Happy and Healthy Baby: Benefits of Extended Breastfeeding

One of the most common questions that nursing moms have is, "When should I stop breastfeeding my baby?" Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. So many factors can impact your decision: work, your health, your comfort level, your child's individual needs.

What is extended breastfeeding?

The definition of extended breastfeeding varies. Some sources define it as breastfeeding past the age of one year. The more common definition, however, is breastfeeding past the age of two years - in other words, nursing a toddler or young child.

Why is there such a difference in how we define extended breastfeeding? It all depends on who you look to for your recommendations. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding until at least the age of two. The WHO is the world's largest organization devoted to human health and well-being. Their recommendation does not take into account social norms, but instead focuses solely on the health benefits to child and mother.

In the United States, the foremost experts on infants' and children's health is the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP recommends nursing until the age of one, and thereafter for as long as mother and baby are comfortable. Why do they not recommend the full years as prescribed by the WHO? My theory is that while the AAP is working in the interest of children's health, they also must take into account social and political interests. Most Americans are not comfortable seeing a child nursing past the age of one, so the AAP keeps its recommendation low in the hope that mothers will at least nurse their children for the first year of life. The drawbacks of weaning before age one are much more severe than the drawbacks of weaning between the age of one and two, so the AAP is attempting to entice mothers to nurse for at least that first year. Anything longer is considered a "bonus."

Extended breastfeeding benefits baby's health