Extended Breastfeeding is defined by some as breastfeeding past one year old, for others the 'extended' term does not apply until the child is 3 years or even 7 years old.

So how long should a child breastfeed for?

The American Association of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least 1 year.
The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding for 2 years and beyond.
The average age of weaning in the world has been suggested as 4.2 years.
Anthropological research indicates that the normal age for weaning is between 2.5 to 7 years.

The ideal answer to how long a child should breastfeed for would be: as long as the child and mother are happy to continue. There is no way a child can be forced to breastfeed if they do not want it, similarly a mother should not be forced to breastfeed their child if they do not want to, and certainly the child would pick up their mother's signals that she is not fully keen.

There are many benefits to breastfeeding beyond infancy and child-led weaning, including better health for both mother and child, lowered risks of many diseases,  improved bonding, and greater confidence and independence in the child. On a more practical day-to-day level, breastfeeding a child is a fantastic parenting tool, it is a wonderful salve for childhood frustrations and bumps, and the fastest and easiest way to calm an overtired or grumpy child.

If you are interested in reading more about extended breastfeeding, there are books such as:

also these books have significant sections on extended nursing:

and many websites including:

Once breastfeeding is well established, a mother & baby sometimes find they are under pressure to wean off the breast from well-meaning, but ill-informed relatives or health personnel. Such advice becomes more perceptible when a child reaches certain milestones, e.g. teething, birthdays, or when if the mother gets pregnant or gives birth.

Our Four Trimesters Lactation Consultants can provide parents with information and support for whatever their decisions are regarding feeding their child, whether that be continuing to breastfeed past infancy, breastfeeding through pregnancy, tandem nursing, child-led or mother-directed weaning.