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On our way to 3 under 4!
DD1 1/22/09
DD2 7/16/10
Baby Boy Due This Summer!
Any Advice? Getting rid of pacifiers for infant and toddler...
DD will be two next month, and we are ready to be a paci-free household. That means taking them away from the baby as well, who will be six months. So, what do you suggest we do? I am dreading it, as my toddler is addicted to her paci (even though she only uses it to nap and sleep at night). She LOVES it. It's a package deal with her bunny, kind of like coffee and cigarettes for some people. ;-) I want to get rid of the baby's so toddler doesn't continue to steal them from her and never quite get over them. Please tell me it won't be too awful. Help!
On our way to 3 under 4!
DD1 1/22/09
DD2 7/16/10
Baby Boy Due This Summer!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Any Advice? Getting rid of pacifiers for infant and toddler...
We took the paci away from my oldest when she was 2.5. Well, we didn't actually take it away - we couldn't find it one night before she went to bed (she only had 1 at a time b/c she only used it to sleep at night) and we put her to bed without it. We found it later, but never gave it back. The first night was the worst. The entire first week was pretty hard too as I recall. I wouldn't say she cried every night, but she was really restless b/c she had nothing to calm her down. We tried to "replace" her paci with a blanket and various stuffed animals. Nothing worked.
She's now 4.5 and still has a horrible time going to sleep at night. She's a super high energy kid so that's part of the problem. I let her "read" before lights out and she listens to a lullaby CD to help her relax, so we do the best we can, but it's always a struggle. It will pass eventually. Good luck.
None of my kids had paci's. Well, E did, but I took it away at 5 months old. She used it occasionally.
My friends tell me that if you don't take it away before they turn 1, that you need to wait until they're 3 or older - otherwise you risk ruining their good sleep patterns. When my friends did this with their 3YO's, they talked about the Paci Fairy and how they would be left a gift when they got rid of all the paci's. It's worked with all the kids I know.
Me personally - I'd take it away from the baby right now, and worry about your son later on........
GL!
My story was similar to a previous poster's - we flat out couldn't find the only one left and never purchased more. We found that one several weeks later, but we threw it out. He was a year and a half old. It did not disrupt his sleep at all (he's always been an amazing sleeper). He was super whiney for a few days but it got better. So basically - cold turkey, no warning.
The baby still uses a paci, but he doesn't seem quite as attached to it as DS#1 was. Maybe we'll try to get rid of it sooner. In fact, he doesn't even *really* need it to get to sleep, so maybe now is a good time. hmmm - I'll have to ask DH what he thinks!
Cam 6.6.10 - Autism, Global Developmental Delay, Mixed Receptive/Expressive Communication Disorder