Up to what age a child needs to be fed with her milk, each mother determines for herself. Often, early weaning is associated with the need for a woman to go to work, worries about a spoiled figure, and the great convenience of bottle feeding. There are more serious reasons: forced treatment with the intake of drugs incompatible with feeding; detection in a woman of HIV infection, hepatitis, open form of tuberculosis, syphilis, cancer; purulent mastitis.

These are quite rare cases, usually such diseases are detected even during pregnancy or earlier, which serves as an unambiguous indication for artificial feeding of the baby.

Breastfeeding timing

On the question of how many months to feed a baby, there are 2 main points of view:

1. Breastfeeding advocates believe that weaning a baby before 2 years of age deprives the baby of a large amount of valuable nutrients that create the basis of immunity;
2. Pediatricians recommend feeding the baby in a natural way at least up to six months, and if the mother has milk, the ability and desire of the mother and child to extend this period to 12-14 months.

Doctors find this age ideal for weaning from breastfeeding:

• by this time, children are applied to the breast only 2 times a day, this is due to the introduction of complementary foods - juices, mashed potatoes, liquid cereals;
• at the age of 1 year, the child begins to understand that he and his mother are 2 different people. He still needs close contact with his mother, but this connection is no longer established during breastfeeding, but in the process of playing, communicating, learning;
• feeding with mother's milk loses its meaning, because it loses its most useful properties by the time the child is one and a half year old.

Milk is not so much losing its beneficial features, how much is the replacement of one food with another. Vegetable and fruit puree, cereals from various useful cereals give the child all the trace elements and vitamins necessary for health and growth.

Natural feeding after a year is more a means of psychological comfort for a baby than a way to get food. This is consolation during the day, and a substitute for bedtime stories, and confidential communication with mom. Therefore, weaning should be as gentle and painless as possible. The consequences of a sharp weaning from the mother's breast can be night fears, enuresis, a sharp change in mood, constant whims and even tantrums. You can understand how much more you need to feed the baby in this way, whether he is ready for weaning, by his behavior.

You can suggest to wait when he asks for a chest and distract him new toy or an interesting game. It will be a good sign if the baby forgets about his first desire.

If a child quickly falls asleep calmly during the day without latching, and very rarely wakes up at night, and dad or grandmother can put him to sleep, and at the same time he calmly perceives the absence of a mother - all this indicates a decrease in the child's need for mother's breast.

How to wean a baby

If the baby is ready to give up breast, it is best to combine this process with a decrease in mother's lactation:

1. this should be done gradually, be sure to observe the baby's reaction. If in the process of weaning from feeding with mother's milk, the baby gets sick, most likely, it will be necessary to return to the previous way of feeding. If the child has recently had an intestinal infection or has had a cold, it is necessary to continue to feed him naturally.
2. first you need to skip one, preferably morning, feeding, replacing it with a dry mixture, and after a few days try not to feed in this way in the evening. This method of reducing the number of feedings per day will reduce lactation;
3. weaning is better in the cold season;
4. you need to monitor how much liquid you drink and follow a low-salt diet;
5. after consulting a doctor, you can start taking special pills to reduce lactation;
6. after feeding, you do not need to express milk, as this process will cause it to stay;
7. you need to start playing sports every day, this will help reduce the amount of milk;
8. the mammary glands must be tied with an anti-milk dressing, which "removes" milk on average after 3-4 days.

The best option would be the gradual weaning of the baby from the usual way of feeding during the period of natural decrease in lactation in the mother. Usually this moment coincides with the age of a year and a half of the baby.

The rapid weaning of the baby can also affect the woman's body - this threatens with lactostasis caused by hormonal changes.

You need to see how long the breast does not pull - if this period is 10-12 hours, and the mammary glands decrease in size, stop filling, therefore the desire to express milk decreases due to the absence of discomfort.

Baby's psychological readiness to give up breast

A gradual decrease in the number of breast milk feedings and an abrupt cessation of breastfeeding can cause a strong reaction in the baby. This is due to the fact that in this way he not only receives nutrition, but also calms down. This process gives him a sense of protection.

