The decision a mother makes when she decides to breastfeed or bottle feed her baby is based on a personal assessment. If a mother decides to breastfeed, the selection of a time table to begin the weaning process should be just as private. Breastfeeding should not ever be given a set length of time, except perhaps by the individual clock which indicates when mother and baby are both ready to call it quits.
baby weaning
There is no “correct” timeframe to wean a breastfed baby since each nursing mother and child are different. This being the case, why does society attempt to try and put boundaries on the time frame babies should be nursed? With all the medical and scientific data citing the benefits of breast milk, it doesn’t make any sense to stop breastfeeding due to the societal pressures which stipulate babies should stop by a certain age because they are “too old” to nurse. Breastfeeding should end only when mother or baby is ready.
It has been said babies should begin the weaning process at the time teeth begin to emerge and solids are introduced. My two older children began having teeth appear at six months, my youngest at 4 months. At this age, none of my babies were in any way, shape or form ready to start the weaning process. While babies at this age may be ready for soft solids, these foods are not enough to meet their nutritional needs. Solids are meant to be a baby’s supplementary food at this age, not a primary means of nourishment.
Breast milk is the perfect food for baby and nursing (or formula) is recommended by pediatricians until at least a baby reaches the first birthday. There is no reason to stop nursing as long as a baby is interested in continuing and mom is still up to the task too. Babies eventually lose interest in breastfeeding at some point and are likely to show more fascination in table foods and other forms of nutrition, such as lint, toys, dirty laundry, CD’s . . . All kidding aside, young toddlers do start to become primarily interested in other types of textured foods.
Babies usually offer signs when they are ready to wean. My children went from nursing a few times a day, down to once a day and then began to skip days. The week they weaned completely they were taking breast milk approximately once every three days, and this was typically before bedtime. It wasn’t long before they became more interested in bedtime stories, cuddles and other bedtime routines and breastfeeding was abandoned.
The bottom line is babies will tell you when they are ready!
