the.com/weaning
the slow divorce between a mouth and the only menu it ever trusted
means the gradual process of accustoming a young child or animal to food other than its mother's milk, or by extension, the act of withdrawing someone from a dependence or habit.
from From Old English wenian, "to accustom" or "to train" — the same root as our modern "wont" (as in "wont to do"). The sense narrowed strangely: to wean a baby was literally to accustom it, but accustom it to going without. So the word that once meant "to get used to something" now mostly means "to get used to its absence." A cousin of German entwöhnen and related to Old Norse venja.
- word root
- means 'to accustom,' not 'to deprive'
- animal timing
- elephants nurse for up to ten years
- baby led
- some infants self-wean by grabbing your food
- chemical shift
- breastmilk changes flavor to nudge toward solids
- not just milk
- the term covers quitting any dependency
baby led weaning — method where infants self-feed finger foods starting around 6 months, popularized by gill rapley
traditional weaning practices — varies by culture: japan introduces rice porridge at 5-6 months, while some african communities delay until 12+ months