- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Nursing Beyond One Year
Part II
By Virginia Gilbert
The Challenge of Nursing a Toddler
Like any other relationship, the one between a mother and her nursing child goes through transitions. "In an extended breastfeeding relationship, there definitely is a time when it changes," says Adrienne Wilde, a La Leche League leader in Hollywood, Calif. "Discipline begins to play a role. A mother has to get in touch with habit versus need and be clear about meeting her own needs."
Expanding on this notion, Wilde describes the toddler years as being challenging, whether or not a child is nursing. "I came to a point when nursing was overwhelming," Wilde says, speaking of her own experience. "I was resentful; I thought, 'I'm doing this all the time.'"
Wilde realized that she needed to set breastfeeding limits. By letting her son know she was no longer going to nurse on demand, she believes that she gave him the opportunity to cultivate other coping skills and that he actually found these boundaries freeing.
But if after assessing the situation, a mother decides her child genuinely has outgrown the need to breastfeed, probably neither would benefit from the mother trying to renew her baby's interest in the breast. "It's important for moms to realize, no matter how long they nurse their children, it's beneficial," says Wilde.
