An online community for Jewish moms
Nursing after 12 months?
My daughter just turned one this Shabbat and my mom calls me and asked me: "So when will you stop nursing?" I explain to her, that I don't know. But I do know that Chava and I are not ready for weaning, there are great health benefits for extended nursing and the WHO recommends nursing until at least 2 years of age - quote: "a modest increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five: Breastfeeding plays an essential and sometimes underestimated role in the treatment and prevention of childhood illness."
I asked my Rabbi and he said, generally its two years. I also bought a great book this week called "A Lifetime Companion to the Laws of Jewish Family Life" and it explains that the Talmud discusses breastfeeding duration in a number of contexts and in most cases assumes a duration of 24 months (Ketuvot 60a, b) - the Shulkhan Arukh codifies a minimum of two years (Even Haezer 143:8) and a maximum of five years (Yore Deah 81:7).
But then I was told this weekend, that one of my friend's dr recommended giving solids at 4months? What?
What do you think?
I asked my Rabbi and he said, generally its two years. I also bought a great book this week called "A Lifetime Companion to the Laws of Jewish Family Life" and it explains that the Talmud discusses breastfeeding duration in a number of contexts and in most cases assumes a duration of 24 months (Ketuvot 60a, b) - the Shulkhan Arukh codifies a minimum of two years (Even Haezer 143:8) and a maximum of five years (Yore Deah 81:7).
But then I was told this weekend, that one of my friend's dr recommended giving solids at 4months? What?
What do you think?
Views: 5
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Julie Lehmann Weisman on -
so interesting, my son just turned one this week as well. I live in Israel, and doctors here insist starting solids at five months, so i did. by 9 months I was exhausted from nursing, it was driving me crazy. I started to wean, and by 10 and a half months he was fully on formula (and eating real food since 6 months). i have heard women who needed to stop after 4 months say their doctors told them its only critical to nurse the first 4 months. most people i know say 6, and then like you, women i know who wanted to justify nursing til 2 asked their doctor and the doctor said 2 years. The doctor will tell you whatever you want to hear.
I think nursing til 12 mths is great, but dont you want some independence already? I would NOT recommend nursing until two, your child will literally be coming up to you and tugging your shirt and saying "milk" in public... its a bit ridiculous. If you are not ready now, you dont have to ween her, but i would suggest at least starting to- relatively soon. You dont have to take her completely off nursing in a short period, weening can start with supplementing one bottle for feeding a day and stretch the weening for as long as you want, maybe over a number of months.
whatever you do, good luck! -
-
Permalink Reply by Hannah Katsman on
-
Hi Hannah,
I posted on my blog about the Israeli Health Ministry's recommendations to offer tastes at 4-6 mo... and the reasoning behind it. It's still controversial as it is based on a few newish studies and I don't know if the recommendations ever became official.
-Hannah, who nursed most of her kids for years past 12 months. -
-
Permalink Reply by Joy Rosen on -
My son is 15 months old and still breastfeeds. He never comes up to me in public and tugs on my shirt, demanding to nurse. He knows that it's something we only do in private. Babies can be trained to do just about anything, including behave appropriately about these things. As for independence, I don't HAVE to nurse him all the time. I usually just nurse in the morning when he wakes up and in the evening before bedtime. If my husband and I go out at night, I simply don't nurse that night. Nursing a toddler is an amazing experience and completely different than nursing an infant. It is a beautiful way to bond. I really regret not doing it with my first, whom I weaned at 6 months. By the way, it doesn't matter when you start the baby on solids. Instead of cow's milk or formula, you breastfeed. It's certainly not meant to replace solid food.
Julie Lehmann Weisman said:so interesting, my son just turned one this week as well. I live in Israel, and doctors here insist starting solids at five months, so i did. by 9 months I was exhausted from nursing, it was driving me crazy. I started to wean, and by 10 and a half months he was fully on formula (and eating real food since 6 months). i have heard women who needed to stop after 4 months say their doctors told them its only critical to nurse the first 4 months. most people i know say 6, and then like you, women i know who wanted to justify nursing til 2 asked their doctor and the doctor said 2 years. The doctor will tell you whatever you want to hear.
I think nursing til 12 mths is great, but dont you want some independence already? I would NOT recommend nursing until two, your child will literally be coming up to you and tugging your shirt and saying "milk" in public... its a bit ridiculous. If you are not ready now, you dont have to ween her, but i would suggest at least starting to- relatively soon. You dont have to take her completely off nursing in a short period, weening can start with supplementing one bottle for feeding a day and stretch the weening for as long as you want, maybe over a number of months.
whatever you do, good luck! -
-
-
Julie, I just wanted to say that kids do and say all kinds of things in public. If nursing a toddler was the norm in our society, having a child tugging on your shirt wouldn't be "ridiculous." (That doesn't mean the mother has to agree to nurse at that moment.)
I'm all for independent children. I don't believe, however, that weaning to a bottle makes a child more independent. Independence will come when the child is ready, if the parent lets go. If a child is denied a genuine need (for physical contact, connection, affection, attention) she will need to make it up in some other way. If those needs are according to a child's emotional development, with awareness of when they have outgrown them(e.g. the need to be picked up, hold hands on the street, nurse) children will move on without a fuss. There is a lot of variation as to what age these things happen, and much depends on the parent's own feelings. But it is developmentally normal for children to nurse until 3 or 4 years old and perhaps longer.
-Hannah
Julie Lehmann Weisman said:so interesting, my son just turned one this week as well. I live in Israel, and doctors here insist starting solids at five months, so i did. by 9 months I was exhausted from nursing, it was driving me crazy. I started to wean, and by 10 and a half months he was fully on formula (and eating real food since 6 months). i have heard women who needed to stop after 4 months say their doctors told them its only critical to nurse the first 4 months. most people i know say 6, and then like you, women i know who wanted to justify nursing til 2 asked their doctor and the doctor said 2 years. The doctor will tell you whatever you want to hear.
I think nursing til 12 mths is great, but dont you want some independence already? I would NOT recommend nursing until two, your child will literally be coming up to you and tugging your shirt and saying "milk" in public... its a bit ridiculous. If you are not ready now, you dont have to ween her, but i would suggest at least starting to- relatively soon. You dont have to take her completely off nursing in a short period, weening can start with supplementing one bottle for feeding a day and stretch the weening for as long as you want, maybe over a number of months.
whatever you do, good luck! -
-
Permalink Reply by Yonit dM on
-
My kids weaned themselves at 3yrs and 2yrs and I was so sad. It was such a wonderful time of bonding and snuggling, quiet time, quick fix when sick or boo-booed.
PS - there are soooo many ways weaned kids can embarrass or annoy mommy in public. Being asked to nurse is much nicer than a diaper explosion, a tantrum, or a rude comment about a stranger, hehe! -
-
Permalink Reply by Sabina Dopiro on -
I nursed all my kids till they were 12 months. My youngest one is 11 months and I am planning to nurse till she is 2. I started her on solids when she was 6 months. When a baby gets older you do not nurse constantly, but rather in the mornings and in the evenings or whenever the little one comforting. In "the old country" women nursed exclusively till the baby was 1 and started introducing solids after baby's first birthday. They continued nursing way past baby's 2nd birthday. I think it is good for the mother and for the baby. :)
-
© 2012 Created by Metroimma.
