Attachment Parenting Older Children: Extended Nursing

Practicing attachment parenting generally leads to a great deal of research. In addition to simply wanting to be well educated about my parenting choices, I've found myself researching parenting topics regularly for many reasons. Family and friends tend to come to me for advice and information because they know I'll find the most accurate available. This led me to further research in college, focusing most of my electives in psychology and education. You'd be surprised how much a thorough knowledge of such topics helps in political advocacy, as well.

In Western culture, mothers wean their babies at younger and younger ages. With the social norms lowering to under a year, often under a few months, mothers often think what everyone else is doing must be what's best for their child. In reality, this is only the case in extreme circumstances. The more the medical and scientific communities research breastfeeding, the more we find out how important it is to our children's development well past their first year of life.

According to anthropologist Katherine Dettwyler, data about our evolutionary past suggests human children are designed to receive all the benefits of nursing and breastmilk for a minimum of two and a half years, and as long as their first five to seven years. Fast paced lifestyles and modern conveniences have led to mothers expecting their children to meet many developmental milestones well before they are ready, and a general unwillingness to put up with the time and energy children truly need.

PRO

Comfort

Children up to at least five and possibly as old as seven are developmentally inclined to nurse for both food and comfort. This emotional comforting bolsters children's self esteem and independence. Additionally, it is a simple way to help sooth an upset child. Injuries, discomforts, and even long car rides are made tolerable by the loving comfort offered to children by their mother.

Health Benefits