The following actions can help minimize the failure response:

1. buying a bottle with a convenient nipple that has several holes;
2. the time at which and until what time they are used to feeding the baby is replaced by walks in the morning, interesting games during the day, telling fairy tales;
3. for a quick weaning, you do not need to remind the baby about the breast, for this a woman can stop sitting in the place where she is used to feeding the baby, changing clothes with the child;
4. before bedtime, the child needs to be stroked on the back, read fairy tales, sing songs. You can put your favorite toy next to it - all this is done to relieve anxiety in connection with the cancellation of natural feeding;
5. you do not need to push the baby away if he runs out of habit to eat. Transferring attention to conversation, games, stroking - will distract him from thinking about milk;
6. at any opportunity, it is necessary to tell the baby that he is quite an adult, only the smallest children drink their mother's milk.

It is necessary to hug the baby as much as possible, kiss, play with him. This is important for the child, so he understands that he is also needed and valuable for the mother.

Mustard and Pepper, or the Do No Harm Principle

Lubricating the nipples with mustard, pepper and the like is not worth it - this can undermine the baby's trust in the mother for a long time. For him, feeding is associated with a sense of security, absolute calmness and love. It is important to remember that withdrawal should be gradual and as natural as possible for the child.

Feeding up to two years or more

"Late" feeding has its positive and negative sides.

This approach has enough disadvantages:

• lack of understanding of others who ask how old your baby is - many mothers are very worried about this;
• the need to wake up at night to feed, although children with a different diet at this age are not fed at night;
• the baby can cause physical discomfort and pain to the mother by biting teeth;
• the baby is completely dependent on a recognized feeding method, does not recognize pacifiers and bottles;
• milk is poorly expressed, it is produced only thanks to and in the process of sucking, this complicates the care of the mother for business, work, etc.

But there are many pluses:

• convenience of food preparation - no need to buy expensive store food, bottles with good nipples, no need to boil dishes, cook food, monitor the temperature so that it is not cold or too hot. It is very convenient to feed your baby;
• natural feeding calms the baby, is an excellent medicine for flights, worries, illnesses;
• the baby's contact with the mother - both physical and psychological - is a good basis for development.

The most important thing is not to rush, it is important to carry out weaning with the mutual physical and emotional readiness of the mother and her baby.

How long to feed the child, each family decides differently. If a breastfeeding woman does not want to continue breastfeeding due to the need to go to work, there is no time for constant expression, she becomes irritable, which cannot have a good effect on the baby. In this case, of course, it will be more beneficial to stop feeding.

Everything is very individual, and each tandem "mother and child" must decide for themselves what will be the best solution for them.

The age at which breastfeeding ends is a controversial and controversial issue. In modern realities, many mothers completely refuse to breastfeed in order to continue working or preserve the beauty of the body. But experts believe that breastfeeding is necessary, since no one can replace mother's milk adapted mixture... How old to feed breast milk your child? How to end breastfeeding without complications?

Modern women believe that breastfeeding is not so important, because many mothers raised babies on formula, and everything went well. Yes, it is true that sometimes you have to resort to artificial feeding, but there must be really good reasons for this, for example, the mother's illness with taking serious drugs incompatible with hepatitis B or severe stress, as a result of which a woman is deprived of lactation.

Benefits of natural breastfeeding:

• The baby is provided with a perfectly balanced diet that suits him well. It is much easier to breastfeed your baby than to spend time and money choosing the right formula.
• There is no need for additional spending on food for a child up to six months. WHO experts do not recommend the introduction of any complementary foods until the age of 6 months from the date of birth of the baby.
• Eliminates the risk of allergic and other negative reactions provided that the mother eats properly and does not consume foods undesirable for HS.
• A woman quickly regains her shape and sheds those extra pounds, since breastfeeding requires a lot of calories.
• A closer bond develops between mother and child, which contributes to the harmonious and correct development of the baby.
• Lactation suppresses ovulation, providing the woman with additional protection against unwanted pregnancies.

A mom who wants the best for her child, without hesitation, chooses breastfeeding and supports him for at least one and a half years.

Many women are afraid of HB due to pain, loss of breast shape, mastitis, and similar troubles. In fact, almost all fears are common myths. Well-organized breastfeeding will help to avoid problems and get only benefits from the process. How to feed your baby correctly can be found here.

