At what age did your child wean themselves?

[ShyDaisi]

Micah is 27 months and still nursing strong. I plan on letting him wean himself, but was curious as to when most do.

Multiple choice for multiple children.

[artgoddess]

My DS was going strong at 3 when I became pregnant with DD. I thought for sure I'd be tandem nursing all day long. But during the pregnancy he really slowed down quickly. He pretty much stopped by 3.5 at around 7 or 8 months along. Then the last week before I went into labor he suddenly started nursing again 3 or 4 times a day. Just a 30 second check in type nursing. After DD was born, he would ask when she nursed. Again, just checking in for the most part. he stopped about a month or more after she was born. Then once in a great while he asked again, like once a month or so, if he really needed comfort. Finished all together by 4.5.

[milkybean]

The fact that I've just voted means he'll wake up tonight and ask for milk, but for right now, I voted late 4s. His last nursing session was May 17, and he turned 5 on the 26th. Quite amazing!

Now if only I'd lose some of these boobs....there's no reason for there to be so MUCH of you "girls" now, ya hear? Be gone!

[SunShineSally]

Ds was almost 3 so I voted early 3's. I just hope this new little bean will be as a strong and easy of a nurser I cannot imagine him weaning any earlier than 3! 2 just seems so little!

[IsaFrench]

30 months and one week

that was 5 and a half years ago & a few weeks later I had just ordered then a back issue of Mothering in which there was an article about a poll of about 4000 self weaning moms (I think, don't have the issue at hand right now) the conclusion seemed to be (as I recal) that 2.5 years was the average age

at the time I found that VERY comforting to feel that somehow my DS and I were bang up "in the middle of the norm" ... especially since there were very few moms self weaning around me & the part time day care had made trouble for us when he was 18 months "still breastfeeding at that age... so probably unable to wean by herself due to psychological problems of some sort etc ..."

[mauri456]

Sam was young and weaned at 16 months though I am a working mom and I think that when I stopped pumping it had a lot to do with it.

[ChinaDoll]

DD at 3.5 years

DS is almost done at 5.25 years

[zinemama]

Ds1 at 2.5 years. Very abruptly. Just looked at me one day and told me he wasn't nursing anymore.

Ds2 around 4.5, a gradual process, only nursing once a day (for naps) the last year.

[Novella]

My twins:

#2 twin I think has basically self-weaned now (31 months). It's been a couple of weeks at least since he nursed. His brother, twin #1, certainly takes more comfort in it and asks to nurse almost once per day. In the last 6-9 weeks, though, it's been every-shortening and increasingly half-hearted, so I think he'll also self-wean within the next couple of months.

[paxye]

DS#1 weaned just after turning 5...

DS#2 is still nursing 1-2 times a day and he will be 5 in Sept

DS#3 will be 3 in Nov and I have no idea how many times he nurses a day...

[Ruthla]

I voted "early 4s" for DS. I debated whther or not to also vote "24-30 months" for DD1, but decided not to, as it wasn't really CLW. I'd call it a "mutual weaning"- she might have nursed a few months longer if I hadn't been "feeling done with nursing" at that time, or she might have continued a lot longer, or she might have anyway weaned at that time. I'll never really know.

DD2 weaned at only 14mo, but then used a bottle until age 4, so I certainly couldn't vote in this poll for her.

[greenthumb3]

Oldest weaned (stopped asking) after 4 1/2, though I don't think there was a certain day when I realized it had happened. I do recall thinking it would NEVER happen though! He has asked to nurse since then (it's the "cool" thing to do around here, I guess ) , but more as "just checking" and though i have let him nurse a few minutes, I consider him weaned as it was several months ago and he is 6 now.

Middle guy still asks to nurse every couple of days or sneaks in a nursing in the early morning occasionally (maybe three times a week?) He will be 5 in January.

Youngest is 2 and nursing at nap and bedtime, less interested since my milk production stopped during this pregnancy. I am sure we'll have lots more nursing time with him when the baby is born!

[scrapadoozer]

DD self weaned at 2.5. Right around her 2nd birthday she started wanting to nurse only once a day and eventually it was just once a week and then not at all. DS seems to be way more into nursing than dd was. It will be interesting to see how long he nurses.

[aihcalappa]

My oldest self weaned right after she turned 4. I am currently nursing 4yo DD, and 20 month old DS.

[lillifret]

My DS woke up on the morning of his fourth birthday, woke me up and said "I'm a big boy now I don't need nursey anymore." He hasn't asked to nurse since. : I just didn't think it would happen this fast. We have been talking about it since he noticed none of his little friends nurse. BUT I have been very careful to tell him he could nurse as long as he needed to. His dad says he self weaned around his fourth birthday too so...

[Tuesday]

I have two DSs. First one I weaned but the younger one - he turned 3 a month ago - I think he has almost virtually self-weaned. He asks every 2 or 3 nights but he, for the most part, seems content with a hug and hand-holding at night.

[100%mom]

I voted under 12 months, but I think it was a nursing strike. My son was 11 months and went from one day nursing to the next day not. I offered many times over the next few days and nights but he wouldn't nurse so I gave up.

[tuffykenwell]

My DS was 21 months but he quit mainly because I was pregnant and he didn't really want to continue once my milk mostly disappeared when I was pregnant with Niamh.

Niamh is mostly weaned at this point 4.75 years. She nursed right through my pregnancy with Isla without missing a beat.

Isla is still nursing at 2.5 years. I don't see her weaning anytime soon (and I am 6 months pregnant right now).

Steph

[fyrebloom]

OK so we're a little weird. My DS weaned at 14 months when I was pregnant with my twins. He lost interest with my dwindling supply. My twins did latch on on their second birthday but they have mostly weaned (they ask... or just latch on if they see a nipple but they don't really nurse anymore). I fully expect they will unwean when the baby comes. DS tried to unwean when the twins were born but HATED the taste of baby milk (he'd gag or vomit). Once I was a year post partum though my milk tasted "right" and he unweaned. He nursed until 40 months and then my supply was gone and he was uninterested just as he had been with the last pregnancy! I expect he will ask to nurse again when the baby comes and will have a similar reaction. I don't know what the girls will think of baby milk, but I suspect they will be more interested in it then DS was. Only time will tell!

[Avarie]

I can't vote on this one yet ... DS1 is 3 years 3 months and would nurse constantly if I would allow it. However, he knows that for him, nursies are for nap time and bed time (and illness/injury). DS2 is 18 months and I don't even keep track of how much he nurses.