Why Child-Led Weaning
When I first decided to go down the child-led weaning path, the reason was simple: it was the most natural thing to do. And to me, the most natural things lead to healthy living. Yes, I knew that my son Benjamin might choose to continue nursing beyond the age of two. Yes, I knew that most of the people I knew would consider my choice strange (thank God for La Leche League!).
But Jerry was on board with the decision, and most of the people I know considered my lifestyle strange before Benjamin came along anyway. So I find myself with an almost three-year-old who still nurses several times a day, and usually once in the wee hours of the morning.
If you’re a mother-to-be considering her options of how to raise her new baby, this may sound like more than you want to handle. Wouldn’t it be easier just to schedule the weaning to happen before the baby turns two (or one, even)? What if you’re going back to work? And wouldn’t nursing a preschooler completely disrupt your life?
The short answers to those questions are: no; you could still do child-led weaning (although your baby would probably wean sooner than if you stayed at home); and not necessarily.
There are many reasons to practice child-led weaning with your baby; the following list of four may quell some of your concerns.
1. Child-led weaning gives a toddler a feeling of control.
If you’ve ever had a toddler, you know that more than anything else, she wants power. Allowing her to choose when to quit nursing will enhance her sense of control over her world that may keep her on a more even emotional keel–and may make her more willing to cooperate with Mommy and Daddy in other areas.
2. Extended breastfeeding=extended health benefits.
Breastmilk contains all kinds of nutrients–including the all-important brain-building DHEA–that are hard to assemble on a daily basis in the typical three-meal, two-snack eating routine. The only concern would be iron, which need can easily be fulfilled by feeding your child such foods as spinach green smoothies and hamburger with pasta sauce.
Perhaps even more importantly, as long as a child continues to nurse, he is getting the antiobiotics necessary to keep him free from illness–or to keep the symptoms mild and short-lived if he does catch a virus.
3. Child-led weaning avoids emotional distress.
Most children–especially toddler-aged and under–are not the “easy” kind that can take whatever you dish out. Weaning them before they are ready can cause them confusion, distress and–if the mother weans in an abrupt, indifferent manner–a sense of abandonment and distrust.
A definite advantage of child-led weaning is that a child’s sense of security and trust in her parents is enhanced. Another is that Mommy does not have to endure a period of shirt-clawing and screaming by a toddler who doesn’t understand why she can no longer suck at the breast.