It is believed that after a year, mother's milk is no longer beneficial. children's body... This is not true! Breast milk is useful for a baby at any age, since the fat content and concentration of nutrients in it only increases over time

Up to what age to breastfeed? As many experts say: "Don't look at the calendar, focus on the child." Weaning age is an individual value for each baby. There are children who throw their breasts themselves early, preferring other foods. Some babies are ready to suck their mother's milk as long as they can.

Experts believe that you need to breastfeed your baby for at least 6 months. During this period, the baby will receive the necessary substances and antibodies that will strengthen its immunity and provide a safer and more comfortable introduction of complementary foods and the transition to a new food.

Six months is the minimum period, it is optimal to feed the baby for the entire first year of his life. It is believed that it is during this time that the baby's immune system will get stronger enough, the systems and functions of the body will adjust their work. In these processes, mother's milk plays important role, therefore, it is unwise to complete breastfeeding before a year.

Whether to continue breastfeeding after a year is the mother's decision. It happens that a woman herself is not ready to give up breastfeeding or she sees that breastfeeding is still quite an important part of life for a child, in this case it is possible to postpone and postpone the completion of breastfeeding. Today you can meet two or three-year-old babies who periodically suck on their mother's breast.

Recent studies have shown that mothers who breastfeed their children for a long time (at least 1.5-2 years) are less likely to develop ovarian and breast cancer.

It is worth remembering that everything needs a measure and it is infinitely impossible to feed the baby. Psychologists believe that breastfeeding after the age of three can negatively affect the psyche of the baby. In addition, HV at this age becomes simply burdensome.

Reasons why you don't need to feed your baby after three years:

• By this age of the baby, the woman begins to work and lactation can cause anxiety and discomfort in the workplace.
• Feeding the boy should be completed before the age of three, since it is at this age that the child realizes his gender, and the sight of a naked mother's breast is undesirable for correct and adequate upbringing.
• The child becomes too dependent on mother's intimacy, due to which there are problems with adaptation in kindergarten.
• Often grown-up children require breast in public places, and refusal to feed them is perceived negatively, throwing tantrums.
• Babies do not fall asleep well and cry until they breastfeed.

Of course, up to what age to feed the child is up to the mother to decide, but it is not necessary to be zealous with the duration of GW. Many women find that the longer they breastfeed, the closer the bond between them and their babies. Yes, this is so, but we must give the baby the opportunity to socialize and understand that mom is the main person in life, but not the whole world.

Breastfeeding up to one and a half to two years is considered ideal. But this is taking into account the smooth and gradual completion of the GW.

When the decision on how old to breastfeed the baby has been made, it is necessary to begin preparations for folding the GV. It is necessary to do this gradually, since a sharp weaning threatens stagnation, mastitis in a woman, stress and psychological trauma in a child. It is better to spend time weaning smoothly than to face these problems.

The gradual completion of GW does not mean that you will have to feed for a long time. For example, you can start at a year, and by the age of one and a half, you have completely stopped breastfeeding.

In order to complete breastfeeding without stress and complications for mom and baby, it will take at least 5-6 months

Principles for gradual breastfeeding:

• Reduce daily feedings gradually. If the baby is old enough, then you do not have to breastfeed so often, thanks to complementary foods (you can find out about the mode and frequency of feeding in this article). It must be remembered that you cannot refuse a child in a rude manner, but distract him with games, walks, and developmental activities.
• Actively involve the dad, grandparents of the baby in the upbringing, since they are not associated with breastfeeding in the child.
• When the daytime feedings are over, start rolling up your nighttime meals and sucking on your breast before bed. To do this, you need to actively engage the baby all day so that he quickly falls asleep without feeding.
• In summer, it is better not to turn off GW, as the heat promotes rapid deterioration of food and the risk food poisoning much higher at this time.
• You also need to postpone the completion of GW if the baby is sick or is actively teething.

Important: Throughout the entire process of completing GW, you cannot give the baby a breast to calm him down or just keep him busy. It is necessary to look for other ways of communicating with the child so that the mother gradually ceases to be associated with the sucking of the mammary gland.

