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The Benefits of Breastfeeding Toddlers
from: Karlie BestlerBreastfeeding toddlers is somewhat a controversial topic. Making a decision to continue breastfeeding toddlers is a personal one breastfeeding mothers must make, and the decision of extended breastfeeding often is not made until the time comes. According to most breastfeeding moms who have decided on extended breastfeeding toddlers finds that once breastfeeding moms have managed to breastfeed through the challenging first year, extended breastfeeding toddlers is a breeze.
The benefits of breastfeeding toddlers enriches toddlers in the areas of their immune system health, oral development, IQ score, independence, and self esteem. Human breast milk is the primary source of nutrition during the first year for a baby breastfeeding. Human breast milk then becomes a supplement to solid foods during the second year for a baby breastfeeding. Extended breastfeeding toddlers maintains nutritional supplement value, as well as the emotional benefits for toddlers.
It takes between two and six years for a child's immune system to fully mature. Human breast milk continues to complement and boost the immune system for as long babies breastfeeding is continues. Research on the incidence of illness in breastfed and weaned toddlers reflects these results.
Better Health
Breastfeeding toddlers between 16 and 30 months of age have been found to have fewer types of illness and shorter duration of illness and to require less medical care than non breastfeeding babies.
Oral Development and Speech
Oral development is improved. Breastfeeding provides toddlers a natural outlet for non nutritive sucking that promotes proper oral development and thus improve speech development.
Higher IQ
Extensive research on the relationship between cognitive achievement (IQ scores,) and extended breastfeeding toddlers has shown the greatest IQ score gains for those children breastfed the longest.
More Independent
The process that children go through while growing toward independence is a difficult one. Breastfeeding can provide feelings of love, comfort, and protection to through extended breastfeeding toddlers. When a extended breastfeeding mother makes herself available to nurse her child through a situation that the child can't handle alone, the toddler will likely develop independence based on faith that mother will be there to help. As a toddler gets older, there are fewer such situations. As long as thea child isn't prevented from developing capabilities, independence comes with increasing competence.
More Self Esteem
Babies and toddlers nurse when they are lonely, frightened, or in pain and responsive mothering through breastfeeding leads to enhanced bonding of mother and child. Allowing toddler to nurse and breastfeeding weaning at his own pace is an expression of trust that contributes to his self-esteem.
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