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Home > Breastfeeding > Nursing During Pregnancy & Tandem Nursing > Tandem Survey Tandem Nursing Survey:
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| 148 | Closeness between siblings, no jealousy etc., able to keep bugs etc. at bay when they rear their ugly heads. |
| 147 | Less envy of a younger sibling's attention, fulfilling the older child's complete need for nursing without cutting it short. |
| 146 | Ease of transition for older baby when new sibling arrives. Method of keeping in contact with and ability to regroup with the toddler. Special memories. Meeting both childrens needs the best way possible. |
| 145 | The elder receives the baby well as they share common ground. You can continue to meet that deep emotional need in the elder child even in the presence of a new baby in the family. |
| 144 | I comfort them both at the same time. They enjoy each other
and my three-year-old seems happier to share. She's jealous
when he nurses and she doesn't.
I didn't want to force weaning on my daughter. My husband and I wanted to bring a second child into our family. Nursing during pregnancy and tandem nursing accomplished our family goals. We lay close and snuggle. They look into each other's eyes, nurse and smile. It's sweet. |
| 143 | Sibling bonding, and continued bonding with mom. Older nursling can help with engorgement! |
| 142 | Easier calming older daughter down, a shared activity with sister. |
| 141 | I think it helps the baby and toddler bond, it made my life with newborn easier, I had no engorgement when my milk came in. |
| 140 | It's special one-on-one time for my son and he didn't feel as displaced when his sister was born, in comparison to his older sister's reaction to him when he was born. |
| 139 | When children are so close in age I think that nursing them both is such a nice way for everyone to get used to each other and bond. The new milk is yummy to older sibling. Helps with engorgement. Great excuse to relax and lay down with babies. |
| 138 | I think it has helped with jealousy for my 16 month old. She is still able to be close to me. Nursing them at the same time is when she is more likely to hold her new baby brother, so I feel like it is helping them build a relationship. My son also did not lose any weight to speak of, because my milk was already in and waiting for him. He gained very quickly, and did very well. |
| 137 | Many benefits! It allows the older child to wean when ready. It smooths the transition (to siblingdom) for the older child. It provides a special closeness for the siblings. No engorgement problems! It helps meet the needs of the toddler. |
| 136 | Everyone sleeps through the night (if you co-sleep). Naps can be taken at the SAME TIME! If someone is sick it's the ultimate fixer-uper, that goes for boo-boo's too! I also think it has made my children become closer together. |
| 135 | The benefits I see with us is that, for one thing, I lost a good part of my pregnancy weight. My kids were happier and healthier, and you don't have to worry about those dumb bottles. |
| 134 | It discourages jealousy and encourages love between the nurslings. |
| 133 | I saw no anger toward the new babe. My kids are all very close and it often gave me a rest to have the toddler nurse while the baby laid on the floor! |
| 132 | I don't know for sure that it's connected, but there is virtually no jealousy of the baby on the part of my toddler. In fact, now that the baby is almost a year old, she asks to nurse when she sees him nursing! My 3yo asks to nurse often but it's unrelated to her nursing. |
| 131 | No jealousies or rivalry. The kids really bond with each other. |
| 130 | It made life with toddler so much easier, sibling rivalry was almost non-existent. I was able to avoid engorgement since I always had a willing toddler ready to nurse. |
| 129 | I think continuing to nurse Xander has help him be able to feel positive about his new baby brother. We have two older sons that are 18 mos apart,and our eldest, Jarek, was not nursing when we got pregnant with our Mike, our second, and did not handle the pregnancy or the birth of his brother well at all, despite our involving him and trying to prepare him for the new baby. A lot of his anger seemed to center around me not being as available to him as he needed, and Xan and I at least had our special nursing time that brought us very close, when I wasn't up to playing as actively with him, and Jarek and I unfortunately didn't have that. There are other issues, of course, but if I had been nursing Jarek I do think things would have gone much more smoothly, and with many more positive feelings. |
| 128 | My ideal is child-led weaning, and tandem nursing helped in that regard. I think it helped the relationship between my children. At times, it was a sanity-saver, once I learned to nurse them both at the same time -- having two quiet, cuddly children was HEAVEN! |
| 127 | It is a very first lesson in sharing. My children adore each other, my daughter is very nurturing of my son. I just think they have a special connection because they both nurse together. |
| 126 | My oldest finds a lot of comfort in nursing and she likes to nurse while the baby does, so I think it is helping them bond. |
| 125 | I think it really helps with jealousy issues. When he sees the baby nurse, he wants to also. He's happy that he gets that time with momma too. |
| 124 | My son and daughter are very close. My older one is very loving
and nurturing toward her little brother. I do like being able
to give her this part of her babyhood for as long as she needs
it; there is no jealousy, at least about nursing.
