I've never thought of "don't offer, don't refuse" as a weaning technique, but my oldest is the kind of kid who would still nurse all day long every day if I let her. I don't have to offer to nurse, she will ask me if she wants to, or if she's bored, or if she's hungry, or tired, or upset, or... you get the point.
My baby, though, is the total opposite! I do find myself offering to nurse her when my breasts start feeling real full. If I wait until she starts getting fussy (which, with my oldest, has always been my sign that she needs to nurse) it's been too long! She's perfectly ok on the floor playing with her sister all day long, and would probably be just fine if I let her go six or eight hours without nursing. So now I'm wondering, if she doesn't ask for it, does that mean she doesn't need it? If I'm following my baby's lead, which is my approach to everything, how is "don't offer, don't refuse" a weaning technique? It seems to me that's the ultimate in child-led weaning. If baby needs to nurse, won't she ask for it herself, in one way or another? Or not? Or is the "don't offer, don't refuse" method a weaning strategy only for moms who might not be as clued in to their children's signs, who aren't as attached, who follow baby-training methods and strict schedules, and who don't follow their children's lead???
