The American Academy of Pediatrics AAP recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding while introducing appropriate complementary foods for 1 year or longer.
Sixty percent of mothers do not breastfeed for as long as they intend to. Because of the importance of breastfeeding for the health of mothers and babies, CDC supports breastfeeding through hospital initiatives, work site accommodation, continuity of care, and community support initiatives. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages.
Infants living in the Southeast are less likely to be breastfed at 6 months than infants living in other areas of the country see map below. Breastfeeding Disparities Exist. How long you decide to breastfeed your child is up to you. Experts have their recommendations, others have their opinions, but only you along with your doctor and your partner can make the decision about what works for your family.
Some women choose to breastfeed for just a few weeks, others breastfeed for many years, and most women do something in-between. There will always be someone who thinks you breastfed for too long or too short a period. But, there isn't a right or wrong way, and no one should judge you on the length of time you decide to breastfeed. Health experts around the world are pretty much in agreement about when it comes to breastfeeding guidelines. Here are some of the top expert recommendations:.
These are some of the terms you'll encounter when reading about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding exclusively is full breastfeeding. It means that a baby's only nutrition comes from nursing at the breast.
An exclusively breastfed child doesn't get anything additional to eat or drink such as formula, water, fruit juice, or baby food.
If you can and choose to do it, exclusive breastfeeding is preferred by experts as the primary source of nutrition for the first 4 to 6 months of your child's life. When you want to breastfeed, but you can't or decide not to do it exclusively, you can choose to combine breastfeeding with formula feeding. There are many reasons that full breastfeeding may not work for your family.
If you have to return to work or school right away, you may not be available to breastfeed your child every 2 to 3 hours. Or, if you have underdeveloped breasts or you've had a previous breast surgery, it may not be possible for you to make enough breast milk to meet your growing child's needs.
Combination feeding or partial breastfeeding allows you to continue to breastfeed while supplementing your baby with additional nutrition to make sure she gets everything that she needs. After exclusive breastfeeding for the first 4 to 6 months, experts recommend the continuation of breastfeeding together with the addition of complementary foods. Complementary foods are foods other than breast milk. They are not meant to replace breastfeeding but provide more nutrition in addition to breastfeeding.
The addition of complementary foods begins when you introduce your baby to his first solid food between 4 and 6 months of age. Your child's doctor will advise you when and how to start adding solids. Foods such as pureed fruits and vegetables, baby cereal, and age-appropriate nutritious snacks are often tried first. Breastfeeding is still recommended and beneficial to your child at this age, but as your child gets older, breast milk alone will no longer be enough to provide him with all the nutrition that his body requires as he grows.
Any amount of breastfeeding or breast milk that you can give to your child is beneficial. Even a small amount of colostrum, the first breast milk , is valuable to your child. That first breast milk is packed with more than just nutrition. It also contains antibodies and other immune properties. So, even if you only choose to breastfeed for a little while in the beginning, that early breast milk can help protect your newborn from illnesses such as diarrhea , ear infections, and respiratory infections.
If you continue to breastfeed past the newborn stage , it's even more advantageous. Breastfeeding can lower your child's risk of developing asthma, allergies, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Ongoing studies have shown that the longer the breastfeeding continues, the more health benefits there are for both mother and baby. How long you nurse for is highly personal, and some parents find they need additional support if their baby is nursing longer than their friends and family expected them to nurse.
A great place to find support for nursing little ones of any age is La Leche League meetings! There, like-minded people will support your decision to nurse as long as you and your baby choose. LLL France Article. For best printing results, open the llli.
Although you can view the site well in any browser, printing from other browsers might not operate correctly. Click the Print button that is displayed on the web page not the Print command on the browser menu or toolbar. This opens the browser print window. It makes sense to build our children's bones from the milk that was designed for them.
Your milk provides nutrients, anti-infective factors and other protective substances as long as your child continues breastfeeding. Mothers who breastfeed long- term have a still lower risk of developing breast cancer.
Breastfeeding is a parenting factor which has been associated with child emotional development - in particular the attachment between children and their mothers. Breastfeeding eases both of you through the tears, tantrums and tumbles that come with early childhood.
It helps ensure that any illnesses are milder and easier to deal with. It's an all-purpose mothering tool you won't want to be without! Don't worry that your child will breastfeed forever. All children stop on their own, no matter what you do, and there are more breastfeeding youngsters around than you might guess.
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