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Home › Articles › Weaning › Child-led Weaning

Child-led Weaning

The Whys and Hows of Child-led Weaning

By Jessica Woods

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I didn't plan to nurse my daughter until she was 3, my goal was to nurse for a year. I knew that breastfeeding was important to a newborn, and I figured if I had been lugging these breasts around for so many years, I might as well get some serious use out of them.

I began attending a "breastfeeding support group" at a local hospital shortly after my daughter's birth. We attended weekly for many months, and in that group, I met other moms with children at different stages. It was wonderful to see how infants progressed to babies and babies to toddlers.

It was at one of these meetings that I first saw a toddler nurse, and I thought, "Oh, so that's what that looks like." It had never occurred to me to think of nursing in terms of years rather than months. However, my daughter turned 3 in January, and we are still nursing with no deadline for weaning. What we are doing is considered "child-led weaning."

Over the past weeks, I mentioned to other moms that I was writing an article about child-led weaning. Their reactions ranged from "What is that?" to "It should be illegal to nurse if the child can talk and walk."

Such reactions aren't too surprising considering breastfeeding rates in the United States. Recent studies show that while 70 percent of moms initiate breastfeeding, by 6 months, only one-third of those moms are still nursing, and at one year the number drops to less than 18 percent. There just aren't many moms who are still nursing their 2-, 3- or 4-year-olds.

Given these relatively low numbers, it is unlikely you know many women who chose child-led weaning. You may have some questions:


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