One of the biggest benefits is being able to put two children to sleep at the exact same time in less than ten minutes. It's a wonderful feeling! |
| 123 | Continued closeness to the older sibling. Closeness between the two. Natural weaning for the oldest. Great to have a toddler around if over supply happens. Older nurser continues to get antibodies from moms milk. I felt it was a great way for me to stay close to my older child during a time of great change. |
| 122 | Where do I begin...health, IQ, bonding with parent??? |
| 121 | Gives you a chance to sit down, and have some peace! Plus, the benefits of mom's milk are still there, even for my older child. It helps me relax because my older daughter is a VERY picky eater, and at least I know that she is getting some food that is good for her. |
| 120 | Both the children will be healthier, and hopefully closer when they grow up. |
| 119 | Has helped my toddler not to be displaced by the new baby. Generous milk supply has ensured very healthy weight gain in baby! Toddler helped out with engorgement in the early days. Toddler has a great deal of affection for the new baby - can't say that this is all down to tandem nursing but am sure it has helped. |
| 118 | -Continued health benefits to both mother and child. -Closeness between siblings. -Children learn to share what is most important to them. I can see that oldest was more secure when my 2nd was born. My 2nd is more jealous of the third and often wants to stop her from getting "my" nursies. |
| 117 | It was helpful for me to be able to lie down with my toddler and nurse her to sleep during my pregnancy as I was very tired. Nursing her after the birth was extremely helpful in preventing engorgement and getting my milk supply regulated. |
| 116 | My older daughter has been able to stay closely bonded with me, and has had an enhanced bonding with her little brother as a result. |
| 115 | There are so many...it allows the older child such an intimate connection with the new baby. I think there tends to be less rivalry. Allows older child to wean when they are ready. Sharing. LOL All the benefits of extended nursing. And there is *nothing* more amazing and sweet than watching your babies nurse together and hold hands. <sigh> |
| 114 | It's easy. I think it is good for both the baby and the toddler. |
| 113 | It preserves a tool for comforting your older baby (or toddler,
or preschooler). It also reinforces a close sibling relationship,
with the ultimate in sharing a mommy. Not experiencing post-partum engorgement is also a nice bonus. |
| 112 | It is another tool. Instead of jealousy between them it seemed to tie them together. He enjoyed seeing his little sister get to nurse because he knew how much he likes it. Now when they both nurse at the same time (rarely) it is so cute - they both giggle and hold hands and tickle each other. During that time they share this special bond like they both know they are getting to nurse and it is so great. |
| 111 | The strong bond between my son and daughter. They love to hold hands while they are both nursing. My daughter loves pulling her brother's hair too, it helps her fall asleep. |
| 110 | So many. The first and most important one was that in the first week of nursing my older one broke a milk blister that had formed, my younger one wouldn't suck hard enough. I never really had to worry about the younger's weight gain. And the oh so special moments of nursing them together, them holding hands and giggling. We never went through any jealousy, my older daughter kisses and loves on her often. They have a bond, already that I have never had with any of my family. Oh, and while they are both nursing, the other one can't play with the other nipple! |
| 109 | For the children: jealousy-lessener, helps with learning to share, take turns, lets them wean on their own without keeping me from having babies at the age differences I feel like having them. For mom: helps relieve engorgement or plugged ducts etc. |
| 108 | Now I am tandem nursing again. My 2 week old twins. I save
so much time and my milk supply came in in one day as opposed
to 8 days with Declan. By the way, He did ask to nurse when he saw the twins, but he had a very confused look on his face as he tried to figure out how to position his mouth. Ultimately he pulled my shirt down and said, "for babies." I must say that secretly I was disappointed that he did not remember how. |
| 107 | Supply is great. Toddler helps with engorgement. Gives reassurance to older child who it is harder to give extra attention to, with a newborn. |
