Dumb question about weaning

Re: Dumb question about weaning

• tokenhoser member

  January 2012

  A baby won't self wean until he's eating enough solids (and drinking from other sources) to the point that breastmilk is not a primary source of nutrition. Generally, that's after a year and a half and up to about 3 years old. It usually happens gradually - they just nurse less and less often until one day they don't want to any more.

  There are strategies to encourage weaning, like "don't offer, don't refuse" where you just don't offer but will nurse if the child wants to. And there are more mom-led weaning strategies where you just refuse to nurse at certain times and drop feeds that way.

  If a baby seems to be weaning prior to a year, it's something else going on. Distracted baby, ear infection, etc.
  

  
  
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• drcolleen member

  January 2012

  Babies don't generally wean before 2ish years unless pushed in that direction or if they go on a nursing strike and you "take advantage" of that time to wean.  If you want to wean before 12mo you will have to replace the nursing with formula and foods are a bonus for any baby.

  For DD1 she was lead by me to nurse morning/evening since I worked, then she started sleeping in the morning through that time so it was evening only after oh, 18mo.  One day I didn't come home and then she never asked for "momma milk" again.  It was a rather uneventful and smooth 2nd year of breastfeeding for us. 

  5/08- blighted ovum, spont ab; 2/20/09- epi, VAVD, Girl! breastfed 24mo; 10/10- blighted ovum, spon ab; 12/10- no fetal pole, Cytotec; 11/20/11- unmedicated SVD, Girl! breastfed 18mo; 11/7/13- unmedicated SVD, breastfed 18mo; 2/11/16- unmedicated SVD, exclusively pumping to at least a year.

  
  

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