Why Is Nursing Considered Wonderful Till Age 2 but Bottles Are Not?

I think it's a really interesting question and a good point! It most likely has to do with the complete nutritional value in breast milk and the fact that in some developing areas of the world, if children are not breastfeeding, they're not going to receive all of their nutritional needs. Parents can't whip out to the store and buy a can of formula. With bottles, because the delivery can rot teeth and by age 1 kids can handle sippy cups and regular cups, if you're not breastfeeding, then you might as well go ahead and change them over.

I also am not one to think a bottle has to be taken away at 1. Have you seen the sippy cups out there? They are just like bottles. I really don't see the difference between the two. I do agree with not letting them fall asleep with them, but teeth issues can happen from a bottle or a sippy cup.

Very interesting question! Maybe developmentally it also has to do with skill sets - by the age of 2, a child should have the coordination/dexterity to use a sippy cup and/or regular cup rather than a bottle. If a child is still breast fed at age 2, I wouldn't think that their liquids consist entirely of breast milk (water, diluted juice, chocolate milk unless the BF mother is really talented :), so they, too, should know how to use a cup.

I think that it's becuase the breastmilk evolves with the child. Formula doesn't.

I breastfed my first for almost 2 1/2 years. She still ate breakfast, lunch and dinner and just snacked on me in-between or when she was sick (which was a stress reliever knowing that she was well hydrated without having to make her drink something she didn't want). Breast milk changes from birth to up to 5 years (from what I've researched) in nutritional content based on what your LO needs at that particular time. I've never really looked into formula but maybe formula is only formulated (ha ha) up to a year?

It's simply a question of risk and benefit. Breastfeeding into toddlerhood has measurable health benefits for child and mother. It is not about the delivery method, for example moms that exclusively pump are encourgaed to switch to sippy cups around age one as well. After the first year most children will get most of their nutrition from regular food and not formula/breastmilk, but continued nursing after age one has been associated with better immunity and less risk for obesity and diabetes later in life.
In addition you don't usually have toddlers sucking on their mothers breast for hours at a time. Toddler breastfeed usually for short spurs, often only a few minutes and go right back to being busy...kind of hard to go explore and take the booby with you. The bottle on the other hand is portable and I have seen kids running around with bottles in their mouth without letting go.
It is the sucking on sugary liquids for hours (whether that is juice, formula or even expressed breastmilk) at a time that should be discouraged, whether it's a bottle or sippy does not really matter.

I think the nursing till age 2 isn't supposed to be about the comfort...but about the nutritional content and immuno-properties of breastmilk. Not to say nursing isn't comforting but that isn't the ONLY purpose. Formula simply isn't necessary after age 1. Also, as FYI- I pumped when I wasn't home and if the kiddo was older than 1, that kiddo got the breastmilk in a sippy or cup--not a bottle. The general problem with bottles is that parents will let their children drink them lying down or in the crib or playpen and that leads to rotten teeth and can cause ear infections. Also, as the kiddos age, the bottles cause the same problems with speech development and teeth moving as binkies or thumbs do.

It's not just about teeth bottles require very little effort from baby and can hinder the proper development of muscles needed for speech causing delays while nursing requires effort and the use of the tongue and jaw.
That and breast milk constantly changes to meet a Childs nutritional needs where formula is not needed past age 1

That's actually an interesting question! I would guess that maybe is has to do with a couple of things. First, breast milk is gentler on teeth than formula. Yes it is naturally sweet, but it has good bacteria that help fight tooth decay and it's not as acidic as formula (or juice, or cow's milk) so even if you're talking about a comfort bottle vs. comfort nursing, what's going into the baby's mouth makes a difference. Second, breastmilk is a living food that continues to offer baby benefits as long has s/he is nursing, and mom benefits from extended nursing as well. You don't get those benefits from anything that you would put in a bottle, so it's probably not worth the tradeoff of having a hard habit to break (a toddler can walk around with a bottle all day, not true with a breast), dental problems, etc. So perhaps it's that the comfort is still a good thing, but if you are bottle feeding, the delivery method should be altered (i.e. cuddle but with a sippy cup?).