| 106 | It gives the child confidence, reassurance that he's still loved and nothing is going to change that. |
| 105 | Being able to still get my toddler to sleep easily...Watching the sweet smiles and loving carresses these nursing sisters share when they nurse together...Knowing my eldest was not pushed into weaning before she was ready, and that she will receive the health and immunological benefits of breastfeedin until she weans on her own...Having a toddler to help with plugged ducts or engorgement. |
| 104 | They are both very healthy. |
| 103 | My sons are still very close. And by tandem nursing, my 2nd son was allowed to out grow his digestive problems on his own schedule. |
| 102 | I think it has greatly reduced his amount of jealousy with the new baby - she's four months old now. I think it really has eased this major transition in his life. I knew that if I weaned him during my pregnancy and then he saw me nursing her all the time, more jealousy would ensue. I can still calm him down after ANYTHING very easily. He's had a few toddler'ish illnesses where he hasn't wanted to eat or drink for several days in a row but he'll still nurse so I have no worries about nutrition or dehydration. |
| 101 | Your oldest doesn't become disconnected in an abrupt manner.
I am not saying that this is the case with every child, but
in our case, it was, and still is. It is a great bonding experience for siblings. They sometimes hold hands while nursing at the same time, and other times, they smack each other around, lol. Extended nursing has great advantages also. I think extended nursing usually goes hand in hand with tandem nursing. |
| 100 | Immunological benefits last as long as the nursing - healthier toddler. It also incidentally turned out to be hugely helpful the first two weeks of the newborn's life since she was in the NICU. His nursing helped maintain/build my milk supply. I also didn't have to go through re-establishing nursing from scratch again or reaccustom my nipples to nursing so no soreness. Long-term health benefits for me from extended nursing. |
| 99 | My sons love one another and love being close to one another. Although I have chosen not to nurse them at the same time, they curl up together when one is nursing all the time. I have had no jealousy from my older son, rather he is proud and protective of his little brother. I have also had a much easier time with oversupply and imbalance problems with two nurslings, than I had with one. |
| 98 | It was so wonderful to watch my girls in their most relaxed states while nursing and also looking right into each others eyes. They know that they are both so special and can each have all the love I have to give. I feel that they are really bonded and hope that it will result in quite a bit less sibling rivalry than I encountered when I was growing up. |
| 97 | Reduced impact of a severe illness in my eldest shortly after my twins were born. Helped ease the transition significantly. |
| 96 | I think it may help with the older child feeling like they can have Mom, too. Our son seemed to want to nurse just as often as our newborn daughter! It was frustrating at times, but I'm sure he knew he had me just as much as his sister did. Plus, if your older child is still a baby when you get pregnant again, it's nice for them to get all the benefits of breastfeeding that they would normally get if you weren't pregnant. Also, I don't remember noticing getting engorged a few days after giving birth, since I was already nursing when I gave birth. And I had two babies to help with the extra milk, anyway! :) |
| 95 | Less sibling jealousy so far. A special time for just the two of us to spend together. It forces me to set the baby aside and attend to my toddler. |
| 94 | It helps me get some more sleep sometimes. It helps my older child still feel loved. |
| 93 | My elder son is learning to be gentle with the baby. I think that they both will learn to share a little better. |
| 92 | The benefit was that both of my children got the health benefits and closeness of nursing. My older child got to nurse up to the day she decided she wanted to stop. |
| 91 | Well, specifically two that I appreciated were: It is a GREAT supply builder to have an older one nurse. And it's amazing to watch the older one stroke the baby while they are nursing together, very great for sibling bonding. |
| 90 | No engorgement in the early days, can keep baby and toddler happy at the same time, older child doesn't feel pushed away by the new baby. |
