Past tense of wean: to gradually stop feeding a baby milk (either breast milk or formula) and introduce solid foods instead.
From Old English 'wenian' meaning 'to accustom,' related to 'gewenu' (habit or custom). The concept evolved from the general idea of breaking a habit to the specific practice of transitioning infants from milk to food.
The timing of weaning varies wildly across cultures and history—some mothers weaned at 6 months, others at 3 years—and there's no perfect answer, which explains why parenting advice about this topic tends to make everyone anxious.
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