After extended breastfeeding - how long before they stop wanting it?

[Unwind]

I stopped breastfeeding my 2yo DD a couple of weeks ago.

She keeps asking hopefully for a breastfeed, and one of the things I looked forward to - cuddles from her without ulterior motive, has not happened yet.

How long does that usually take? I know it is a how long is a piece of string type question, but I'd be grateful for anyone's experience.

anyone?

am worried that she will still be forlornly pleading when she is six

I stopped with my 3.5 yo, but very gradually so I cant really say how long it took. I would say maybe a couple of weeks after stopping he would stop asking. I only stopped feeding though when he was ok when I said no, when he was upset I felt he wasn't ready so I carried on. Iyswim?

He doesn't ask now at all, a few months on.

My DD1 self-weaned at 3.6y/o (she stopped being able to latch on due to change in jaw shape for first adult molars - she's got 3 out of 4 of them now at 4.10y/o) and she still pats my breasts, snuggles into them or mimics feeding through my clothes if allowed (which she's not - I have enough bfing going on with her younger sisters without a weaned DD1 getting in on the act!).

I think that a lot of children like breasts even ones who weren't bf seem to like patting and snuggling into boobs for quite a while into childhood. I don't think it's much to do with bfing for a long time as friends whose babies were only fed for a few days/weeks still like breasts at 4/5 y/o but I guess they do grow out of it eventually.....

It's similar for me, ds1 will ask to touch my boobs rather than feed. I'm happy for him to do this as it's a comfort thing and it was the feeding itself I was ready to finish, not all the snuggly bits and cuddling, so glad we still have that closeness we had when he was bf.

Just stopped with DS, 2.2 at New Year. First week he asked lots, wrigging into position, asking for a feed etc but 3 weeks on and he has pretty much stopped asking. Lots of cuddles and kisses though.

The downsides? Still loves plunging his hands down my top in public. Oh, yes, and he's taken to using one of my (worn) bras as a comforter at night (even tho we still co-sleep).

Sorry. Though.

DS 2.7 we went on holiday and he was getting so tired he was passing out in the pram on the way home, so we used it he asked for about a week after we got home.

Thanks for the replies. She loves cuddling and kissing, but then invariably yells "BREASTFEED!!!", looking mournful when it is refused.

She has not cried about it at all, I thought it was a good time to wean her off it, since I was begining to resent it, and she was increasingly demanding it loudly in public.

i stopped in early dec time, DD was 2.2.
it took about 2 -3 weeks for her to stop asking. quicker than i was expecting. she has so totally forgotten now, and feeds all her dolls with bottles

I remember my much younger sister being weaned at 2 and asking my mum "Mummy milk all gone?" every day for about a year. She wasn't sad or asking for it for a year but she certainly talked about it a lot and remembered it.

This has put me off weaning my own dd too suddenly but it's good to hear that some have only asked for a couple of weeks.

I can't really remember but a couple of weeks sounds about right. After a couple of months she saw my boobs in the bath and I realised that she had completely forgotten about bf-ing.
Around weaning time we happened to be at a local kids farm place and saw baby animals feeding. We talked a bit about the fact that they were babies so they were having boobies. Then we saw the chickens and DD asked if they had boobies too. I said no, chickens don't have boobies. DD said "cuddles" - I took this to mean that she'd clicked that if you don't have boobies you have cuddles instead (after I'd shed a quick tear, of course!!!)

Mine is still folornly pleading. He'll be six in a couple of weeks. (I did only wean him on his fifth b'day though.)

Sorry