| 89 | The biggest benefit is the lack of conflict between the older sib and new baby. I feel like I have none of the same issues as other moms who have two this close together and I feel it has to be because of the nursing. He has never found his sister to be a threat since he is able to still share the bond with me. I can't believe how much they love one another. |
| 88 | I was able to wean my son at his pace. He wasn't jealous of his little sister and enjoyed nursing with her. |
| 87 | Both children get emotional and physical needs met, and I get special time with each child. Unless they're both nursing at once, and then they get to learn to respect each other's needs. |
| 86 | Benefits to tandem nursing: the older child still gets his or her nursing needs met, which is especially important for high needs children. My daughter is learning patience (the baby needs to nurse first this time) and compassion ("Mommy, I think he needs to nurse more than I do"). It's much easier now to get them both to nap at the same time-- I just lie down and nurse them both to sleep! |
| 85 | It's a natural continuation of an existing relationship. I don't see strong benefits to the relationship between the siblings per se. |
| 84 | Mostly the fact that the older one is not excluded, that I got a lot of simultaneous cuddle time with both, and that it did indeed seem to lessen the feelings of envy on my older one's part. |
| 83 | BREAST IS BEST. |
| 82 | A continued closeness with the older child. Helps avoid jealousy between siblings. The continued health benefits, of course! |
| 81 | Less sibling rivalry! Health benefits continue for both children. |
| 80 | The kids both see me - well, I guess my breasts - as their 'comforting pillow'. |
| 79 | It helps tremendously with jealousy. It helps the kids to bond and grow close. It gives mom that continued lactational status that reduces breast cancer risk. |
| 78 | I think that it would be extremely hard on my toddler to wean now, since his world has already been rocked with the birth of his sister. So the biggest benefit I see is that he is still able to nurse as he needs to. I love it too, especially when I nurse him to sleep, it's our special time together. Also, I am hoping that it will be a bonding thing for the kids. |
| 77 | Optimal health and development for both children as well as promoting a close less competitive relationship between them - it makes for a very special bond and a less traumatic transition to siblinghood. |
| 76 | My children have developed a wonderful relationship from the start. I was able to comfort and nourish both children at once. |
| 75 | Several. A feeling of happiness and satisfaction involving all concerned. A better understanding and bonding amongst the siblings . Strengthened immunisation system of children. Improved emotional frames. |
| 74 | That there is a way to make my older nursling happy so easily, by nursing him. He's allergic to cow's milk, so my milk gives him the calcium and antibodies from the best source, that no other food can give him. |
| 73 | I have only heard great stories about how close siblings bonded when they tandem fed. I look forward to seeing that. I also hope that having a toddler around to help with engorgement and extra nursing will give me a fuller supply than I've had before. |
| 72 | I think that it actually helped with the transition to having the new baby around. My daughter didn't see it as something that was taken away, she understood that that was what babies do, and never acted out about it. And it helped drop those pregnancy pounds too ;-) No sore nipples when the new baby starts nursing!!! |
| 71 | Bonding between the children. The older child not feeling jealous over losing something so important to him. Still having the breastfeeding bond with both children. |
| 70 | Great for healthy kids AND great for those quiet times that you need while pregnant or a new mom... everyone feels the love with very little effort on your (tired mom) part. |
| 69 | My children are very close and have much less issues with jealousy and competitiveness. |
| 68 | My son can share a bond with his siblings. |
| 67 | Cost, less feeling pushed away from mom for the older child, you really take off the weight faster :) |
| 66 | I think that the obvious benefit is the breastmilk, but the benefit that I notice most is the snuggle time with my toddler. |
| 65 | When my daughter was born, it was amazing to watch her and her big brother bond as they nursed. They only nursed at the same time a few times (I couldn't find a position that everyone was comfortable in) but those times were very precious and I'll remember them always. My son is very loving to his little sister now and I can't help but think tandem nursing helped their bond. |
