Elishiva wrote:
"I have not seen any evidence that persuades me that there is any weaning of human beings that is not permeated by culture. <snip>
So I vote against "natural weaning" to mean, letting the little guy give it up whenever he's good and ready."

I hope even with the major snip, this is a good indication of your intention. I agree that we cannot possibly eliminate cultural experience from this discussion. I also agree that any process which involves two people would inherently be negotiated, rather than determined by one or the other, since that is the natural state of relationship. So, I think what we might be saying that "natural weaning" might mean following the natural course of a healthy, evolving relationship, a process far too complex to really define, but which would tend to result in weaning between the ages of 2 1/2 and 7 for most couples.

" But self-weaning is clear -- the kid is running the show, and the mom is following. That we can all understand."

But, in my experience, most mothers who define their children as having "self-weaned" have children who weaned well before the age of 2 1/2. So, who is really running the show? I would never describe my children as having self-weaned, since I am very clear that weaning was a natural consequence of our evolving relationship, not a choice driven solely be them.

" I like "child-led weaning," too, in some moods.   Was there a reason that that phrase hadn't apparently made it into your top two?"

Yes, I would imagine (in some moods) that my children led the process and that I initially (even mostly) followed, while also actively participating in the relationship which led to their weaning.

Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA

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