Somethings you think are no biggie and they cause tears, hysterics and tantrums. Other things that you dread and build up to be this huge deal turn out not to be. For our family I'm talking about - cue the evil music - the pacifier. Not the pacifier in general, but getting rid of the pacifier.
When Ellie was a baby, I created arbitrary times for when things should happen. Like Ellie should be done with the pacifier when she turned one. Then Ellie turned one and I snapped back to reality. This baby is sleeping 12 hours straight a night. Only a fool would mess with this sleep success!
So I selected the next random date - 15 months. By 15 months Ellie would no longer have a pacifier. And June 2008 came and went with a pacifier dangling out of her mouth every second in the crib and car.
Eighteen months! By 18 months there will be no pacifiers in this house! To prove my point, to myself more than my baby, I stopped buying them. For weeks we were down to one ugly orange Nuk.
Then one day on a trip to the grocery store when Ellie was 16-ish months old, she threw the paci into the scummy shopping cart. The pacifier was tossed in the diaper bag, we came home and it was time for Ellie to nap.
Not wanting to search the abyss that is the diaper bag, Ellie went into her crib with her Lulu(s). I gave her a kiss and practically ran out the door expecting to hear, "Paci! Paci! Mama paci!" but it never happened. She didn't ask for it at bedtime either. Or the next day or the next.
My laziness broke Ellie of her paci addiction. Take that Tiger Moms.
I'm happy to report that, again, my laziness helped break Madeline of her addiction. Since Mads' crib is bumper-less {I don't let anyone stand and smush Serena & Lily bumpers!}, her paci's were falling through the cracks. Literally. When I went to put her down for a nap earlier this week, the pacifiers were gone. Not wanting to crawl on the ground and search for them, she went in without.
There was a lot more chatter than usual, but Mads fell asleep and stayed asleep for over two hours. Same deal at bedtime and the next day and the next.
And that was that. And we were shocked. Friends planned how to take away the pacifier for weeks or months. But for us it was just easy. No bribes, trades, parades, paci fairies, or parties.
I just love it when things turn out easier then planned. Especially since it's usually the other way around!
What has turned out easier than planned for you? What's been more of a challenge?
Oh I SOOOOO hope it's that easy for me! LJ is teething and has bit right through all his binkies! He's down to a strange gigantic teething one that he's always hated, but now that it's the only option he loves it. He's closing in on 2 and i'm just not buying anymore. Hope he takes your kids' route!
ReplyDeleteWhen they are ready they are ready. And sometimes coming home from the hospital with baby #2 and seeing chewed up paci's then you are ready. lol
ReplyDeleteThe same thing happens to GG's pacis...they fall through the bumper rails. GG is only allowed the paci and naptime and at bedtime and it's been that way since she turned one. Not sure when she'll finally give them up but since she doesn't have them outside of her crib, I'm not in a huge rush. Hopefully the transition will be as seemless for us as it was for y'all!
ReplyDeleteCongrats!
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ReplyDeleteI wish it had been that easy with my daughter lol. It was a major ordeal for a long time! With us it seems as though when I am at the point when I am the most worried about her getting to a certain point it finally turns around. I wonder if she does this on purpose just to make me worry and then she is like haha ok now I'm done....that's a scary thought considering how close mine is to being a teen! Lol
ReplyDeleteBrianna
www.girlscurls.blogspot.com
How great! Pretty soon she will be refusing to ride in the stroller. :)
ReplyDeleteYour baby is growing up. *sigh*
somehow, i don't see ava's thumb ever falling through the cracks! i think the whold thumb sucking habit is going to end up being hard for both her and chandler. i can't believe i'm going to have to go through the process twice!! i guess this is my penance i have to pay for hannah being exceptionally easy to potty train. AND she never sucked her thumb or had a paci.
ReplyDeleteJealous! The dude's 2 and a half and we've yet to break him of the bink. EEEEEK!
ReplyDelete