Breastfeeding Beyond Infancy

Aug 7, 20221 min read

Let's talk about breastfeeding beyond infancy and into toddlerhood...

Did you know the WHO recommends for babies to be exclusively breastfed for 6 months, and then for breastfeeding to continue alongside solid food for 2 years or more?

Did you also know that the average worldwide age of weaning is somewhere between 2-4 years of age?

Alot of people I come across are so surprised to hear this. There is definitely a stigma around feeding older children. I actually find it fascinating that as a society we get uncomfortable with the image of breastfeeding beyond infancy (milk that is intended for humans) and have been conditioned to have preference for cow's milk - intended to feed calves 🤷‍♀️

Toddler milk provides our little ones with:

29% of their daily energy needs

43% of protein requirements.

75% of Vitamin A requirements.

60% of Vitamin C requirements.

Not to mention the immunological factors they receive, the sleepy hormones, the growth factors and fatty acids for optimal CNS development, the comfort, the connection.

So let's breakdown the stigma around this perfectly normal biological processes and celebrate feeding beyond infancy ❤