10 reasons why we still nurse

As I nursed my baby before bed tonight I was thinking of how wonderful it is to breastfeed a toddler and how different it is from nursing an infant. Commonly, mothers stop nursing at one year (or sooner) due to a variety of reasons, but I fear mostly it is because breastfeeding a toddler isn't considered normal. There are so many good reasons to continue nursing. Here are my personal top 10.

10. Left the house without a snack? No problem! I self-generate snacks.
9. Toddlers are on the go all the time so sometimes it is really nice to just hold her still in my arms and snuggle.
8. Nursing burns calories like crazy and so I get to eat all the dessert I want!
7. I am healthier. Breastfeeding reduces my risk of breast, ovarian, uterine, and endometrial cancers. It protects against osteoporosis, and reduces the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
6. I don't have to worry about if my toddler is eating a balanced diet. Picky? Refusing to eat greens? What about calcium? Is she getting enough fat? I've got it covered.
5. I don't have to roam the halls to get her back to sleep when she wakes in the night.
4. It is my all-purpose mothering tool. Cranky? Let's nurse. Hurt? Let's nurse. Scared? Let's nurse. Nursing is the fastest and easiest way to calm her down whether she took a fall or is having a tantrum.
3. She is healthier. Children's immune systems are not fully developed until the age of 3. While other children may be eating chicken nuggets and chocolate milk, mine is getting breast milk. Because of her diet, environment, and the immunity in breast milk, my child has never had anything more than the sniffles, and she only had that a few times. (I should also point out the fact that she does not have to go to daycare. But she does go to the Y and to the church nursery, so she is exposed to other children several times a week.)
2. The nutrition. Breast milk doesn't have an expiration date. There is no time in a child's life that breast milk is not beneficial or even less beneficial. In the second year (12-23 months), 15 oz of breastmilk provides:
29% of energy requirements
43% of protein requirements
36% of calcium requirements
75% of vitamin A requirements
76% of folate requirements
94% of vitamin B12 requirements
60% of vitamin C requirements.
(From Kellymom.com)
1. The bond. Hands-down, nursing is the most precious to me because of the bond it gives me with my daughter. As her nursing needs have become less pure need and more emotional, nursing is a way for her and I both to say I Love You.

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