We’ve quit the pacifier this weekend. At, least I am pretty sure we have. And, I was really, really scared.
For several months now, the pacifier was reserved for naptime and bedtime use only. Yes, I carried it with me for the occasional crazy outburst, the last one during dinner at a restaurant. Who knew that she would get so mad when she had to sit in a highchair? But, for the most part it has been off limits. Occasionally, Haven asked for her “nuh” and I would tell her I don’t have one, whether or not I did, and she would often just go on with life.
Also, over the past month or so, she has become attached to her “baby doll”, a yard sale find, about ten years out of date, so it is likely impossible to find an identical twin. We have found a fraternal twin on Ebay and I am hopeful she will be a suitable replacement if we ever lose the original. This past week we also introduced her to another lovey, a security blanket. More about that later.
So, we decided to march boldly into no pacifier land. And, here’s how it is going:
Friday night: After about an hour of talking and a half-hour or whining/crying, Haven finally went to sleep around 10:00 pm. With some pats on the back and reassurance she fell asleep and slept through the night. She woke up at 8:30 am.
Saturday afternoon: Naptime was non-existent. She talked, she sang, but did not sleep at all during her nap. We finally got her up at 5:30 pm.
Saturday night: Maybe thirty minutes of jabber before falling asleep. She did wake up around 10:30 pm asking for Mommy and Daddy. Matt went in and she went back to sleep. Haven woke up crying (probably a bad dream) at around 7:45 am, and Matt went in to soothe her. She then slept until 9:00 am.
Sunday afternoon: An hour of jabber talking, singing and squealing before napping. MUCH better than a non-existent nap. Slept from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm. We need to gather all of the pacifiers because we keep telling her the “nuhs” are all gone. She’s told us a couple times that her “nuhs” are all gone. So, she gets it. Cool.
Sunday night: Thirty minutes before she quieted down. She slept until 9:00 am.
Monday afternoon: Less than thirty minutes of jabber before she was quiet. Haven woke up around 5:30 pm. All the pacifiers are collected and put away. All eight of them.
Monday night: Some talking before bed. But, very, very little.
I had always believed we would get rid of the pacifiers in some sort of theatrical manner. Like some sort of ceremony where we would bury them in the light of the moon or sacrifice them to the pacifier gods to regift to all the little babies of the world. Instead, it all happened without fanfare. There’s lots of great information out there about how and when, but ultimately, I believe you have to be ready, your child has to be ready and the timing has to be right.
For us, the time felt right. She was not really asking for her pacifier before bedtime. She had become attached to a baby doll and blanket. We had a long weekend at home to work on this. And, WE were ready.