Natural Weaning From Breastfeeding

This is a guest post from Summer M. Summer is a mom of two boys who both breastfed into their toddler years. She is currently expecting her third child and excited to establish a breastfeeding relationship again. You can read more from Summer at her blog Wired For Noise.

Weaning can be one of the most difficult times in the breastfeeding relationship, both for mom and child. For many forced weaning feels like an attack on the natural bond that breastfeeding created in the first place. Often children weaned earlier than they are ready for can become upset, act out, and fight to reclaim breastfeeding. This is a natural reaction to the loss of something that has meant food, comfort, and security to a young child. So how can mothers ease the weaning process and make it less painful for their children?

One important step a mother can take is not to rush to wean. Though there can be circumstances when weaning early is the only option, often extending the breastfeeding time is a simple and natural process. Many mothers that have practiced extended breastfeeding have commented on how normal it felt to simply continue doing what they have been doing all along. Though in our modern culture it is often looked at as odd, there is really nothing more normal than continuing breastfeeding until the child is older and ready to wean.

How long it can take to wean a child naturally varies from one child to the next. Most children wean themselves naturally near their third year, though some may wean sooner or later than that. The World Health Organization has stated that a minimum of 2 years is the best time frame that a breastfeeding relationship should last, with the option to continue longer if the mother and child want to. Though breastfeeding for this long is often countered by claims that this hurts a child psychologically, the American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that “no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer.” In fact the longer breastfeeding continues the greater the health gains there are for both mother and child, such as decreased chances of diabetes and some cancers.

Older children generally slow down their nursing amounts on their own. The frequent, long breastfeeding periods of infancy gradually slow to shorter, less often times as the child ages. You can gently guide this natural process by cutting back on the amount of breastfeeding offered. This is often referred to as the “do not offer, do not refuse” rule of weaning. Rather than offering breast milk at certain times offer something else that your child enjoys. A story in place of a bedtime nursing or a snack in place of an afternoon nursing. However if your child insists on wanting to breastfeed allow them to do so, though you may shorten the length of time. Helping your child to see that there are other options to breastfeeding for their comfort and nourishment while still allowing them to nurse if they need gently eases them into weaning acceptance.

As a child grows they will naturally move away from breastfeeding on their own. This natural process of weaning is often the easiest for both mother and child, putting little strain on the mother-child relationship and creating the least amount of fuss. It also provides the extended benefits of increased nutrition for the child and increased immunity for mother and child. Though natural weaning takes longer than breastfeeding is commonly encouraged for, to the mothers who try it with their children it is often seen as the most normal and gentlest way to wean.

Image source – Cupcake Butt

Tags: extended breastfeeding, weaning