Reply #276: Most experts say two years on the breast is ideal---most kids walk before one.

[antigone382]

So that may be the rule for many people, and may not be a terrible thing, but it isn't the rule advocated by public health experts. In fact, some have admitted that two years may be too conservative, and that there may be important benefits for continuing to age three or beyond.

In other cultures breastfeeding continues for a long time, as long as six or seven in some. The theory is that it's an adaptive strategy where there isn't enough protein that would be easily digestible for a child. If this family is poor, as some of the responses have indicated, it may be that the child gets nutrients he would otherwise be deprived of if he did not have access to breast milk.