I'm interested to hear what others have to say!

Well - totally personal opionion here, but I think that both/either should be stopped by 1yr old or at least by 1.5 yrs old. I stopped nursing both of mine at 1 yr old. They were eating "people" food and I see no reason to continue. I understand while some people do continue for longer, but it's just not for me and I don't see it as necessary.
But you're right - there does seem to be a little bit of a double standard.

I just think that ALL kids have their "time" to move on...from bottle or breast. What's 'right' for O. isn't always 'right' for another. They grow up!

Personally, I disagree with no bottles after age 1. My son was on them until 2 (started some sippy cup use around 18 mo). And boy did I get looks! But I don't care. He was breast fed until they put an NG tube in for 6 months during which time he had nothing. Afterwards he had to re-learn the whole suck motion. Each child is different, some kids wean them selves off nursing by a year or even earlier cause they are ready, same with a bottle. Others need that comfort. i really think some problems are caused by trying to get kids to grow up too fast! Stop the bottle, hurry into a toddler bed, hurry and potty train etc. They do all of this on their own schedule if we just allow them. And it is so much easier then!

Well I think nursing is completely natural. When the baby is small I believe its fine to do it public. When the child is 2-3 yrs and nursing in public its a bit peculiar. I once saw a toddler go over to his mom lift up her shirt and pull out her breast. How embrassing.

I haven't read all the responses, but my initial thoughts are:
1. nursing provides immunity and health benefits beyond the first year. Formula does not.
2. a nursing toddler must choose to seek comfort and "sit out" for awhile. Usually they get their comfort and quickly choose to return to play. Bottles and pacifiers are often given and then stay in the mouth while the child plays. The child then "needs" these items while they walk around and play. So they are often used beyond the comfort they are thought to provide.
3. a mom's nipple is what children have been suckling for thousands of years. Artificial nipples are made with synthetic materials and do not require the same jaw and tongue action nature intended for babies and toddlers to use.
4. a child is meant to go to mom (or a parent) for comfort.

I sat next to a woman at the mall who was nursing her 5 year old daughter yet told me my 15 month old should "ditch the binky soon." Go figure. How about we all mind our own business. I certainly kept my trap shut when I could've unleashed.

Nursing all the time will never cause tooth decay... that is why it's called BOTTLE MOUTH. When you nurse, the milk does not pool in the mouth or leak into the front of the teeth - which when drinking from a bottle - that is how tooth decay occurs. Breastmilk also has certain antibacterial and enzymatic composition to counter act decay - formula does not.

Also, using bottles too long cause orthodontic issues as well as jaw structural issues. Nursing does neither of those - in fact nursing STRENGTHENS jaw muscular structure, teeth and helps create a wider palate.

Switch to a pacifier - it will still harm the structure a bit, but at least they will still have all their teeth :o)

personally, I think it's bologna! My kids used their bottles till about 15 months each...slowly weaning down to just a night bottle and then cup. Breastmilk, formula, whole milk...till age 2...whatever. A bottle given a couple times a day is no different than a sippy cup. Seriously...what is the difference except the shape? And even then a lot of sippys have nipple shapes "spouts". Hey...do what works for you and your kids and tell anyone who says anything else to mind their own business. Granted, a 4 year old probably should not be using a bottle for the most part...and none should be wandering around with one at all...but if you want to snuggle and comfort kiddo with a bottle...go aheady. They grow up too fast already!
P.S. I'm sitting here sipping my water out of a (gasp!) water bottle! LOL

I dont have an answer. I do know that my son hated his bottle so we switched to a sippy cup as soon as he could handle it, but kept the bottles for a while in case he changed his mind. who cares what people like. bottle vs cup as long as he is getting the right amount of milk, water,etc

