S/O: How early is it CLW?

[Justmee]

Just curious what people think is the youngest age a child can have true child led weaning. I'm assuming mom is not pregnant, breast is offered, etc.

Poll coming...

[readytobedone]

i said 19-24 months

i think it's possible that the child would choose to wean in the second half of the second year, but probably not before that. there are always exceptions, i guess. and even 19-24 mo. is probably on the young side of what's possible.

[fiveyearsapart]

My son self weaned at 11.5 months. Before he did I probably would have voted not possible under 12 months but I did everything I could. It was not a strike, either.

[wannabe]

I said 12-18, but I wonder if those kids who *seem* to be CLW that young have actually been prompted to by having nursing strictly limited until then.

[UUMom]

I'd say that a baby who is about a year and half *might* CLW. I don't think it's usual, but i do think it's in the realm of possible.

Under 18 or so mos? Never saw it. All the babes I know who 'weaned' as baby-babies had many events in their lives that facilitated this CL 'weaning'. If my witness to CLW were different wrt to baby-baby weaning, I might feel differenty.

I know someone who told me, in all seriousness, that her baby 'weaned himself' at 7 mos. One day, she says, he looked at the breast 'in a funny way' and simply refused it.

Would he had weaned had he not been getting 3 meals, 2 snacks and 4 bottles (in 24 hours) a day, with 'great encouragement' to sleep through the night? He did wean, and maybe it was 'painless' weaning, but it certaily was not CLW.

[1babysmom]

Thanks for this thread!! I've always felt like I was going to go insane when I hear people say their babies weaned on their at 9 months or so (and then act all sad as if they tried everything to prevent it). Glad to hear I'm not nuts! LOL

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by readytobedone

i think it's possible that the child would choose to wean in the second half of the second year, but probably not before that. there are always exceptions, i guess. and even 19-24 mo. is probably on the young side of what's possible.

:

Whenever I hear of a child under a year weaning, I think there has to be more to the story. Was nursing limited in some way prior to this? Were other forms of food, liquids, and sucking given too readily? Was the mom pg (or dealing with other medical issues that might affect milk supply?) Were mom and babe co-sleeping with the breast offered frequently at night?

I'm not saying it's "wrong" or "bad" if a baby stops nursing before a year old- just that IMO it's not a true child-led weaning unless the mom was pg or there were other milk supply issues going on.

My Mom insists that I self-weaned at 11mo, the day I took my first steps, and I didn't like to sit in one place and nurse when I could take my bottle with me. Hey, in 1973 not much was known about nursing strikes or avoiding bottles for BF toddlers. I was also sleeping through the night in my crib in my own room at that point. Looking back on it as an adult, I would call that a gentle mother-led weaning and/or taking advantage of a nursing strike as a chance to wean.

[forestrymom]

Well, thus far, we are experiencing a CLW at around 20 months, which is not to say there haven't been things that have influenced it...a pacifier that we introduced because we didn't know any better at the time, pregnancy and a reduced milk supply, and night weaning which we encouraged because I became pregnant. Do I think she would have weaned if I hadn't gotten pregnant? No, I don't. I know she would still be nursing at night. I guess its hard to know what a true definition of CLW is, because I am still encouraging nursing even though its not happening (not a lot, but just tonight I tried a sleepy nursing and it didn't happen). She just doesn't seem to want it and/or prefers her pacifier. So yeah, the pacifier is playing a big part of it. But I can't gently remove the pacifier, so I'm torn between CLW from the pacifier too.

I voted 19-24 months, because I think its probably possible, but in general, I think kids will and need to nurse much longer.

[MamaE]

Thanks for posting this poll. I was stunned at the other thread (what age did your child CLW?) where so many people had voted under 2 years. It was my understanding that refusal to nurse prior to 2 years of age was a strike and should be treated as such. I'm wholly convinced that babies NEED breastmilk until they are 2. Yes, they manage without in our country b/c of medicine, hygiene, etc., but I do believe they are at increased risk for illness.

