Do I take DS seriously on his announcement to wean?

[kcparker]

So, my jaw nearly clanked on the floor when my mom told me that she and DS were sitting together talking, and he announced to her, apropos of nothing, this, "When I am three, I will be all done nursing. I am going to have a strawberry cake for my birthday." He turns 3 in two months, and he loooves nursing, asks for it frequently (we have 2 times a day when we nurse because I needed to preserve my good feelings about nursing and on-demand was not working well for me during pregnancy), nurses until his eyes roll back in his head if I let him. We have started talking about how, at some point (I did NOT tell him "third birthday"), kids usually don't nurse anymore, and we have talked about some of his other friends who are weaned. His babysitter weaned on her third birthday, and I think he is aware of that, but I had not put any sort of specific date in his head, just started introducing the idea that 'someday, you won't nurse anymore.'

I am not convinced that he will be ready to wean in two months, and I don't know if he understands how close that is, or that he is serious about giving this up voluntarily at this juncture. Am I selling him short? I don't want to either a) get my hopes up that I will be down to one nurser, or b) have him and DH get into it if DS realizes that he doesn't want to be all done yet. DH would like this to end ASAP, but I think 3 is too young to pull something like, "You said you were going to do this, so be as good as your word."

Does anybody else have experience with a dedicated booby fan picking a time and sticking with it, or with saying they are going to be done, but not wanting to follow through when the day comes for that farewell meeting with the boobies?

[milkybean]

I wouldn't take it seriously. DS (just turned 6) has declared himself to be done several times. And has really acted like he was done a few times. I started keeping an email journal, emailing myself each time he nursed, because I couldn't be trusted to keep a paper journal and know where it was. He goes astonishing amounts of time between nursing nowadays, but I don't think I'll "call it" until, hmm, he's...10 and hasn't nursed in a year or so.

[beckyand3littlemonsters]

i don't really have any advice but i probably wouldn't take it too seriously at this stage, obviously if it comes to his third birthday and he suddenly stops and doesn't ask again you'll know but at this point it's hard to say especially him being so young, young children say a lot of things they don't mean.

[kcparker]

Thanks for replying to this. Becky, your last sentiment echoes my gut instinct, but I also didn't want to sell him short. I will update after the birthday party if he actually sticks to it, but really, I don't think he is ready to be done yet. DH will be so disappointed.

[laurata]

My dd2 said something similar before her 3rd birthday. After she turned three though, she told me, "I changed my mind. I'll wean when I turn four."

[meemee]

is your mom supportive of your bf?

perhaps your son is picking up on her displeasure if she doesnt support it, and said it to please gma.

[JudiAU]

Ha. Maybe. As we approached his 3rd b my ds started saying when he turned 3 he would not use his pacifier. (probably something pushy grandma has been telling him). We said okay, it is up to you. We don't care. Third birthday rolled around and he got very very quite. We said yea, when you are 3 you won't but maybe it isn't this part of 3. And it wasn't. There has been no more talk by him and one very scared look when someone mentioned it.

Someone might have said something to ds or he might have said it himself. Odds are it doesn't mean much. Birthdays, with all of the other excitement, are hard times to make but changes.