Until when should you breastfeed a child?
Applies to age: 6–36 months
In short
According to WHO recommendations, breastfeeding continues up to two years of age and beyond, together with complementary foods. Medical authorities do not say until when you can breastfeed.
What is normal
Some claims: international norm
- A child should be fed their mother's milk together with complementary foods until at least 2 years of age.
Source: Portal Pacjenta – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Potem, przynajmniej do 2 lat, maluch powinien być karmiony mlekiem mamy i uzupełniającymi pokarmami, które sukcesywnie wzbogacają jego dietę.
Portal Pacjenta · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [1]
- WHO recommendation: continue breastfeeding up to two years of age and beyond, while introducing complementary foods.
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
kontynuację karmienia piersią do ukończenia drugiego roku życia i dłużej przy jednoczesnym wprowadzaniu pokarmów uzupełniających.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- Medical authorities do not say until when you can breastfeed.
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Autorytety medyczne nie wskazują do kiedy możesz karmić piersią.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- The principle of proper diet expansion: breastfeed frequently up to 2 years of age or longer.
Source: WHO · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
continue frequent breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond;
WHO · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [3]
- Breast milk can provide half or more of a child's energy needs between 6 and 12 months of age, and one third between 12 and 24 months.
Source: WHO · international norm – show the original wording (EN)
Summarized and translated by the editors, not an official translation. Verbatim quote from the source, in its original wording:
It can provide half or more of a child’s energy needs between the ages of 6 and 12 months, and one third of energy needs between 12 and 24 months.
WHO · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [3]
- After 6 months of age, a baby should usually be breastfed 6-8 times a day.
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Żeby zapewnić odpowiednią ilość mleka, dalej powinnaś karmić niemowlę zwykle 6-8 razy na dobę.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- After the first year of life, the number of feedings is lower: up to 3-5 times a day.
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Gdy dziecko ukończy pierwszy rok życia, liczba karmień jest niższa: do 3 – 5 razy na dobę.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- A mother who breastfeeds her child has the right to two half-hour breaks at work that count as working time.
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Jeśli karmisz dziecko piersią, masz prawo do dwóch półgodzinnych przerw w pracy wliczanych do czasu pracy.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- There is no need to wean a child when they start going to daycare (żłobek) or a children's club (klubik).
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Nie musisz odstawiać dziecka od piersi, gdy zaczyna uczęszczać do żłobka lub klubiku.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- A mother who breastfeeds more than one child has the right to two breaks at work, 45 minutes each.
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Jeśli zaś karmisz więcej niż jedno dziecko, masz prawo do dwóch przerw w pracy, po 45 minut każda.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
- If the working time is longer than 4 hours a day but shorter than 6 hours a day, one breastfeeding break is due.
Source: gov.pl – show the quote
Verbatim quote from the source:
Polish original
Jeżeli twój czas pracy przekracza 4 godziny dziennie, ale jest krótszy niż 6 godzin dziennie, przysługuje ci jedna przerwa na karmienie.
gov.pl · open the source · accessed: 2026-10-12 · license [2]
The sources in our registry do not say when to see a doctor.
international norm “International norm” next to a section heading means its claims come from a non-Polish source, because no Polish source in our registry covers this topic. When this applies to only some of the claims, the foreign ones carry the same label next to their source.
Sources
- Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl)License: CC BY 3.0 PL. Source: Portal Pacjenta (pacjent.gov.pl). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.
- gov.pl – serwisy Ministerstwa Zdrowia i GISLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: gov.pl – serwisy Ministerstwa Zdrowia i GIS. Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original.
- WHO (who.int)License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Source: WHO (who.int). Content summarized and translated by the editors; changed relative to the original. WHO does not endorse this site or its content.