Breastfeeding is not a burden, you can complete it at any time convenient for mom and baby. Of course, it is worth listening to the recommendations of experts, but the last word always rests with the nursing mother.

Among young mothers, there is a widespread misconception that breast milk should be fed to a baby for up to a year. It is believed that after the specified age, natural feeding does not bring benefits to the child's body. However, breastfeeding experts take a different view.

There is no single rule that strictly limits natural feeding by timing. Each mother is guided by her own knowledge, so three breastfeeding options are practiced:

• Only up to a year;
• During maternity leave;
• Until the baby gives up the breast on its own.

According to the latest research, WHO recommends maintaining lactation and supporting the natural feeding process for up to 2 years and longer if possible. By its characteristics, breast milk is considered a unique product. It contains the elements necessary for full development that are not found in other types of baby food:

1. An infant up to 6 months old should eat mother's milk, which consists of water and useful elements.
2. After 7-8 months, complementary foods are introduced, but the mother's milk remains useful for the baby.
3. After a year children's diet differs in variety, but this is not a reason to give up breast milk. It is enough to apply the baby to the breast a couple of times a day so that it grows completely healthy.

Experts have proven that natural feeding is of particular importance for premature babies:

1. The first two weeks from the moment of birth of the baby, mother's milk in characteristics and concentration resembles colostrum. This helps the baby to overcome the lag in physical development.
2. Breast milk after a year of feeding still contains immunoglobulins, which reduces the possibility of contracting infectious diseases.

It is up to mothers to decide how long to continue feeding, but experts recommend that you familiarize yourself with the benefits of the natural process.

Main pluses

Throughout the nursing period, breast milk remains the main source of important nutrients. Their content sometimes changes depending on the diet of a nursing woman, but with a full menu, the composition of milk will meet the needs of the baby.

Among the advantages breastfeeding, which does not stop after a year, experts cite verified facts:

1. A child is not afraid of vitamin A deficiency, which is important for the health of the skin, hair and eyes.
2. Vitamin K, which enters a child's body with mother's milk, prevents bleeding.
3. Iron is better absorbed in breast milk, which is an excellent prevention of anemia.

It is enough for a baby to receive about 500 ml of breast milk per day for the body to fully develop:

1. Immune protection. Immunoglobulins produced by the mother's body are also present in her milk. With the age of the baby, their concentration increases, so the baby is reliably protected from various infections, and his own immunity develops better. There is an increase in the number of beneficial lacto- and bifidobacteria in the intestines of the toddler, which guarantees the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Reducing the risk of allergies. With natural feeding, allergic food reactions in a baby are extremely rare.
3. Development of speech. The longer breastfeeding is maintained, the less likely there will be speech impairments in the child in the future. This is due to the activity of the muscles of the soft palate when sucking on the breast.
4. Physical development... Natural feeding determines the normal ratio of muscle and adipose tissue in the child's body. The physical development of the baby is fully age-appropriate.
5. Psychological development. In the process of feeding, a special emotional bond is created between mother and baby, which lasts for years. The psycho-neurological development of such a child can proceed at an outstripping pace, and for adults he will be better able to adapt to various situations.
6. Maturation of parts of the brain. The active development of the child's brain is observed during the first half of the year. For successful maturation, the child's body needs those substances and hormones that are contained in breast milk.
7. Prevention of dangerous diseases. The longer breastfeeding lasts, the lower the risk of having a baby at any age diabetes mellitus, oncology and atherosclerosis.

Experts believe that both boys and girls need to breastfeed for the same length of time. A psychological bond with mother and family is important for any child, regardless of gender.

Key signs for completing breastfeeding

Optimally, the child himself refuses to breast, but there are a number of signals indicating that the baby is ready:

• He is less likely to apply to the chest;
• Learns to overcome emotions on his own without involving his mother in the process;
• Distracted while feeding;
• The child knows how to fall asleep by himself;
• Breastfeeding occurs no more than twice a day.

With this behavior of the child, it is not harmful to begin weaning if it is not accompanied by stressful situations:

• Long trip;
• A cold or other illness in a baby.

