i really must say... as a preschool teacher who works with 1 and 2 year olds daily, my experience has proved that nursing past 1 (latest) can really have detrimental affects on a child. i totally agree that it can provide an aspect of closness with the mother, but there is no reason a child, at two, should not be drinking out of a cup (maybe a sippy cup. nursing and/or bottle feeding causes a child to have bad teeth, to drool, and can impair speech. the one girl in my class who's mother has chosen to nurse her has late speech dev. and she drools excessively, which she should be completely beyond. she also bites. i feel this also causes a child to be held back from peers socially. in my opinion, there are plenty of other ways to have closeness with your child. if they want to feel body contact while eating, sit them in your lap with a drink and read them a book. try to see it from others' prospective as well.