So how long does it take to wean completely?

[Steaknife]

I know this might sound like a daft question and I am going to try to phrase it carefully.

How long does weaning take? ie at what point does a child no longer need breastmilk or formula?

From what I have read I understand that from 6m-12m a child will still need bf / ff as well as solids. So if I am BFing can I expect to continue to do so until 12m?

I ask because I will continue to BF once DD is 6 months but a bit of me - the vain bit that wants to reclaim my body for me - wants to know how long I should expect to still be bfing.

So maybe the question should be at what point does the child get the majority of it's nutrients from solid food and only need bfing or ebm as an addition rather than a mainstay of their diet?

Apologies if this should be in bfing topic.

Thanks for all the information - I had to go and feed my baby, feed me and then go out, so I've only just caught up.

thisisyesterday - the link to the forum was closed so I couldn't see that one, but thanks for the other links.

I've been thinking about this all day and I think if I change how I think about weaning then it might help me.
Rather than thinking of solids replacing milk I am going to think of them as being additional to the milk.
I am going to aim to get to 9 months and see how I feel from there.

i think that's a good idea. I always thought with my first that i'd feed til 12 months and then give up.
I am now on my second child and he is 15 months and still breastfed and I don't feel like I want to give up until he is ready.

I found it changed a lot as he grew up, our breastfeeding relationship went from a kind of reliance from him on me for all of his food (which is a big deal when you think about it) to it being mainly a real comfort thing for him, which is such a lovely thing to be able to offer your child.

note: I am not saying that people who don't breastfeed can't comfort their child or anything like that, don't want people to misconstrue what I am saying here. Just that as breastfeeding goes along it changes a lot