How Long Should you Breastfeed for?

Answer 1

However long feels comfortable for you. You will know when it is time to wean.

Answer 2

You should baby should be breastfed for as long as you wish. "They" say to nurse exclusively for one year, but you will soon realise how much of your time is devoted to this. You need to have a great deal of patience to master it, and very little stress. Although once you have a good rhythm to it, it gets a lot easier and it's very rewarding. It helped me learn how to mother a baby. I am currently still nursing after three months.
Give yourself a date to re-evaluate (ie: I will nurse for two months and then look at it) and go from there. If you do decide to stop, don't let anyone make you feel badly. This is your decision, and any nursing mom could empathise with wanting your body back. Babies who are formula fed are strong, happy, well-adjusted people too! Use your instincts.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Start introducing baby cereal at 4-6 months and formula.

Age: 4 to 6 months
Signs of readiness for solid food
Your baby probably won't do all these things — they're just clues to watch for.
• Can hold head up
• Sits well in highchair
• Makes chewing motions
• Shows significant weight gain (birth weight has doubled)
• Shows interest in food
• Can close mouth around a spoon
• Can move food from front to back of mouth
• Can move tongue back and forth, but is losing tendency to push food out with tongue
• Seems hungry after 8 to 10 feedings of breast milk or 40 oz. of formula in a day
• Is teething
What to feed
• Breast milk or formula, PLUS
• Semi-liquid iron-fortified rice cereal, THEN
• Other grain cereals like oats or barley How much per day
• Begin with about 1 teaspoon dry rice cereal mixed with 4 to 5 teaspoons breast milk or formula (it'll be very runny).
• Gradually thicken consistency and increase to 1 tablespoon dry cereal mixed with breast milk or formula, twice a day.
Feeding tips
• If your baby won't eat the cereal on the first try, offer it again in a few days.
• Get more detailed tips on how to introduce solids.

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babyfeeding/1400680.html

This website is the best.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

The longer the better, but I believe for the first year of your babies life will give him/her the best start possible. As long as you and baby are going along well, then continue.

Answer 5

Until the baby is full.

Overall duration - current recommendations are :
- exclusively until 6 months
- main source of nutrition until 12 months, adding in complimentary foods.
- continuing until 2nd birthday.
- however long is MUTUALLY desirable thereafter

Answer 6

While of course this is your decision, it is always a good idea when it comes to your baby's health to consider all the evidence.

The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends (meaning it is healthiest and BEST for your baby) exclusive breastfeeding for at LEAST the first six months. This means no solids, no cereal, no juice, not even water -- just breastmilk. (see links below)

You MAY introduce solids at this point, but there are a lot of benefits to delaying solids until at least 8 or 9 months or even for the first year. (see links below)

For the entire first year, the majority of your baby's diet should be made up of breastmilk or formula. Every health organization in the world recommends breastmilk, meaning it is healthier and better for your baby. If you wean before a year, you must substitute with formula, also known as Artificial Breast Milk. Formula is the closest mankind has managed to come to breastmilk -- but it is by no means as good as breastmilk as it cannot possibly provide all the benefits that breastmilk can (antibodies, protection against short-term and even long-term illnesses in BOTH infant and mother). (see link below for list of benefits of breastfeeding that can not be duplicated with formula)

If you wean before the second birthday, most doctors will tell you to start cow milk (which, by the way, is BREASTMILK from another species). While I have no problems giving my 2 1/2 yr old cow milk, it is a poor substitute for human breastmilk for my 13-month old son. The reason your doctor will tell you to give cow milk is because it is rich in vitamins, and particularly fat (you have to give whole milk until the second birthday for this reason). Your child needs fat for her developing brain, especially during this year of life. But human breastmilk is made especially for that purpose and is composed differently than cow breastmilk. Human milk is made for baby humans -- who need fat for brain growth -- and cow milk is made for baby cows -- who need bone growth. You might notice that cows are NOT as smart as humans. See links below for more information about cow's milk. I also included links about nursing until the second birthday (extended nursing).

After the second birthday, child-led weaning is best for a number of reasons, including psychological health of both mother and child. See links below for more information.

So the short answer is, for at least two years as long as both child and mother are willing. After age two, chid-led weaning is preferred.

Hope that helps!

Answer 7

this is really a matter of personal choice and practicality, for example if you are returning to work, maintaining breastfeeding has its challenges. any period of breastfeeding will benefit the baby as it will recieve antibodies and nutrition as nature intended that cannot be replicated in formula.

Answer 8

Do it for as long as you are comfortable. This is about you as well as baby. Don't be pressured by others.

Answer 9

If he's old enough to ask for it, in my opinion, it's time to stop. I had four and my cut off time was when they were 18 months.

Answer 10

lol well you huband, need to be feed for at least , to he 90,lol