| 64 | Oversupply problems were mitigated. No mastitis. Had two very 'fat' children. Able to maintain breastfeeding relationship with first child - I continued to feed him until he was five. Pleasure to see aggressive boy toddler 'melt' on the breast with his baby sister. I was able to lie on the floor and really rest while he fed - helped to get through the pregnancy. |
| 63 | I am able to satisfy both of my children's nursing needs. There is still no better way to give comfort to my toddlers than nursing. I also think that it has helped my older child to understand and respect his brother's needs more because it gives him something to relate to. |
| 62 | Initially, our older daughter (2 1/2) nursed with the new baby for about a month. I think this has helped her bond with her sister as she has yet to display any jealousy (4 months later). |
| 61 | Both boys have something in common that they both love. They get to share me at the same time in the same way. They love each other and usually understand when the other is upset or needing mommy more and I attribute most of this to tandem nursing. There is no rivalry between them at this point and I think a part of it is because I didn't take something away from my older son when the younger was born. |
| 60 | Heaps of things but mostly health, nutrition and meeting emotional needs. As for me - man I can eat a lot nursing a 3 yr old and a 5 month old! |
| 59 | It has helped my older daughter adjust to her little sister better. She doesn't feel like her place was taken. |
| 58 | Relaxing for mom, comfort for the older nursling (mom still loves me, baby didn't take my place) nutrition and bonding for the new baby....and peace for the whole family! |
| 57 | The benefits are many. Health benefits to all children involved, less sibling rivalry, mom gets to rest a bit when both are at breast...I could go on! : ) |
| 56 | My first was 26 months old when my second arrived. This was the first time we had been separated overnight. My husband would bring my toddler to see us in the hospital, but my toddler refused to let me hold him. He would not even come to me to nurse. I was not sure how things would be when the baby and I came home. I was half hoping my toddler would just wean cold-turkey. My toddler would not look at the baby or acknowledge him in any way. It was not until we were home and the baby fussed for the breast, that my toddler climbed right up and started nursing, like nothing had changed. My world felt complete. It was a lot different nursing a newborn being used to a toddler, but we managed. My toddler easily settled into the idea of having a baby. He displayed no rivalry and was very kind to his new brother. He loved to help me out, or help out his brother. Sometimes he would hold my breast to help the baby latch on. I attribute their great relationship to our tandem nursing. It has been a trial at times, but my belief that this needs to be a joint decision amongst my nursing babies supercedes any of my whims of weaning which often come from crazy days when sleep is too little and toddler woes too much. |
| 55 | I think it's helped him to accept the new baby, because we aren't taking nursing away from him and giving it to her. |
| 54 | Benefits of child-led weaning, plus minimal sibling "issues." |
| 53 | It helped my girls be closer together. |
| 52 | Breastfeeding is still the benefit. Tandem nursing is the easiest way to do so. |
| 51 | I LOVE the closeness to the older one and of couse, I've nursed all of my babes (this is the first time I've had a toddler nursing at the same time, though). |
| 50 | Obvious benefit to the older sibling, who was happier because he was not prematurely weaned. |
| 49 | I see a closeness between my tandem nurslings that isn't apparent with my older kids....even to this day. I found tandem nursing eased any jealously when the new baby arrived. The fact that the older nursling is still getting all the benefits of breastmilk. Also the older nursling "fattens" up with that new baby milk!! |
| 48 | At first it was a lot easier to take care of the new baby. My daughter was more then willing to take naps with all of us so that she could nurse also. I find my girls extremely close. I think that they have a better bond because of it. |
| 46 | Benefits are the close bond I share with my girls and knowing that they are getting the best thing - my milk. |
| 47 | I think my older child got the time she needed to grow and be finished with nursing on her own schedule. |
| 45 | More sit down time for mom. And typical benefits of child led weaning for older nursling. Closeness between sibs. |
