Reading stories about other nursing children also helps to normalize it. Unfortunately these stories are not widely distributed or well known. She chose to have a weaning party after being inspired by one of those stories. Given social criticism, people who are unfamiliar with the practice of nursing beyond infancy may wonder why mothers would want to continue to nurse through toddlerhood and beyond. As Leaders we can help mothers answer this question confidently.
Mothers find many practical advantages in nursing.
As a parenting tool it is useful when easing the exhausted child into sleep or soothing both mother and child after the storm of a tantrum has passed by. During illness, breast milk may be the only food or drink that a child will take or can keep down and digest. It can make the difference between a dehydrated child needing hospitalization and a sick, but well-hydrated, child at home in mother's arms nursing through a potentially serious illness. The adverse health effects of weaning a child before or during toddlerhood are well documented for Third World countries such as Guinea-Bissau, where children who were no longer breastfed at ages 12 to 35 months had a 3.5 times higher mortality than did their peers who continued to breastfeed. There is a lack of this type of comparative research between breastfeeding toddlers and preschoolers and their already weaned peers in economically advanced countries.