Operation: Drop the Paci (Update: No more pacis!)

[sep509bride]

DH and I have talked about how to wean DD from the pacifier so many times, but every time we think we're going to do it something makes us change our mind. Usually she's sick, or hasn't been sleeping well, or we have an event coming up, so we've talked ourselves out of it. Last night she was really fighting going to bed, and she threw all of her pacifiers out of the crib. She's done this before, and I usually go back in and get them for her, but last night I didn't. She cried for awhile, but eventually laid down and went to sleep without them.

Seeing that really gave me some extra motivation to get rid of the pacifiers once and for all! She only sleeps with them now (well, except when she finds them and helps herself), she's over her cold, and we have no plans for this upcoming Easter weekend. We weaned from nursing last year on Easter, so I feel like it's a sign, haha.

I'm writing this here to try to keep myself accountable this time! Today the plan is to get rid of all pacifiers except one (she usually has 4-5 in the crib). In a day or two I think I'll try cutting the tip of the one remaining paci to see if that deters her. And then hopefully this weekend we will go cold turkey.

Wish me luck!

[b0710]

Good luck! We still have the pacifier, and I chicken out every time too He was down to only sleeping times, and then got Croup, followed by RSV, and that was the end of that. I think that we're working our way back up to less paci time, but I'm not really trying to stop it until this summer when school is out.

[TheEleventhHour]

Good luck! I've also not been wanting to drop the pacifier! But we saw the dentist today and she pointed out his bite and I really noticed it and it is obviously from the paci. She told us it will correct itself because it isn't severe at all but it was kind of a wake up call. He uses it to sleep and he spits it out and never wakes up with it so I don't think it will be horrible but I am still chickening out.

Keep us updated! I think I am going to hunt down all the pacifiers in the house today and try to start the weaning process soon.

[michieu129]

Good luck!! Jack also still uses the paci for bedtime. I am not even looking to stop yet with the new baby coming soon. I am just hoping, that like with potty training, he'll just do it on his own.
Ehhh...I am a hopeful person for sure.

[TheEleventhHour]

Apr 1, 2015 14:39:24 GMT -5 michieu129 said:

Good luck!! Jack also still uses the paci for bedtime. I am not even looking to stop yet with the new baby coming soon. I am just hoping, that like with potty training, he'll just do it on his own.
Ehhh...I am a hopeful person for sure.

I am still hoping he will just drop it on his own too! I don't blame you for not doing it right before A comes. We are moving soon too and I feel like that change will be pretty big so I don't want to take away a comfort item from him. 

[Deleted]

I am afraid to drop the paci, but maybe that should be the next goal. Maybe we'll drop it sometime this summer. I was working on PTing in February/ March, so I might keep working on that another month or so and then drop the paci.

I say this all.the.time, but I really am so surprised that DD does not climb out of her crib, so I keep anticipating having to go to the toddler bed, but then she never climbs out. The reason I am bringing this up is because I wouldn't want to drop the paci and change the bed at the same time. Not sure what to do....

GL on your transition!

[TheEleventhHour]

Apr 1, 2015 15:16:10 GMT -5 @clarypax said:

I am afraid to drop the paci, but maybe that should be the next goal. Maybe we'll drop it sometime this summer. I was working on PTing in February/ March, so I might keep working on that another month or so and then drop the paci.

I say this all.the.time, but I really am so surprised that DD does not climb out of her crib, so I keep anticipating having to go to the toddler bed, but then she never climbs out. The reason I am bringing this up is because I wouldn't want to drop the paci and change the bed at the same time. Not sure what to do....

GL on your transition!

To the bold: this age is so tough because there are so many transitions! I know we will move him to a toddler bed in the summer when we move to our new house so I don't know if I should keep the paci until after he's settled in a bed or just drop it now and give him 2 months to adjust to no paci. And don't even get me started on PTing. No clue when I want to do that lol. 

[hikingmama222]

We got really lucky with out timing for dropping DD's paci. We took it away the second week of our trip in January, since she was sleeping in bed with us, the cuddles replaced the paci. She still asks about her paci, but knows we "left it on the boat".

Now, if only we could get her back to falling asleep on her on, without me next to her. That's a negative repercussion from the trip.

[cjsmom]

DS kept throwing his paci on the floor and I got tired of picking it up, so I took it away. I told him he threw it away and it was gone. He went to sleep that night and didn't ask for it the next morning. I was shocked! He did ask for it later but I just reminded him that he threw it away. I definitely got lucky.

[sep509bride]

Quick update - I'm sticking to it so far! And I've told a bunch of people this time, so it feels like I can't back down. Night 1: I removed all except one pacifier. She had no problem with just the one paci, and didn't ask for the others. Night 2: I cut a hole in the tip of the paci. She noticed the hole immediately, but thought it was funny, saying “Oopsie Daisy, Mommy, it’s broken!" She kept putting it in her mouth and taking it back out to look at it. She was definitely preoccupied with the broken paci, but didn't seem particularly upset. There were some tears when I was putting her down in her crib, but that's been typical the past couple weeks, so I'm not sure that it really had to do with the paci. I think she's holding it in her hand right now, not in her mouth, but it's hard to tell on the monitor and I don't dare go back in just yet!

