One week ago, my precious angel put herself to sleep for the first night without her pacifier.
We’ve only let her have a pacifier for sleeping from day one, because I had read that it actually helps to prevent SIDS in newborns, and Lord knows we have enough to worry about when they’re brand new! Also of note, my elders have always said that “a pacifier is MUCH easier to take away than a thumb!” *praise hands*
Anywho, my Grace was weened off the paci for nap times when she began preschool last year, so night time sleeping (sans paci) is the last step.
Initially, I had wanted to wait until we were done with potty training before also taking the pacifier away, but since potty training seems to be going on foreverrr… I decided to give the paci removal a shot and see if that’s easier for us. A lot happens for toddlers between 2 and 3 years old, where they turn into little people and start to understand a lot more, so it seems to be easier to talk to them and reason some things out.
Sidenote: I think a lot of parents put way too much pressure on themselves to get things done by somebody else’s timeline. Every child is different and most mothers know when their child is ready for the next thing.
I’d read somewhere that snipping the bulb off of the pacifier was a good start to taking it away. (I used suture scissors to cut as close as possible to the base and not leave any part of the bulb behind.) There are different methods and ways to explain the “broken” pacifier, but with Grace, I knew I could talk to her about her paci being broken and that although it “may be a little sad, she can still love paci”…
After that talk, and comforting some sad tears, I decided to let her keep it with her in the crib so when I left she could hold it, examine it, and decide she was over it because it was broken. (Plus, I thought if she woke up looking for it, she would still be able to find it and she would see/remember that it’s broken.)
Well, that method seems to have worked for us because the first morning after sleeping without it, she woke up talking about it being broken, and then swiftly tossed it out of her bed. *lol*
It’s been about a week after that first night, and here’s what we’ve seen so far:
She takes a little longer to soothe herself to sleep, but she hasn’t been upset during that process. (Just more talkative to all of her animal friends in her bed — which is SO CUTE!) A couple of nights she has woken up and been very vocal about being mad and sad over “broken paci” but she’s gone back to sleep after a little soothing from mama and/or daddy. She really is such a trooper!
Kids are so much smarter and more resilient than we realize. And I think it’s just as hard (or harder) for Mamas to let go of these things as it is for their babies. After all, they only grow up once.
What are some parenting hurdles you’ve accomplished, and how did you handle it?
Choose well, and Be well! 🙂
Blessings,
Emily