| 44 | They will be closer to each other and my older helps with engorgement. |
| 43 | My older daughter knows she hasn't been replaced by the new baby; I can still put my older daughter back to sleep easily in the night; Both kids are getting an immunity boost; I can circumvent any tantrums from my toddler by nursing; When I started to become engorged and the new baby couldn't nurse enough to relieve the pressure, my toddler was able to help out! |
| 42 | In my situation, it was the easist way to nourish and comfort two babies. These almost twins shared a lot of wonderful experiences together, yet they each had private time with me at their bedtimes when they were in their second and third year of nursing. Tandem nursing went on for 4 years. The older child weaned totally from BF more than a year after the younger child. In a third and fourth year of nursing, there really isn't much nursing going on during the day each week, and, well, I never knew who would show up in my bed at night! |
| 41 | It is nutritionally superior to any food that either child may be getting. It prevents illness. And if either child gets sick, it prevents dehydration and shortens the illness. It is a wonderful source of comfort for both children and mother. It is very calming for those two year old tantrums. It teaches the older to share and wait her turn. |
| 40 | Son gets along with unborn baby. I hope that he will be able to adjust to the new baby quickly. |
| 39 | Closeness for everyone involved. |
| 31 | It is just a beautiful thing to have both kids nursing. I would have nursed my eldest for a long time, why should he miss out because he has a sister? They both have something that they can count on from me when they need extra comfort. |
| 38 | Reduction of jealousy between sibblings. Keeping the close contact with the older child. |
| 37 | Sometimes it can be very relaxing and a real bonding moment. |
| 36 | If the baby is having a nursing strike, the older child's nursing can (and did for us) help keep the milk supply going until the younger child can get back to nursing well. I also think it helped my son to not be jealous of his little sister. |
| 35 | My boys will be very close to one another. They are learning to share and take turns. They know that neither of them is more important than the other. |
| 34 | Bonding between siblings rather than jealousy. Immediate response to both rather than making one wait. Nutrition is still there! |
| 33 | Sibling bonding, time with your child, recognition and love from the mother after baby is born. |
| 32 | The older one doesn't have to feel replaced by the younger and they can bond while nursing together. I can also soothe both at the same time. |
| 30 | Both children get the nutritional and emotional benefits of nursing. They also are able to create a bond together as they share the breast. The relationship between them is incredible. I also found it was a lot easier to sit and nurse them both then juggling a baby and bottles (which I had to do the first six weeks for Hana before she was back to breast). It was a lot more easier and relaxing to take it easy and have everything ready to go. It also allowed Hana not to feel left out or pushed aside because of the new baby. |
| 29 | My older child didn't have to lose the benefits of breastfeeding. Quiet time for all 3 of us. Seem to help the kids bond with each other too. |
| 28 | Promotes sustained nursing. Reduces sibling rivalry. Both children get the benefit of nursing. |
| 27 | The benefits of nursing are still bountiful for the older child. I think it helps also to ease them into becoming use to having a sibling... no feelings of jealousy if you have forced the older child to wean because the baby was coming... |
| 26 | My girls and I are very close. I think we have special bonding that breastfeeding gives us. |
| 25 | My children have a closer relationship together.. No fighting and no jealousy. |
| 24 | Besides all the benefits of extended nursing for both kids, I think it leaves our toddler feeling less pushed aside by our new baby. |
| 23 | My toddler didn't have to wean before he was ready. I got to lie down with him when I was pregnant and just mellow out. (Gotta love that with an active toddler!) I had help when I was engorged in those early days when my milk came in. All the usual toddler benefits and baby benefits. But the best thing of all has to be the affection my two boys have for each other when they both nurse. |
