Background: since breastfeeding is an important phase, also weaning of mothers milk has special emphasis. Negligence during this stage of a child's life can have profound effects on the physical and mental health of the child and even the mother. Anxiety, restlessness, weight loss, and disruption of the child's relationship to mother and distrust are the most common.
Methods: This is a descriptive review study. The content of infant weaning in view point of Iranian traditional medical manuscripts was studied. For this purpose, 7 books were selected from the most prestigious sources of Iranian medicine and data were extracted from the lactation section on how to wean. Then the contents of each title from the extracted notes were put together. The texts with difficult prose were simplificated and Arabic texts were translated.
Results: In ancient medical texts of Iran, the weaning of the baby from mother was reported. It was believed that the best duration for a baby to breastfeed is about one year and nine months to two years of age. The best season for weaning is spring and then autumn. Weaning is not recommended during summer. Weaning should be donning gradually and breastfeeding should be replaced with age-appropriate foods. For auxiliary food Persian scholars have recommended a range of suitable foods, including breadcrumbs, egg yolk with breast milk and chicken breast. It should be noted during weaning the child does not become dehydrated, so it is advisable to consume sufficient fluids, including cucumber juice, buttermilk, and purslane extract, as well as locally preventive use of henna on the palm of the hand and head. Putting something bitter that was not harmful for baby is another recommendation.
Conclusions: Studying Iranian traditional medicine texts and using the recommended items (after updating them) along with the current methods, may help us for better management of weaning phase with the least physical and psychological damages, based on specialized and harmless recommendations for each individual and each season with appropriate food.