You can continue to breastfeed for as long as your heart tells you. Only your own feelings and the health of the crumbs will allow you to come to the right decision. Often mothers refuse breastfeeding when faced with a lack of understanding of loved ones. It is important not to listen to others, but to listen to yourself. Even after 1.5 years, mother's milk will not become “empty” or “useless” - at all stages it is considered the most valuable product for the child.

The question of the end of feeding is a special topic.

We can often hear (and from pediatricians including, unfortunately) that after a year, milk is empty, useless. This statement is fundamentally wrong!

After a year, human milk becomes richer in immunoglobulins and protective factors, contains many vitamins and nutrients in an easily accessible form. With a decrease in the number of feedings, milk approaches colostrum in composition. No other product beats breast milk! Never again in your child's life will there be an opportunity to eat such unique food!

So why deprive a baby of such a benefit?

Yes, of course, after 6 months, breast milk cannot meet all the needs of a growing body, but it still remains a unique addition to the diet, even if the baby receives it once a day.

I know that it often scares off opponents of longevity. A picture when a one-and-a-half-year-old toddler or even a two-year-old lifts up her mother's jacket with shouts of "SISYU-U-U-U-U-U-U!" or when a baby cannot calm down without a mother's breast - not from the category of pleasant ones.

But this is not an obligatory part of feeding after a year! At the right approach feedings will be pleasant for both baby and mother. And the chest will not constrain emotional development child.

If for a child early age mother's breast is the answer to all questions, consolation, calming, maintaining contact, then for an older child, contact and calming more and more come from the mother as such, and not from the breast.

And it is in my mother's power to establish such rules of behavior at the breast that will not make mothers blush :)

If we look at traditional cultures, they often breastfeed children up to 5-7 years old. Of course, this is not round-the-clock sucking, but 1-2 applications per week, when it is very necessary. And most mammals continue to feed their offspring until the change of milk teeth to permanent ones begins.

This is not a guide to action, but an illustration of how much counselors sometimes make mistakes when they say that after a year the baby is too big to suck.

The position of the World Health Organization regarding the duration of hepatitis B is quite definite:
“All mothers should have access to skilled support to initiate and maintain exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and to ensure that appropriate and safe complementary foods are introduced into the diet in a timely manner while breastfeeding continues for up to two years or longer.”

As a mom, I have had different experiences with GW. The eldest son ate milk until he was 3.7 years old, in recent months it was 1-2 times a week, but the initiative to finish feeding still came from me. From this time 10 months he ate in the company of his little sister. He was a classic titty baby :)

The middle daughter found comfort in me, and not in the chest, from a very early age. That is, when she was upset or scared, she needed strong hugs, a whisper in her ear and swaying, and not a chest in her mouth. Although, of course, feeding was on demand, and I practically did not limit it, having introduced some rules only for about a year and a half.

She gave up the breast easily enough, about 2.5 years, when we were waiting for her little sister... We finished feeding very smoothly, so smoothly that I did not even remember when the last attachment was.

This gave me 4 months of respite in my already 7 years of general feeding experience 🙂

In practice, not in theory, I know how pleasant and comfortable breastfeeding can be after a year. And I know exactly how invaluable GV is for a child.

Feel free to feed your children over a year old! And let the feeding bring joy!

With love,
Olga Svistunova

Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova

Reading time: 4 minutes

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Last updated article: 23.01.2017

Moms of our time are much more likely to try to stop breastfeeding a newborn early, in a hurry to get back to work faster, build a career, or want to maintain an impeccable figure. For many years, pediatricians have said that a child deprived of mother's milk will not receive a lot of nutrients. So, until what age should you breastfeed your baby? Six months? Year? Two? Or maybe there is a certain moment in a baby's life when feeding should be stopped?

The very first days after the birth of a baby are magical. By this time, mom, like no one else, is ready to do everything for her child and give him all the best and most useful. The best gift that mom can give him is, of course, breast milk. All women have the opportunity to breastfeed their children, provided they are well informed and supported by their close relatives.

"Until what age should I breastfeed?" - there is no ready answer to this question. This dilemma is pondered by all, without exception, newly-made mothers who decided to breastfeed their newborn, pediatricians and WHO ( World Organization Health). How many people, so many opinions.

