Just found this!
The benefits of extended breastfeeding are the same as those for breastfeeding a baby under one year of age. Breast milk contains
- nutrients (for energy and growth),
- antibodies (for immunity) and
- vitamins (for growth and development).
Thus, extended breastfeeding continue to give him the nutritional benefits of breast milk.
I would agree - my kids (particularly Emma who had a larger intake over one year as Oscar was intent on self weaning apart from the am and pm feeds only) are very, very healthy and even when they do get sick they tend to get over it quicker than average. But then maybe that's overall diet and sleep related too...hard to say. Also related to the fact that I don't "wrap them in cotton wool" (typical in PL mums) nor overuse antibiotics (Oscar has had augmentim twice in 5 yrs, Emma zero so far).
Breast milk may not be crucial for an older child since North American have relatively good diets (compared to for example, the diet of a child in a poor, developing country). However, extended breastfeeding offers emotional benefits too. It:
- soothes a child when he is upset or sad; - I never had my kids wanting this kind of soothing as we never used the breast as a soother/dummy. HOWEVER -
- gives a child comfort when he is sick or unwell; Both of them got some kind of tummy bug around 13/15 mths and went to feeding 7 or 8 times in a day without soilds again. I was amazed as HOW QUICKLY they got better compared to DH and I and how quickly their poops went back to newborn style. I was very thankful for the fact that I was still feeding them when they were sick at this age. I weaned them both (well THEY were ready, I weaned MYSELF rather of the NEED to feed longer) in the summertime when there was lowest chance of sickness or infection for similar reason.
- allows him to connect & bond with you after a day of play & learning; Emma loved her afternoon feed long beyond a year when I would get in the door for work. Oscar had other ideas of how to have fun with Mammy when she came home and weaned himself of this early pm feed (3-4pm snack I am talking about) around 10 mths.
- allows s child become independent and have more self confidence before he is weaned. - here I think the issue is what the feeding relationship has been like. If babies have been feeding for nutrition mainly and not comfort then its similar to telling them they are big now, drop bottles and move onto the cup (which lots don't do with bottle fed babies till they are 2 or more). If they are nursing for comfort then it could be really really difficult to wean at age 2 as there are so many sleep changes going on as well as two year molars etc. and lots need to feed a lot, lot longer than even age 2 for this reason - not nutrition but dependance on the breast for comfort (just as other kids still have dummies, lovies, their thumb till well into the preschool stage).
Thats just MHO on extended nursing as it can take so, so many forms xxx