It seems the tides are teeming with mainstreamers at MDC these days. It's not a bad thing. I think MDC is taking on the mainstream, educating, and turning the tides. However, I do think it means that polls and posts around here are skewed now to reflect a different mentality, forunately a changing one.

I voted 2.5-3 years, but I think true CLW is possible any time after the age of 2. I just don't think it's likely if the child has had full access to nursing without any restrictions. That's uncommon in our culture though, where the vast majority of kids are either in cribs and/or nightweaned prior to 2 years (even here at MDC, nightweaning seems fairly common).

I'm not trying to offend anyone and I may have to eat my words - I can already see that my ds has a totally different personality at only 4 mos. My dd, OTOH, comfort nursed a lot, never self-soothed, and didn't nightwean herself until the age of 3. Who knows with him? He's already pushing the breast away in favor of his thumb after nursing!

[alegna]

Originally Posted by readytobedone

i think it's possible that the child would choose to wean in the second half of the second year, but probably not before that. there are always exceptions, i guess. and even 19-24 mo. is probably on the young side of what's possible.

:

-Angela

[mothragirl]

Originally Posted by readytobedone

i think it's possible that the child would choose to wean in the second half of the second year, but probably not before that. there are always exceptions, i guess. and even 19-24 mo. is probably on the young side of what's possible.

:

[majormajor]

one of my close friends (and a mom role model to me) nursed 2 of her children to 4.5 years, through nursing strikes and everything else. her first self-weaned at 6 months. i asked her in detail about it (whether she thought it was really weaning in retrospect or a strike), and she said definitely weaning. so, it does happen!

[alegna]

Originally Posted by majormajor

one of my close friends (and a mom role model to me) nursed 2 of her children to 4.5 years, through nursing strikes and everything else. her first self-weaned at 6 months. i asked her in detail about it (whether she thought it was really weaning in retrospect or a strike), and she said definitely weaning. so, it does happen!

No way. At 6 months formula would be a must. No way a 6 mo old can self wean.

sorry!

-Angela

[lml41981]

I dunno, but I marked 2 to 2.5 because I think that is closer to what I think than 19 months to 2 years.

Is it technically considered CLW if the mom is pregnant and puts limits such as nursing until the count of 10? Sometimes I'm just totally touched out and can't stand the thought of nursing...I don't deny her, but I will set a time limit and sometimes if it seems like she just really needs more time, I'll give her more time. I don't want to tell folks I'm CLWing if that isn't true CLW, though, KWIM?

[alegna]

Originally Posted by lml41981

I dunno, but I marked 2 to 2.5 because I think that is closer to what I think than 19 months to 2 years.

Is it technically considered CLW if the mom is pregnant and puts limits such as nursing until the count of 10? Sometimes I'm just totally touched out and can't stand the thought of nursing...I don't deny her, but I will set a time limit and sometimes if it seems like she just really needs more time, I'll give her more time. I don't want to tell folks I'm CLWing if that isn't true CLW, though, KWIM?

IMO I wouldn't call it CLW. I would call it perfectly normal though

-Angela

[Gaea]

I voted 2-2.5 years, I think that must be the earliest a child would wean.
My DD weaned at 23 months, that´s when my ds was born. It was a complicated birth 7 weeks early. She would have never weaned at that time if it wasn´t for the birth.

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by Gaea

I voted 2-2.5 years, I think that must be the earliest a child would wean.

I agree. I really think with true child-led weaning the youngest would be around the 2nd birthday with the average being much later than that though.

[Gaea]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

I agree. I really think with true child-led weaning the youngest would be around the 2nd birthday with the average being much later than that though.

Yes, I think actually weaning at two is pretty rare. All the children I know who CLWed was over 4.

[majormajor]

Originally Posted by alegna

No way. At 6 months formula would be a must. No way a 6 mo old can self wean.

sorry!

-Angela

why can't a 6 month old self-wean?

[alegna]

Originally Posted by majormajor

why can't a 6 month old self-wean?

Because at 6 months it is not possible to be adequately nourished by solids. Simply not possible. They would HAVE to have formula, most likely in bottles.

It is frankly absurd to say that a baby self weaned to formula and bottles.

-Angela