We did it! Our now 2 year old no longer uses her pacifier for sleeping. I was SO scared of how awful the nap-times and nights would be without that little soother, but let me just tell you, it went much better than I expected! In case you're curious as to what worked for us, here is a little breakdown of what we did.
I should mention, that since Miss P was about 3 months old, we only used a pacifier in the car when the crying WOULD. NOT. STOP., when we were on stroller rides, and for sleeping times. Right when she would wake up, we would put her pacifier back in her crib. I wanted to be in this habit from the beginning. It was a personal thing. She is super verbal, so by the time she was 20ish months, as she was getting ready to rest, she would say, "I need paci, and flat pet, and blanket." Because of this routine, we were even more nervous to sever the ties with her paci, but let me tell you, it was none too soon! At her 2-year old well check visit, her doctor asked us if she sucked her thumb or used a pacifier, because he noticed that it was starting to affect her teeth. Yikes! We should probably start saving for braces now. Anywho, here are the steps we took...
STEP 1: Set a time that you are going to do it, and communicate it to your little. For example, about 2 weeks before we were going to do it, I would tell her, "When you turn 2, you are a big girl, and you don't get to have your paci anymore. So, after your birthday party, no more paci." She would say it back to me occasionally.
STEP 2: Stick to your plan! Okay, okay, I admit that I didn't stick to the exact date. She is my baby, and I was scared. But, 2 days after her party, I went into her room in the morning to get her out of bed, and she said to me, while holding her paci in her hand, "After my birthday party, I don't get to have my paci anymore." Talk about feeling held accountable! If I don't stand by what I say with the little things now, she will only push more boundaries later, so that night, was THE night.
STEP 3: Have your little put the pacifier in the garbage themselves. She put it in, and then went to take it back out. I took it out and put it on the counter, and then when she asked for it that night, I cut the nipple in half with scissors, and told her that when she put it into the garbage can, it broke. She was SO sad. There were lots of tears the first night. I rocked her, let her pick a stuffed animal to sleep in her crib with her and laid her down. I went back in about every 5-10 minutes to reassure her and love on her. The first night, it took her about 30 minutes to fall asleep, when she usually falls asleep in 5-10 minutes. But guess what, she didn't wake up once! She slept through the night without it! This lasted for 3 nights total, and then no more tears! Only 3 nights! Nap-time was a different story, it took about 4 days of naps for no more tears.
We have been done with the pacifier for one whole week! Now when people ask her how old she is, she says, "2. And I don't get my paci anymore, because I'm a big girl." It's super cute, and kind of sad. I would say that this has been her first real growing pain. Can you believe that!?! We start feeling the pains of growing up around the age of 2. Lame.
To Our Big Girl,
We love you SO incredibly much! You are going to be a fantastic big sister; you actually already are. You are strong and smart. You are silly and beautiful. You hold us accountable to pray when we are in a hurry, and help us to stand by our word. We are so proud to call you our daughter. Thank you for being you.
Love,
Daddy & Momma
To My Friend -- If you're in the trenches, I want to cheer you on! You got this! You are doing what is best for your little! And a little tip, if you don't want to give in to the crying, get rid of all of the pacifiers immediately. Leave no temptation behind.
This is the type of pacifier that we used. I've heard that babies can be picky, but this is the only kind that we tried and it worked for us!
I should mention, that since Miss P was about 3 months old, we only used a pacifier in the car when the crying WOULD. NOT. STOP., when we were on stroller rides, and for sleeping times. Right when she would wake up, we would put her pacifier back in her crib. I wanted to be in this habit from the beginning. It was a personal thing. She is super verbal, so by the time she was 20ish months, as she was getting ready to rest, she would say, "I need paci, and flat pet, and blanket." Because of this routine, we were even more nervous to sever the ties with her paci, but let me tell you, it was none too soon! At her 2-year old well check visit, her doctor asked us if she sucked her thumb or used a pacifier, because he noticed that it was starting to affect her teeth. Yikes! We should probably start saving for braces now. Anywho, here are the steps we took...
STEP 1: Set a time that you are going to do it, and communicate it to your little. For example, about 2 weeks before we were going to do it, I would tell her, "When you turn 2, you are a big girl, and you don't get to have your paci anymore. So, after your birthday party, no more paci." She would say it back to me occasionally.
STEP 2: Stick to your plan! Okay, okay, I admit that I didn't stick to the exact date. She is my baby, and I was scared. But, 2 days after her party, I went into her room in the morning to get her out of bed, and she said to me, while holding her paci in her hand, "After my birthday party, I don't get to have my paci anymore." Talk about feeling held accountable! If I don't stand by what I say with the little things now, she will only push more boundaries later, so that night, was THE night.
STEP 3: Have your little put the pacifier in the garbage themselves. She put it in, and then went to take it back out. I took it out and put it on the counter, and then when she asked for it that night, I cut the nipple in half with scissors, and told her that when she put it into the garbage can, it broke. She was SO sad. There were lots of tears the first night. I rocked her, let her pick a stuffed animal to sleep in her crib with her and laid her down. I went back in about every 5-10 minutes to reassure her and love on her. The first night, it took her about 30 minutes to fall asleep, when she usually falls asleep in 5-10 minutes. But guess what, she didn't wake up once! She slept through the night without it! This lasted for 3 nights total, and then no more tears! Only 3 nights! Nap-time was a different story, it took about 4 days of naps for no more tears.
We have been done with the pacifier for one whole week! Now when people ask her how old she is, she says, "2. And I don't get my paci anymore, because I'm a big girl." It's super cute, and kind of sad. I would say that this has been her first real growing pain. Can you believe that!?! We start feeling the pains of growing up around the age of 2. Lame.
To Our Big Girl,
We love you SO incredibly much! You are going to be a fantastic big sister; you actually already are. You are strong and smart. You are silly and beautiful. You hold us accountable to pray when we are in a hurry, and help us to stand by our word. We are so proud to call you our daughter. Thank you for being you.
Love,
Daddy & Momma
To My Friend -- If you're in the trenches, I want to cheer you on! You got this! You are doing what is best for your little! And a little tip, if you don't want to give in to the crying, get rid of all of the pacifiers immediately. Leave no temptation behind.
This is the type of pacifier that we used. I've heard that babies can be picky, but this is the only kind that we tried and it worked for us!
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