Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Cold Turkey

I’m happy to report that my YMCA nursery battle is
officially over. My daughter walks
through the Dutch door happily every morning and doesn’t even request her
pacifier or her blanket anymore. When I
come to get her after my blissful, child-free workout, she’s happily playing
instead of standing by the door, patiently waiting for me. What a relief. My challenges are far from over, however, because I have decided
to take away her pacifier on Sunday. 





Pacifier
My daughter has never been super attached to her
pacifier. She likes to have it when she
sleeps and when she is tired. Most of
her waking hours are spent pacifier-free. I have been trying, for the past few weeks, to limit her pacifier use to
bedtime only. I’m working myself up to
the big day. Her second birthday is
Friday and I feel like two is a pretty good age to surrender the pacifier. I don’t want to do it on her actual birthday
and we’ve got a babysitter on Saturday night so I think Sunday is the day. 





Moms are always quick to pass immediate and harsh judgment
on other Moms when they seem to be indulging their children in some way. Allowing a child over the age of three to
use a pacifier can be the source of many disapproving looks. I know. I’m guilty of it. I’ve seen
children that are four or five with a pacifier in their mouth and, dependant on
whether I am alone or with friends, I will criticize the Mom quietly to myself
or lock eyes with my friends in a collective, supercilious condemnation. We will snicker about that mother behind her
back at lunch and feel sorry for that child. He’s probably attached to a leash in crowded places too. Poor kid.





My best friend when I was five was a pacifier addict. The victim of an overindulgent Mother, he
kept two to three pacifiers in his pocket at all times. Whenever he got the urge, he’d pull one of
those suckers out and pop it in his mouth. It was pretty comical but I shudder at the thought of having a kid like
that. That’s why I’ve got to tackle
this issue now. I’ve got to get her
over her pacifier before she knows how to ask for it. I’m taking it away Sunday, cold turkey. I’m sure this won’t be a permanent solution as there are probably
12-15 pacifiers hidden in various places in our house. My daughter is pretty resourceful so I am certain
she will tap that supply in the coming week. We should be, however, completely pacifier free by the time school is
out (May 18th). Wish us
luck. I sure am going to miss that
Bubba pacifier. I might have to have
another kid just so I can use it again.







11 comments:

  1. wow good luck! Elizabeth has only 4 months till d day. I am not looking forward to it. Let me know any tips you learn! Good luck again!

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  2. Let me get this straight, It goes kind of like this? "Happy birthday to you!! happy birthday to you!! happy birthday to you!! now, give me the damn plug, and shut up, you don't need a crutch anymore, I said so!!" OK, good luck with that, let us know when she's over the transition period, that's about the time we'll plan another trip down, no need for guilt feelings, sooner or later all parents have to deal with this stuff, and, sooner or later all grandparents get a couple of good chuckles at the expense of their kids. Wow, do I like that part.

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  3. I vote for letting her keep it until she can willingly give it up for something better... an extra bedtime story... or, a training bra depending on how long the process takes! Or (when she's a little older) trick her into throwing them out herself. All of Keira's binkies, one night after another, mysteriously got holes in the sucky part, and it's not safe to use them if they're broken. She threw each one of them out til we had no more.
    If she's only using them at bedtime, what's the big deal, Jules?!
    On the other hand, if you go through with it, we'd like the buck teeth sent our way please!!!!

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  4. With Christian, we only had two pacy's, red & blue. We had kept them up on the dresser and before bed, we would grab one, usually the red one. Once that one was down to the nubs, we threw it out with no fanfare. Shortly before we moved (before he turned two) we slyly took the other pacy and hid it/threw it away.
    When he was looking for his pacy at bedtime, we went to the dresser and we said, "No pacy" and he was okay with it. It continued for a few weeks then he was done with the "No Pacy" thing.
    Luckily for us, we didn't have 12-15 pacy's all over the house, just the two!
    Good luck!

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  5. right about the time Maggie turned one, we decided to switch from bottle to cup, and to chuck the binky at the same time. She was like Tater, only using it when really tired or at nap time. I recall that we had about four or five nights of successive tantrums at bedtime, but after that, she was fine.
    Of course, now her little sis is a three year old who loves her thumb and isn't about to give THAT up. The binky was far easier to deal with! Aleita always wants to act like such a big girl, but when she sucks her thumb, I say, "Aleita, big girls don't suck their thumbs." She then sticks it in her mouth and says, "then I'm a baby."

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  6. Melinda-
    YOu are holding back on me. I love your suggestion about poking a hole in the binky. Genius!

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  7. Yes Papa Dale. I'm an evil, evil woman.

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  8. Spaz-
    You're such a softy. She's got vices of all kinds: blankie, stuffed animals, milk. You name it, she's got it. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

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  9. Thanks for the tips Emily. I could never have just two pacifiers. I lose them all the time. We usually go through 2-3 a day!

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  10. Aunty Becky-
    There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars that neither of my kids is a thumb sucker. I'm a recovering thumb sucker, I've been clean for 20 years. I'm 32. You do the math.

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  11. Trey was really attached. We limited it from day to only nap and bedtime, then, just bedtime. He is so smart about it too, saying we can just buy more. Of course we would say you are a big boy now and it is time etc... he gradually got over it as they do w/ many other things.
    I am starting to do the same w/ Ben, he does ask for it though. I might just cut them, he is a different kid.
    Right b/f bed for a while after non paci, Trey would request a drink. I honestly think the sucking on a sippy cup comforted him. Now, he can only go to the bathroom and get a cup of water for those nightly drinks.
    Good Luck!! And congrats to you and Tatum on the Y nursery success. I to need to start this hurdle along w/ paci restrictions, AND potty training. So much in the toddler years to do.

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