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Home › Articles › Weaning › To Wean or Not to Wean

To Wean or Not to Wean

When is the Right Time to Wean Baby?

By Julie Van Eman

Pages:  1  2  

To Wean or Not to Wean-That Is the QuestionMost children go through a period in their young lives attached to a "lovey." For some, it's a blankie, stuffed bunny or maybe even a favorite binky. The significance of this object is such that it must be within certain proximity of their being at all times. Otherwise, meltdown occurs within the family unit, and all members present are put on "red alert" for the missing item.

For my darling Emma, it was my boobs. For every sad, lonely, bored, hurt, worried or tired moment she experienced, she promptly ran to Mama and groped for her "nip-bulls." Don't get me wrong; I truly loved nursing my brand-new baby girl. But when she turned 2, I knew we were going to have to take drastic measures for this to end.

I joked at her first birthday that instead of baking a special cake piled high with frosting adorned with a single candle perched right in the center, I was going to float a candle in a bowl of breast milk because Emma would be much happier with that. My prediction was correct. The painstaking teapot-shaped cake I stayed up all night decorating was merely glared at by the birthday girl boob addict.

By her second birthday, I had endured fondling and the flashing of unsuspecting bystanders for the last time. I was serious about kicking the habit. First, I tried what the experts say and cut out one regular nursing time. I figured that if I nixed the morning wake-up "nip-bull" call that by afternoon we would be too busy to want it then. To accomplish this, I did what every good mother does; I used bribery. If she didn't nurse, she could have three pieces of candy.

That worked for a while – until all she ever wanted was three pieces of candy followed by a suck of milk. I tried letting her have just one side, hoping to get her down to none. When she got the hankering, she would walk around holding up one finger saying, "Just one, Mama? Just one?" That had some effect, but how could I get her to none?


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