| 22 | I think tandem nursing is great because I think all babies should nurse for at least the first year, if possible. I like to have my children weaned by two. I am very fortunate that we have had successful nursing experiences with each of our children. I have never used a bottle - I go straight breast to cup. Tandem nursing also helps the children bond and relate to each other, as well as the bonding created between mother and child. |
| 21 | My older son has never expressed jealousy or fearfulness over his younger brother - his dominant sentiment seems to be possessiveness towards his little brother, expressed with the same ferocity otherwise reserved for his teddy bear or favorite blanket. This is different from other sibling pairs I've seen, who aren't tandem nursing, and seem to have more adjustment issues. Tandem nursing was a life saver for me also when I had severe, severe postpartum engorgement and a newborn with a poor latch - my nursing toddler was able to help out immensely. Overall, having the toddler nurse helped the newborn learn to nurse more quickly. Also, I've had the joy of seeing some really tender moments - when my older son came to nurse when I was engorged he would say 'gentle mama owie' and latch oh-so-carefully. And my younger son will watch my older son so intently if they nurse together, and smile at him. |
| 20 | Closer bond between mother and child as well as a closer bond between the siblings. |
| 1 | My older child has adjusted to the new addition to our family surprisingly well. I do have to credit tandem nursing in part. I think it helped him to know that he wasn't being replaced and that mommy still had room & time for him. I think they also have a special bond from the many times I nursed them simultaneously. It melted my heart every time I would see my older child reach out and hold hands with the baby while they nursed. It was also nice for me at the beginning because if I was nursing the baby, my toddler wanted to nurse, also. If I nursed them both, I could be sure that my toddler wasn't getting into something he shouldn't while I was nursing the baby. :o) |
| 2 | Kids are close, share a deep bond. The children are both really happy, healthy and as well adjusted as they can be. |
| 3 | The older child is not rushed or replaced. You show love to them in the same way. |
| 4 | When the older child stopped nursing, he also stopped taking naps. So I was able to get some naps myself when both kids would fall asleep in my lap, although my 4 yr. old once escaped the yard while me and the 2 younger kids were sleeping on the couch. |
| 5 |
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| 6 | Less sibling rivalry. Close bond with both kids. Older child doesn't feel displaced by new baby. |
| 7 | Tandem nursing has worked very well for our family. It made the transition from being an only child to being a big brother easier for my son. He knew that we shared everything and there would still be a place for him. He has displayed very little jealous behavior towards his little sister. One of my most special memories will always be the two of them nursing together and holding hands. My son let go of the nipple, looked his sister in the eye and said "I love you Kay." I am sure that they have a bond that I won't ever be able to totally understand because of what they have shared as tandem nurslings. |
| 8 | The baby is protected from any colds/coughs etc. that the older child may have caught from playing with other kids. They learn to share. I have no problems with my milk supply. At the moment my daughter is going through a breast preference thing and only wants the left side, she'll only take from the right side unless very sleepy (like a one-sided nursing strike), so I get my son to take the right side - thank goodness it gets drained! |
| 9 | It was a way to continue the bond and the benefits to my older daughter, not having to give that up just because another child was there. It helped my milk supply to have two nursing - my supply had been a bit problematic w/ #1. I also lost a lot of weight! All the baby weight just melted away, plus the 20 lb. I'd been needing to lose for years that hadn't budged! Yay tandem nursing! |
