Reply #142: Most mothers stop nursing around nine months if not sooner, however, [View All]

It is not inappropriate to nurse a baby up to two years old. At two years old, comes one of those milestones in child development whereby the child begins his/her first bid for independence from parents and babyhood ("the terrible twos"). That stage of development is very necessary for the baby.

I'm assuming that your baby is not getting most of her nutritional needs from nursing, that the nursing is more a mother/baby bonding thing?

Once a child starts walking and then talking, it should be easy to wean him/her. The Mommy can simply begin to nurse less often, cutting the number of times in half then in half again over a period of two weeks to a month (if it takes that long).

By no means should the child be frightened away from nursing!!! That doctor certainly has a problem. Scaring a baby like that, especially with regards to weaning could cause psychological problems immediately and in the future.

Gently distracting the toddler when she wants to nurse will begin the process of weaning. Giving her a sippy cup or some ice cream works along with a suggestion of "later" for breast feeding.