I put this together and would appreciate feedback. Once I correct it,
I'll post it and it will be yours for the printing.

Differences between weaning and a nursing strike
1. Self-weaning or natural weaning rarely happens before one year of
age, and many people say two years of age. A nursing strike can occur
any time.
2. Self-weaning or natural weaning doesn't come as a surprise. Most
mothers talk to their children about it, and in the vast majority of
cases the mother is ready for it, and expects it. Nursing strikes are
unexpected.
3. Weaning is gradual. The space between feedings is gradually longer,
or feedings are dropped. For instance, when the child gives up his
afternoon nap, the before-nap feeding often disappears, too. A nursing
strike happens suddenly.
4. A child who is weaning is generally happy about life. There can be
some sadness about weaning, and a sense that the occasion needs to be
marked and talked about, like graduation. During a nursing strike, the
child is miserable. Nursing strikes can sometimes be linked to upsetting
events.
5. A child weans when he or she is ready, and at this point, the mother
has seen other signs of maturity and developmental milestones. (This
does not include becoming more alert, distracted, etc.) When a mother
feels her child is too young to wean, he might be having a nursing
strike.
6. One of the milestones is often language. A child who understands the
concept of time uses verbs in the past and future, talks about people
when they are away, knows the pattern of the day, week or longer
periods, can grasp the idea of "no longer breastfeeding." A child who
talks about weaning without this understanding cannot make a responsible
choice. Being held to his or her
promise can make a child uneasy.
7. Showing an ability to cope with longer separations from his or her
mother may be a sign of readiness for weaning. A child who has been
upset by a loss or a separation and stops nursing may be showing signs
of distress or separation anxiety.
8. A child who is eating and enjoying a wide variety of foods, and
accepts food when offered, may be showing signs of readiness. A child
who waits for his mother to breastfeed him or who does not enjoy food
may not be ready to wean.
9. Since nighttime nursings are generally the last to be abandonned, a
child who can go to sleep without nursing or who wakes up at night and
goes back to sleep without nursing may be getting ready to wean. A baby
who is too upset to sleep is probably not ready to wean. Even if a baby
is upset, during a nursing strike, a baby can sometimes be persuaded to
nurse when he or she is sleepy.
10. When a child is ready to wean, he or she will accept a distraction
or engage easily in another activity instead of nursing. When a child is
on a nursing strike, the child will often accompany his "labour action"
with other demands, or try to negotiate other benefits.

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