I have to admit, I'm not a fan of seeing a big kid walking around with a bottle, but it's really none of my business. I have 4 sons - all of whom were breastfed for at least a year. My #4 son who turned 2 in November, both nursed AND took a bottle due to issues with nursing at birth (I pumped for 11 weeks because while he was able to latch on, he wouldn't suck) - but now...he still takes a bottle at naptime and bedtime. It's the only way I can get him to drink his milk. He eats a well balanced diet, and many would argue that he doesn't need it, but I don't see the harm in giving him 2 bottles of milk every day. He rarely falls asleep drinking them, and we brush his teeth right before bed. And because I never had a child that took a bottle until now, I am just going with the flow for him. As far as I'm concerned, I think that every family has a right to make their own decisions as to how to raise their own children, regardless of what "the experts" say. And fyi...my 2nd son ended up with "carries" (baby cavities) on his front teeth because I co-slept with him and allowed him to nurse all night. He NEVER took a bottle, and we brushed his teeth 2x a day, but he still ended up with what a dentist would call "bottle rot" - but thankfully not severely enough that he had to have caps...but for the woman who said that a breastfed baby wouldn't get cavities...she is wrong. I just wanted to share that! So...to each his own. We all have different opionions as to what is and isn't appropriate for our chilren, but that's the beauty of parenting - we all do what we feel is best for US. As long as our kids are happy, healthy, thriving and progressing - you're doing a great job!

I've always thought it was a bit of a double standard. :)

I think that maybe the whole "wean off the bottle by age 1" is more for the kids that carry the bottle around with them all the time and the ones that take it to bed with them.

I see nothing wrong with a 2 year old having a bottle a few times a day. However, they should be getting most of their liquids from cups, not bottles.

the norm is to nurse until age 2? really? I have been trying to talk my friend into stopping her daughter will be two in April and I think she is about a year overdue to quit. By the age of two there shouldn't be nursing or bottles or binkies they are no longer babies people they are toddlers they drink from glasses and eat normal food.

Great question. Now I feel less bad for letting my daughter have her bottle until two!!! Ha ha. You are right.

I would just think that nursing is a natural way for baby to continue to get milk. At one year, many formula fed babies start receiving whole milk instead of formula b/c it's cheaper. Breastfed babies do not transition to whole milk as quickly, and since many didn't have a bottle at all, they start with a cup. Also, I think the comfort is from the mother just as much as it is from the breast. Many times you don't see babies who walk snuggling w/ mom or dad and a bottle. I don't know if that helps:( Honestly, it's probably just our society's opinion of what is okay and what is not.

my oldest was bottle broke at 12 months reason why he would throw down his bottle and pick up a glass and drink out of it. now my youngest was also bottle broke at 12m reason why i was using a bottle spouton his bottle that was shaped like a tippy top. because i was giving him so much cereal at that age. so i took away his bottle and gave him a tippy cup.now at almost 3 his tippy is his security like a bottle would be wtih other kids. I dont sweat it too much for various reasons. one he is hard of hearing so it is security like his blankie and thumb. two he will eventually break himself so to me the battle is not worth it.

Wow, totally the opposite around here! No one really mentions a kid with a bottle past a year but if you tell someone you are nursing a kid past a year you get made fun of. Doctors do want the kid over bottles at a year and onto sippy cups but I really don't see the big deal as long as their teeth are ok and you aren't putting juice in the bottle. Yes, you should go to sippy cups after a year but if they need the breast or bottle a couple times a day, who cares? I breastfed my son way past 2 but I NEVER would have done like your friend and let the kid walk over several time while we are hanging out for a swig.

Bottle fed babies tend to have a bottle of juice available all the time and therefore would have a bottle and in many cases sugar in their mouth often. The reason they should be weaned right around 1 year is to prevent problems with both tooth formation, tooth decay, and speech.

I breastfed all my kids until age two but one of mine who weaned himself at 9 months. I then gave him a sippy cup and lots of snuggles. =) No formula either.