During the entire period when a woman is carrying a child, providing him with everything the necessary conditions, for its proper formation and development, and after the baby is born, he will continue to need his mother. Who, besides mom, will give you tasty food, hold it tight, protect you from any troubles and always regret it? Of course, only a mother knows the approach to her baby, she feels him like no other.

What is breast milk, and what effect does it have on the development and growth of the baby.

Breast milk is a natural food source for the newborn. He has a unique chemical composition, is easily digested and absorbed by the child. It is in its composition that substances and trace elements are necessary for the proper development of the baby and the protection of his health from multiple infections and viruses that lie in wait for him in our world. No matter how many years scientists have tried, they cannot boast of such a perfect composition of the formula for artificial feeding.

Experts' opinions on this issue

The opinions of women and modern pediatricians, for a long time, have been very different from each other. WHO, believes that it is necessary to continue natural feeding of the newborn should be at least 6 months, of course, if there is no good reason for early weaning and transfer to artificial feeding(for example, the mother taking antibiotics during an illness, or a new pregnancy). But the experts in breastfeeding(GV) insist that it is wrong to stop breastfeeding, relying only on the calendar age of the baby.

Of course, in the first months of the toddler, his only food should be his mother's milk, it is not even recommended to give water, if only in summer, in hot weather, in order to slightly cool the body and to prevent dehydration. You need to feed not at a certain time, but at the request of the child. However, the WHO does not give precise recommendations for how many years to continue breastfeeding.

Positive sides breastfeeding or why it is better for a baby to “eat” a mother:

1. mother's milk is better able to satisfy any whim of the child to eat, drink, calm down;
2. breastfed babies are less susceptible to infectious diseases and get sick less;
3. babies are not overweight and are less susceptible to food allergies;
4. breast milk will protect the baby from possible diseases of cardio-vascular system;
5. breastfeeding affects the development of the correct maxillofacial skeleton and the rate of speech development;
6. for a newborn, for several years, while breastfeeding, a very strong emotional connection with his mother;
7. a baby sucking on a breast, perceives the whole world through a mother;
8. thanks to breastfeeding, mom can easily return to her previous size in clothes. Everyone knows that it is breastfeeding that helps to lose weight quickly and without diets, and not spend a couple of years on recovery.

Natural feeding from the physiological side

The complex physiological process of milk formation, its accumulation and excretion in a natural way is called lactation. As the statistical data of scientific medical sources show, approximately in the region of 2-3 years from the onset of lactation, the reverse process begins in the mammary gland (involution - a decrease in the amount of milk produced and a visible decrease in its volume). It is thanks to this process that the breast of a nursing woman slowly comes to initial form, in which she stayed even before pregnancy, usually this process takes a couple of years.

Trusting completely to nature, the question of when to wean a baby does not arise in principle. You can continue breastfeeding, over time the baby will give up titi himself, or you can wait until the woman's body simply stops producing milk and the lactation period stops.

Modern mothers consider it inappropriate to breastfeed after a year, because by this age, he has a fairly varied diet. In the daily menu of the toddler, there are a lot of foods that adults eat. And besides, at this age, the first teeth appear, with which they learn to chew everything that gets into their mouths and sometimes the nipple is no exception.

How much then continue to feed after a year

First, everyone knows and there is no one for anyone, it is no secret that breast milk contains a large number of necessary elements, as well as immunoglobulins from the mother, which contribute to the development of immunity in the child.

Also, scientists have long refuted the opinion that breast milk loses all its usefulness from the duration of feeding. Now, on the contrary, they argue that the longer the lactation period (at least up to two years), the more fatty and saturated its composition becomes, because at this age the child spends more energy and needs nutritious food to recuperate.

The second and important reason for maintaining natural feeding for as long as possible is the psychological attachment of the child to the mother's breast. For every newborn, this is not only a way of feeding, but also the opportunity to snuggle up to the mother, touch, feel the security that he experienced in the mother's womb.

Absolutely in every situation, feeling unwell, or the child is scared, teething, or is simply capricious - it is better to put him to the chest and instantly calm him down than to shake him in his arms for hours. It is this reason that stops many women from stopping lactation early. In addition, children at the age of two or three are so independent that they themselves refuse mother's breast when they are ready for it.

