Weaning is the process of transitioning a child from a diet of breast milk or formula to solid foods. There is no standard age at which a child should be weaned. Instead, parents or caregivers can use their best judgment to determine when to make this transition. Factors such as the health and emotional readiness of the child help parents decide when the time is right to wean.

Organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that parents feed their child a diet exclusively of breast milk for the first six months of life, and breastfeeding may be continued for at least one year or for as long as desired. For women who are unable to breastfeed or are uncomfortable with the practice, infants can also receive all of their nutritional requirements from fortified infant formula. After six months of age, solid foods may be added to the diet until the child is a year old. These may include enriched cereals, fruits, vegetables and meats. Following a child’s first birthday, parents are urged to begin the weaning process because breast milk does not provide all the nutrients children over the age of 1 need to grow and remain healthy.

Weaning can be done all at once, or gradually. For instance, some working mothers may choose to have their child consume solid foods during the day, followed by breast milk at night. Parents using formula can employ the same strategy. In addition, some children may be more receptive to weaning than others. Though some children are willing to breastfeed indefinitely, others may become irritable or indifferent to their mother’s breast, or may nurse for shorter periods of time.

Weaning a child before the age of two may make the transition to solid foods easier than if weaning is attempted later in a child’s life. Children who are two years or older are more likely to feel an attachment to the breast, and are more likely to be upset at the thought of giving it up.

Children who breastfeed may be easier to wean if they have consumed breast milk from a bottle prior to weaning. Although drinking from an artificial nipple can negatively affect a newborn’s ability to learn how to breastfeed because of the different sucking motions required, this does not affect children after the newborn period. To promote weaning, mothers who breastfeed can give their child expressed breast milk in a bottle beginning at four months to seven months of age. This can be done even if the mother is planning to continue breastfeeding. If parents intend to start weaning at an earlier age, bottle feedings should also be attempted earlier in a child’s life.

Some parents or caregivers may wonder how long it is acceptable to continue to breastfeed. There is no standard answer to this question. Many experts suggest that children continue to nurse through toddler and even preschool years.