This is what I call Alice these days. I am saving the “Big Girl” title for potty training accomplishments, but this week we had another feat – BYE BYE BINKY!
As I reflect on the pacifier over the years I realized how intricate a relationship we had!
Even in the early days a lot of thought went into our pacifier use. We did not use a pacifier in the hospital or in the first 6 weeks of little life. We focused on the nursing and I didn’t like giving it to just pacify. However, I soon learned that the fussy time of night was easily quelled by using our beloved soothie! Still, we limited it to certain times. As Alice got a little older we limited the pacifier to only naps and night. This worked great. She had one in her bed/crib and knew it was for “bed only”.
I had heard that age 2 was a good age eliminate the pacifier, and I was paranoid about the dental side of things. Braces are expensive, man! Not that there is any necessary link to crooked teeth…but I figured I didn’t want to take much of a chance.
Second birthday seemed to have come and gone without too much talk of making a change. Part of me wondered if Alice would reject the paci on her own. Some folks suggested that she would and maybe I held hope for this approach. The bottom line is that it turned out to me as much of my issue as the child’s! We parents don’t like change either!
So, one evening this week we had a little puppy who happened to be talking about giving his paci up to a baby puppy. HE put it in a box and gifted it. I asked Alice if she would like to do that too. YES! WE got a little box, she put “paci” in and we tied it up. Now Mamma tried to think quick…we need a baby to give it to! We had a birth announcement of “new baby Will” and talked about giving it to him and visiting him. But, putting the box on his picture by the door didn’t quite do it. Then I recalled our neighbor baby that was born and thought we’d just walk over and see if they were up for visitors. They were! Alice placed her box in the baby’s crib and dwas pleased to do so. Proud Mamma! Walking home we recalled the Elmo video we’d been watching. This had a been a helpful thing and she now sang “bye bye binky, Elmo won’t cry. I’m like Elmo!” 🙂
OF course, we got home and into our bedtime routine. It wasn’t long before the lamenting of “paci” began. We tried to focus on blankies and animals, but it wasn’t quite the same. I happened to have one old paci that had the nipple cut off. I did same it for exactly this situation, just never knew if it would be accepted or not. So, Alice went to bed with animals and “old paci”. She did whine and whimper for an hour, but was soon asleep. Woke up only once that first night. Night two? It wasn’t even asked for, and she happily went to bed with animals and old pace to hold or chew on. Slept ALL night. 🙂
So, if you are a Mom like me and are hesitant to make the transition. YOU CAN DO IT! Not all kids are the same. But, it seems generally true that it takes only a few nights of transition and the kids are quickly used to it. Now I don’t have to get up in the night to look for a lost paci! Yippee-hoo!
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