It is perfectly natural for mothers to want to breastfeed their children. Many new mothers swear by it for their children, but when is it time to stop breastfeeding your child? Are there any long-term effects for breastfeeding a child into early childhood?

Each baby is different, and depending on the situation, many mothers breastfeed their child into 5 or 6 years old. The common age to begin weaning them away from the breast and over to the bottle is about 2 ½ years old. However, some babies will wean faster and take a bottle sooner than 2 ½ years. Some may take longer, even up to 7 years. When nursing, studies have found that the baby's heart rate and stress levels drop, as they are close to their mom and feel safe. So it may be difficult to have your baby adjust from being away from their comfort zone to a bottle. The older the child, the longer it will take to wean them away from breastfeeding.

With that in mind, you also do not want to stop breastfeeding when the child is too young. Studies have found that this could have long-term health effects on the child including leukemia, juvenile diabetes, lower IQ, SIDS, ear infections, and more.

Because every situation is different, and every child is different, it's important to understand that determining the right age for your child to stop breastfeeding is not an exact science, and every child should be handled differently. Consider speaking with your physician for further advice.