NWMR: No Paci = No Sleep Anymore Ever

Mustardseed2007 · July 2014

This isn't exactly working mom related except that I'm at work and I'm really tired.

We took away my 2.5 yr old DS's paci 2 weeks ago, and he still hasn't really recovered. It has gotten a little bit better in some ways, but worse in others and I'm really tempted to give the paci back. I feel like we caved to pressure from our families who say a 2.5 year old with a paci is shameful. We took it away by talking about them going away for several days, and then on the "D" day we traded them in for a cool toy that he does love. But he really didn't understand what was going on, and I think that was our mistake.

But then again, there is a more important factor in that you can tell that the paci was effecting his teeth...

Sleep wise, he started out resisting going down but once he went down he would sleep through the night. Now for the past several nights he goes down fine, but he wakes up SCREAMING (at first literally just screaming and crying, then asking for his pacifier then asking for cookies, for daddy, for anything that he hopes will get him up) and totally inconsolable. For instance, two nights ago he woke at 1, 3, and 5am (normally he wakes up at 6:30 or 7am).

Last night he woke up at 2 am and didn't stop screaming for 1.5 hours. Then he woke up again at 5am and we let him stay up b/c we were up anyway.

I really didn't expect it to be this hard, and like I said, I just want to give the paci back. Then again...I know probably shouldn't. In my head I think if I give it back, it will be easier when he's older, but of course it probably won't be....So regarding the sleep issues he now has, have any of ya'll fought through this successfully? WTH do we do?

By the way, he has never had the paci at daycare and is fine. By the time we took it away, he only had it at bedtime.

Mustardseed2007 · July 2014

Cutting the tip off of a paci may be the thing to do...his paci's were wubanubs and we cut the paci part off all together and left him the animals but he's not using them as a lovie b/c he won't have anything to do with them anymore.

We have tried different stuffed pals during the past 2 weeks...I even thought we had found one he loved (he called it his baby) but apparently baby is no help at 2am other than it's something for him to throw.

ETA: He's in a crib. Maybe if we take him out of the crib? I'm afraid to do that though. I picture a screaming toddler running down the halls...

shannm · July 2014

Ugh. We will be in a similar situation when we get enough courage to wean DD from it.
DS was done with his at 10 months and I think I got cocky.
Now DD is hooked but like you, doesn't use it at daycare. Just at bedtime and occasionally in the car for comfort.
I hope it gets better soon!
Also, what was the evidence it was affecting his teeth?

jtmomma13 · July 2014

Like @shannm I am going to be in this same boat too. My LO loves the paci and if I let him he would keep it in his mouth all day (he doesn't use his at daycare- only at night and in the car).

I've heard the tip before that PP's have already mentioned about cutting the sucking part off. I also think doing a big boy bed might help. My sister ended up putting up a gate on her daughters door so that she couldn't get out of the room. Might not be the safest in terms of their being a fire- but it helped her stay in her bed until she learned that it was a rule.

Good luck! No sleep is no fun!

Mustardseed2007 · July 2014

@shanm DS has not been to a dentist in about a year since the first pediatric dentist we went to stopped taking our insurance, but you can see by looking at his teeth that he's getting an overbite and when we took him to his last wellness appointment our pediatrician suggested switching him to a different kind of paci b/c the soothie attached to the wubbanub "isn't good for his teeth" and she could see there was an effect going on.

She didn't say we needed to take him off all together, or even that the effect would be permanent at this age, but I just thought....well...why switch him? Why not just take him off all together if we're going to do something?

And I had my older sister in my ear saying - it will be 3 days and then it will be over. Liar!

Our 4 month old baby has been sleeping so well, and then this!

ETA: It was the doctor's opinion that the soothie was not good and another type would be better. Which made logical sense to me.