Granny’s Guide
Breast feeding toddlers By Yvette O’Dowd
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reastfeeding is so much more than a source of milk. Human milk is a living fluid, custom-made on site for the babies. It contains what they need when they need it, from nutrition and emotional needs to specific immune support produced in response to viruses and other threats picked up and acted upon by the maternal immune system.
From the very first feed to the very last, from breakfast to bedtime and all through the night, breastmilk changes. It is flavoured by the mother's meals, contains hormones to support sleep and evolves as the infant gets older. Every drop is beneficial, whatever the age of the child.
Just 28% of Australian babies are still breastfeeding when they turn one and that figure falls to 9% at 18 months. Only 5% of Australian toddlers reach the World Health Organization recommendation of breastfeeding for two years and beyond. So, for most one-year-olds, who no longer have breastmilk in their diet, what should be replacing it?
Fact: Toddlers Don’t Need Formula Despite the heavy marketing by manufacturers and retailers, there are no benefits in continuing formula use into the second year.
Milk In the Second Year of Life – What You Need To Know
Toddler formula, special milk drinks or other milk products targeting children aged 1 – 3 years have flooded the market in recent years, yet there is no evidence they are necessary or helpful in meeting dietary requirements. Indeed, they can reduce appetite and lead to further disinterest in food.
Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend babies are breastfed for at least 12 months – but what happens next?
Children who are at risk of nutritional deficit can be given supplements in better forms than these drinks.
Breastmilk is undervalued. Lactation is undervalued. The contribution to public health from breastfeeding is undervalued.
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70 Peninsula Kids – Spring 2021