True story: I can clearly remember when my pacifier "disappeared," and begging my mom to look through the garbage in case it got thrown away. I just looked in the baby journal my mom kept, and I was 3 1/2.

[TheEleventhHour]

sep509bride It sounds like she is doing well with it! That is awesome!

I told DH I wanted drop the paci and he got really upset. I was surprised. He seems to struggle with dropping the "baby" stuff because it is a sign that DS is growing up. I think it might take more convincing from DH than DS to drop them! I did pack away all of his pacis expect 2 so I'm working on it haha.

[michieu129]

So glad she is doing well with it so far!
I actually remember when my mother took away my last bottle. I had to be 3 years old! I used to bring it to bed with me. Every morning, I'd give it my mom. But one morning I couldn't find it. I actually remember pulling all the sheets off my bed, looking under every pillow and stuffed animal and going under the bed too. I was in a panic!
Looking back, that was pretty mean I think. haha..
Keep the updates coming!

[sep509bride]

Operation: Drop the Paci has been a huge success! Night 3 (Fri): I trimmed back the paci a little bit more, but still let her go to bed with it. Day 4 (Sat): I made sure she was well worn out by nap time, and then at nap time when she asked for it I just told her it was broken. She whined a little bit, but went down fine without it. Same thing at bedtime - she asked, I told her it was broken, and she went down without it. Today, Day 5, she asked again, but when I said we don't have pacis anymore, she replied, "They're broken?" And that was it! Each time has been shorter than the last, but there have really been no tears at all, just a little whining. I am amazed at how well it has gone.

[TheEleventhHour]

That is awesome! Your experience is giving me courage to start lol.

[michieu129]

Awesome job Mama!

[b0710]

Nice work! I'm still scared to try....my goal is still thinking about it this summer. He is also still in his crib, so apparently I'm holding on to the baby idea

[Deleted]

I just dropped it with DD 2 nights ago. She has had an on again off again rash with it. So finally I was tired of the rash, and it wasn't staying gone. So I just went cold turkey. No tears at all the first night. The second night she cried quite a bit (she had been very attached and liked to have 1 in her mouth and 1 or 2 in her hands). I tried to give her some extra comfort, but ended up leaving her after being in there for about a half hour, and she finally fell asleep. She cried 2 more times, 1 time I rocked her to sleep and the second time I just patted her back and she was fine. I hope tonight is better. I should have done the more gradual approach, but with the rash I kind of felt like we had to cold turkey. Poor thing- I felt like I took away her best friend. But it is time. DS has his removed cold turkey too because he refused the hard ones, but started chewing up the soft ones where he could swallow pieces of it. I think his was earlier closer to 2.

[b0710]

@clarypax - good luck with the process! I'm still too afraid to try. I'm thinking about maybe trying this summer when I'm not getting up early for school and can better handle a few nights with not the best sleep.

[constancegoodspeed]

I hid all but one of DS' so he really has to keep track of the one he has. He lost it this morning in his sheets and was so upset, tearing his bed apart and calling, "Paci?! Where are you?"

I felt so bad for him that I helped him find it.

Is it something they grow out of (like self-weaning) or does it always need to be taken away?

[Deleted]

I think one of my nephews gave his up. My other nephew put his pacis in a gift bag and gave them to the new baby shower. Of course they were gross and we didn't use them, but the point was for him to give them up voluntarily although I think there is some parental prodding to help. My 2 kids had to be pushed off them due to medical problems, so mine never got old enough to self wean. My guess is that some kids do it, but the majority take a little suggestion from their parents.

With DS I iffered him the hard pacifiers and he didn't want them only the soothies, so I guess he kind of self weaned.

[TheEleventhHour]

constancegoodspeed According to our parents, DH and I both gave ours up by three. I am hoping DS will drop it on his own but his dentist pointed out how it has changed his bit slightly so I really want it to happen sooner than 3. We are moving soon though so I don't feel like taking away a comfort item when such a big change is about to happen!

[Deleted]

Massive tantrum tonight just mentioning bedtime. I caved. Not sure what to do. Maybe I need to run them through the dishwasher to prevent the rash? Or try the cutting the tip. She is very attached and was way overtired, not a good combo.

[Deleted]

Sigh. I keep wanting to take the paci and then I feel guilty. We just made her leave her yaya and best friends and took a long flight and... It is always something

We keep talking about her giving the paci away to "a baby lemur" at the zoo. Apparently it's a thing. I'm hoping to get ride of it asap seeing as she is only growing more attached to it. Idk! We still have to go back to Tampa and the to DC in late July so I think I might wait until then. I'm unclear if we're going to move her into a big girl bed vs a crib in DC. I think the paci would help the big girl bed transition... I feel like I just keep saying "I don't know!?"