General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What do you think of the cover of next issue of Time? **Image may offend** [View all]Ilsa
(61,696 posts)Last edited Thu May 10, 2012, 06:30 PM - Edit history (1)
Some children love nursing through toddlerhood and don't want to wean. And it certainly doesn't hurt them. Nursing comforts them in ways a dirty made-in-china teddy bear can't.
I had to push my last child to wean because I had been done with feeding him for awhile. We had things going on in our family that were huge stressors. When the issues started settling, I gradually weaned him from his last feeding. This was one thing he could count on at the end of his day. I have no regrets, and he grew up feeling loved and secure. Your assumption that all mothers that do it are doing so for selfish reasons is a closed-minded conclusion.
BTW, these 3-4 year olds aren't nursing all day like a newborn. Many of them are nursing only once or twice at most.
On edit: every child is different. Some need to suckle more and longer than others. This includes children needing pacifiers.