Extended bfing: a committment?

[BumperliciousNeedsToSleep]

I am still bfing my 10 mo DD. I really don't know when I am going to stop. I have no problem in theory with waiting until she self-weans, I'm just not sure I have the energy to go that far.

What I am wondering is if I continue to bf am I then committed till she self weans? Will I miss my ideal weaning window? If you are going to wean them yourself is there an idea time/situation to do it? Should I just stop worrying and wait and see how we go?

I think you answered your own question - I would wait and see. I also think, though, that once they get past one, you can start gently readjusting feeding so that it suits you as well as her. My ds self weaned very determinedly at 11 months, but dd showed no signs of wanting to stop, so I worked on distracting her at times when i didn't wnat to feed her. In the end, she was feeding night and morning and occasionally in the night and not at all during the day. That suited us both, and continued until she decided that she didn't want to feed any more at 3.

As I said, wait and see - I don't think there is a "window" you can miss.

remember that feeding a 3 y o is nothing like feeding a 10 m o
most people find they have house rules about when and where to breastfeed by this stage, so you can adjust things to be comfortable and convenient for yourself
so when you talk about energy, it really doesn't mean the same demands on your time and energy as breastfeeding a small child

I did find breastfeeding a toddler quite challenging and sometimes exhausting
however I found just being a mother to a toddler quite challenging and sometimes exhausting! and I think on the whole the breastfeeding definitely made things easier for both of us
don't forget you still get all those lovely calming and bonding hormones every time you feed - my god I needed those when dealing with a stroppy 1 and 2 year old
and the memories of the closeness of breastfeeding an older child are definitely among my happiest from that age - as they get older it gets easier and becomes purely a pleasure and a relaxing time for both of you

there is a great book from LLL called How Weaning Happens, which describes methods of gentle weaning at every age, and talks through all the advantages of allowing self weaning if possible
I found it very reassuring and inspiring

Thanks both. F&Z that sounds like a good book to invest in.

I would lend but another friend has it
your local LLL can probably lend a copy?

The longest I've fed is 22 months. I think that the closer you get to their 'natural' self- weaning age (I've read its 3ish? Obv varies between children), the easier weaning will be. That makes sense to me.

Having said that, I 'encouraged' DD to wean (by offering beakers) from when she was 11 months, and she was weaned by 14 months..not a single tear, it was very easy as she loved the beaker of cows milk.

DS I weaned in the saem way, but he asked for feeds a lot more, and was a bit harder to wean (not traumatic, but a bit harder). I think though, that DD's natural weaning age would have been about 18 months-2 years though, whereas DS always fed a lot, and I think if I'd been happy to feed on he would not have naturaly weaned himself until closer to 4.

Sorry - very long winded way of saying not much! But hope it helps. Keep feeding! You are not closing a door, and you can stop if and when you decide to.

um, sorry, that last post is very disjointed. Should say: DS, I weaned in the same way, but at 21-22 months.