on the child and parents. My neighbor breast feed for close to 2 yrs as her youngest had bad milk allergies so she need time to find alternatives so her daughter didnt suffer nutritionally.

I breastfed my son untill he was about 14 months old. I think when they start to ask for it its about time to quit! :)