weaning conflict happens when the mother wants to wean her baby, but the baby wants to keep breastfeeding. the mother tries to force the baby to stop breastfeeding, and the baby tries to force the mother to continue. some evolutionary scientists think mammal mothers need to wean their babies as soon as possible, so they will have a greater chance of having more babies and spreading their genes. but mammal babies want to breastfeed as long as they can so they will have a chance to grow strong, and also to enjoy the full care of their mothers. weaning conflict happens in several mammal species, including primates and canines.