Weaning from the breast is different for every mother and child. Some mothers have no choice but to wean earlier than they would have liked, while others have the opportunity to nurse longer. Child-led weaning is a term used for mothers who allow their children to wean themselves from the breast.
LLLI is a big advocate of child-led weaning - and now the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for an entire year, and longer if it is mutually desired. This way of weaning from the breast has many benefits for both mother and child.
- Working towards independence. Babies who are allowed to wean themselves tend to do so because they are moving toward becoming more self-reliant. Breastfeeding offers security and shelter from the outside world, which is important to a small person who sees everything as new. Once a baby learns to feed herself or becomes more interested in becoming mobile, she may feel nursing at the breast is too limiting. Moving away from the breast signifies growth and feelings of security and is a normal, healthy event.
- Nursing just for comfort. Some women feel their baby is "using the breast as a pacifier". This can be hard to understand, especially if baby is eating solids and drinking from a cup. Breastmilk continues to provide special protectants and nutrition for a child over 1 year, but baby doesn't know that. She sees a nursing session as time to re-group. Time to be close to mom and feel secure and comforted. These babies seem more likely to take longer to wean than others, but there is no set rule for any child. The child who seems very "needy" one month may become uninterested in breastfeeding in just a few short weeks. Remembering that children need comfort and security to grow independent is important.
- Sucking stimulation and sleep. Pacifiers and thumb sucking offer sucking stimulation for certain babies who seem to need this "exercise" while falling asleep. So why wouldn't a nursing baby want to be at the breast at bed time? This sucking stimulation is probably one of the most common needs among babies who are weaning. Think about it: a baby is born with an instinct to suck. This instinct is imperative to their very survival. It is a strong impulse! Expecting a child to give this "habit" up quickly is a little unrealistic. Some children just need this stimulation to feel sleepy.
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