| 10 | Well, if I wasn't tandem nursing, that would mean I would have to have forcefully weaned my older son. This is not something I would ever do. So tandeming means he will be able to self-wean. From the very first day of having a sibling, my older son has known that his needs would be met as well as the new baby's. He wasn't shortchanged because of the new baby. As a result we have had absolutely no issues of sibling rivalry related to the attention I give them. The only issues we have had have been related to the younger one getting into the older one's space or messing with things he is trying to build, which are pretty mild compared to the experiences some friends tell me about. I never had to find a way to distract my older son or keep him safe while I nursed the baby, because he was usually nursing, too. I think it reaffirmed his importance in the family and helped him feel secure when his brother arrived. Also, having a toddler nursing in the early days helped bring my milk supply in quickly and abundantly. My toddler was adept at getting a quick let-down, which meant his little brother didn't have to work for one. My milk supply was so well-established, in fact, that I never experienced any of the so-called "growth spurts"...my newborn had to grow into my milk supply, instead of the other way around. I think he had caught up to it by the time he was about 3 months old. I believe nursing through my pregnancy was a factor in my quick, "easy" labor. I nursed my older son for a few minutes in early labor and was immediately thrust into much harder, more intense labor. My baby was born within a few hours. |
| 11 | Neither of my nurslings have been deprived of the milk they deserve - that was really important to me as well as to their continued health. It's so much easier to calm down a screaming toddler/preschooler when you can nurse him. Plus, my son was still very much a baby when his sister was born, and I know he needed that extra time with me. And there's certainly no sibling rivalry between the two. |
| 12 | The main benefit to me is that it allowed me to rest and take naps with my baby and toddler. I think the main benefit to my older nurslings has been that they get to keep a close connection to me, even as our family has grown. |
| 13 | The benefits I see are: a wonderful bond between the nursing children; fewer & shorter illnesses for both children; reassurance for the older child that they are still very much loved; the perfect source of comfort for both children; lots of rest and cuddles for mom during those nursing sessions. |
| 14 | All the usual benefits of breastfeeding: health (my husband and I have been extremely ill, although both girls showed signs that their bodies were fighting an infection: fever, congestion in my eldest, nasal congestion in my youngest, neither of them has developed anything like what my husband and I have endured), comfort (my older daughter is a different person after a cuddle and suck in my arms), nutrition. I hope that tandem nursing will help my daughters to have a close sibling relationship. Sometimes I worry that the nursing will actually create rivalry (as in "Honey, I have to nurse the baby first."), but I hope that the over all effect will be closeness. I'm not sure that this one is an "advantage" per se, but I think nursing my older daughter is helping in the transition from only child to older sister because she is still relating to me as a nursling. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but there's a strong sense of continuity. Obviously she's no longer a baby, but even at 3 and a half, she's still got a thread of babyhood in her, and nursing is a safe place to get nurturing for that little bit of baby still in her. In so many other ways she is a "big girl" and she is having to be quite a bit more self-sufficient as I insist that she dress herself, entertain herself and so on, but one constant throughout her entire life has been nursing (that's what I meant by "continuity"), everything else in her life has changed and evolved over the past 3.5 years, except for that. |
| 15 | Psychological - the baby isn't usurping quite so much when the older child is nursed, as well. Sharing - making sure the baby gets enough milk. And sharing mom as well! And of course - the health benefits. The same immune system benefits extend to older nurslings that the babies are getting! |
| 16 | Stay close with the older child, the children themselves become very close and learn to share and do things together. My oldest daughter has hardly every showed signs of jealousy towards her sister. I love it when they are nursing at the same time and playing with each others hands and giggling. |
| 17 | The two siblings really form a bond as they nurse together. It's very sweet to see the older child cuddling the young baby while they nurse. |
| 18 | I know where both the kids are! Plus, they are learning early about sharing and taking turns. |
| 19 | It's created a strong bond between my two kids. By nursing both it has kept my daughter from becoming jealous of the attention I need to give to our baby. My milk came in 18 hours after #2 was born, whereas with the first it came in around 60 hours. |
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