There are some criteria for a baby's willingness to give up breast:

1. the daily number of breastfeeding decreases;
2. during stressful situations, the child, less and less needs mother's "titi";
3. the child demanded a breast, and you distracted his attention with some activity and he forgets about it, for a long time;
4. if the baby falls asleep without problems, for example, with dad, not needing your breast.

Listen and watch your child and then, you will easily understand what he needs.

Pros and cons of different periods of the end of lactation

Feeding up to 6-9 months

"Per"

This option was previously adhered to by domestic pediatricians. The main argument for them is that the child has teeth and can be transferred to the diet from the common table. Many doctors believe that weaning an older child from the mother's breast is difficult and can cause serious emotional problems; it is better to transfer a six-month-old baby to artificial feeding, usually this does not pose any problems.

"Against"

Many current pediatricians and HV consultants declare that at six months, the baby is not yet ready to eat from the common table, neither physically (from the point of view of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), nor psychologically (since the little ones perceive the introduction of complementary foods more , as the game is repeated for the parents)). In addition, one should not forget about the "sucking reflex" in a newborn. A baby who suckles only at the breast reacts very nervously to the transition from titi to rubber nipple. And they often arrange real tantrums, wanting to return mother's breasts, which causes severe stress not only for the child, but also for his parents.

Feeding up to one and a half years

"Per"

Currently, this is the most common recommendation of all district pediatricians and many moms agree with it. It is believed that continuing to breastfeed him at this age, he will grow up dependent, and too dependent on his mother and it will be quite problematic to transfer him to a common menu. In addition, prolonged feeding deprives the mother of all the necessary vitamins and substances to maintain her beauty and health in general (such moments as thin nails, hair loss, teeth deterioration, etc. are familiar to all mothers who breastfeed their children for a long time ). We must not forget about ourselves.

"Against"

At this age, it will be difficult to tear the child off the breast, his psychological attachment to his mother is the strongest during this period, and he perceives the situation as if his mother is being taken away from him. And mom is for him, that's all of him small world... In addition, the child is not yet old enough, for his age, to perceive other signs of his mother's manifestation of love, a hug, a kiss or stroking, no matter how much he was instilled in it. So, due to the strong emotional attachment to the mother, a year and a half is not the best period for weaning.

But the opinion of the well-known doctor - pediatrician, E.O. Komarovsky: “A woman who has been breastfeeding for up to a year fulfills her maternal duty 100%. To feed or not in the future is a woman's private affair, but I am convinced that after a year, the type of feeding is no longer a determining factor in bodily and mental health... But I am not at all inclined to extremes, to assert that feeding after a year is harmful. "

Feeding up to 2-3 years

Many will now think that this is impossible. But no, they did not guess this long-term breastfeeding. And there are such mummies too.

On the positive side, here it is more likely more for mothers in the fact that it is useful for the prevention of various oncological diseases on the part of gynecology and mammary glands (any doctor - mammologist and gynecologist will agree with this). In addition, at the age of two years, the child takes a little breast, only once or twice a day, or even every other day, and this contributes to the fact that the mother's body is tuned in to produce milk in a small volume. Thus, it will turn out that you can easily wean the baby from the breast with the least consequences for yourself (congestion, fever, severe chest pains, etc.).

So, what conclusion do we draw from all of the above. Each woman must decide for herself how many years it is worth continuing to breastfeed, regardless of public opinion, whether it be mothers, grandmothers or doctors' recommendations. After all, mother herself knows what exactly her baby needs, when to bathe, to teach him to nipple or not, when to walk, when to sleep, etc. a baby breastfeeding for six months, this is a great feat. All women are special, so you shouldn't judge or reproach someone. Of course, if there is a desire and the ability to continue feeding the child "titties" for a long time - great, if there is no such desire - it's okay, do not break and do not force yourself, no one will throw stones at you. And remember that all the negative emotions that you experience, the child feels on himself. Do as your mother's heart and your mother's instinct tell you, trust your feelings, only it will tell you whether you are doing it right or not, and do not pay attention to other people's opinions.