Weaning Advice.

[salafyforlife]

Hi all... I am nursing my 2 1/2 year old son. I want to wean him. Could you all give me some ideas.

[theresaann]

Hi there~

Both my kids, daughter 12, son 9, were born at home and I nursed them on demand for about 7 years combined. I weaned my daugther at about 2 1/2-3 because her brother was coming, but she would've gone on if I'd let her. My son also nursed on demand, and since there was no one waiting in line, he got to go as long as he wanted, which was offically until age 4 1/2.

Many people think that sounds crazy, but if you let the child wean themselves, that's usually around the time when human children will let go, which is also kindergarten age, which makes sense in human development terms.

My daughter has got emotional rejection issues (there is other stuff, like a divorce, that plays into that, besides nursing) and my son does not. I feel bad that I couldn't just let her nurse with the baby, like I know some women can do, but I was too stressed out with what was happening in our lives at that point- I was on my own then, my kid's dad was chasing other women around and bailed out on us. I was stressed to the max and just couldn't handle nursing a toddler and a newborn. Something had to give and it was her nursing. But I am very responsive to her emotionally-she just needs a little more constant attention than my son, but when she get's it, she's great.

I know you asked about how to wean your two and a half year old, but I wanted to share to share about my daughter's nursing experience cause how I did it with her was I just stopped it. It was a little easier because she was going with her overnight for weekends, but, if there is ANY way you can let him continue to nurse until he's more ready on his own, I believe, and it's just MY belief based on experience and what I"ve studied about human development (have some waldorf teacher training) that nursing on demand and letting the child wean is very good for them emotionally, but certainly NOT if it doesn't work for you or creates feelings of resentment for you.

When my son was almost 4, we started talking about "putting the happy's away" ( he called my breasts "happy" when he wanted to nurse-in fact that was the first word he said!) so I would say, "when you are four and a half, we'll put the happy's away". and he would say, "OK!" and we talked about it for about 6 months. That long transition period helped him be ready, I think, because when the time came, he was fine with it, although I did lay with him to fall asleep at night and my kids and me had a family bed until he was about 5 1/2. so the security of the sleeping thing also helped him let go of nursing.

anyway. This is just one attachment parenting mom's story. hope it gives you some ideas. Many blessings to you and your little one!