Image Map

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Calling All Mommas!

Hey friends! I've been feeling kind of off this week; I haven't felt like writing or doing anything other than cleaning my house. That's how you know something is up right? When you feel like cleaning? At least for me,  wanting to do house work is so not normal. 

I think I screwed up last week when I set a dentist appointment for both of my kids on Monday morning. Let's be honest, going to the dentist sucks. Going to the dentist with two little kids sucks even worse. My logic was that we might as well get the sucky part of our week over with but what I didn't realize at the time was that it would linger all throughout the week. So, I'm in a funk. 

My little guy is 3 1/2 and he still has a pacifier; I know he needs to ditch the thing but I just can't make him do it. We've been able to drastically cut down the amount of time that he has it and he mostly only takes it during sleep times. 


Waiting For The Dentist

The dentist warned me on Monday that if we didn't get him off the pacifier we could be looking at putting "appliances" on his teeth in the future. He is 3! I can't even fathom thinking about that right now, but I know she is right. The damn thing has got to go!

BUT here's the deal: I don't know how to get him off of it. We got Addison off of her pacifier at 10 months old. I know that we had a few hard nights of her crying herself to sleep but I don't remember it being awful. However, when we take James' pacifier from him he is inconsolable. We should have taken it away a long time ago but we didn't and now we're in a pickle. 

So, Mommas, what do I do? How do I get him off of this pacifier? Do I just suck it up and deal with the turmoil until it passes?



 photo signaturelacey_zps19b5605a.png {This month's advertisement}

9 comments:

  1. With my son we just took him off and he was ok - no crying. But I had a friend that cut the nipple part a little. Her son found it and put it in his mouth only to tell his mama it was broke and he couldn't use it anymore. She didn't buy a new one - just kept the broken one and he would put it in his mouth for only a minute or two until he was done with it. This went on for about a week and he used the broken one a little at a time until he didn't need it anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow -- that sounds like a great idea!

      Not sure if you're down for some good ole fashioned trickery -- When I nannied, we (her parents and I) encouraged a very obstinate two and a half year old to help us send her pacis to "the babies in Africa" who needed it much more. She drew a picture, "wrote" on the envelope, packed it up, and sealed the envelope. Before nap, we put the package in the mailbox and when she woke up there was a package "from Africa" with a new movie for her. Sure -- we had some rough days, but nothing that time didn't fix. At his age, he can comprehend helping someone else :)

      Delete
  2. we have the same issue with our almost 3 yr old right now. I think soon I'll restrict it just to nap and night time, but that won't help the teeth. although they're already messed up so it's not like taking it away will fix them!

    ReplyDelete
  3. We "lost" my son's right after my daughter was born at 22 months. He fussed a little, but after about a month or so, he stopped asking for it. A friend of mine gathered up all of her daughter's and she traded them in for ice cream. It worked!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm in the take it away camp. I transitioned my kids off the bottle by 12 months, and took the binky away from J at 2 years. Neither of my boys were overly attached to them, though.

    Maybe encourage him by saying big boys don't need a pacifier any more?

    ReplyDelete
  5. You need a creative solution so invent a story. Tell him about the Pacifier Fairy - who brings him {{an awesome toy that he wants}} in exchange for his pacifier because he is a big boy now and will have more fun playing with his new toy! Best wishes and remember the change will be harder on YOU than on him.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We went cold turkey. It was awful, but only for about three days and then we were done.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My first 2 were huge paci fans and were the worst to drop the habit! #1 went cold turkey :( not good! #2 did a big boy trade in :) he got a new lovey and promtly started chewing the ears :) fair trade in my eyes, the next 2 never got them because I did not want to go through it again :) Good luck!!! I saw somewhere about the paci fairy where you hang them in a tree and then a gift comes the next day.... might work if there is that 1 big boy thing he wants :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I dont know if I am much help in this department. My son was super easy to break of his "binky" habit. Once he got his teeth in he started biting them. Te first time he chewed a hole in it he handed it to me because he didn't like it. I guess with a hole there is no air in the center part. I threw it away and said no more binky.. he fussed for one day and then never asked for one again

    ReplyDelete

I love getting comments from readers - I want to get to know you! Please make sure you are not a "no reply" blogger so that I can respond to you!