Monday, December 29, 2008

HELP, please!

Ollie still has a passy. I know. I'm a terrible, horrible, habit-forming, orthodontist-lovin', sissy of a mother. Oh well.
He has only had it at bed time and nap time since he was 6 months old. But, he specifically loves it and asks for it now. As in, he wakes up looking for it. And can't sleep without it.

Our pediatric dentist has told me the past 2 visits to ditch it. It's on the agenda for "after Christmas" and I think I'll throw it in with the other resolutions.

Here are the options that I've read/ heard about:
1. Take all the passies to babies at the hospital to give to tiny babies since he is a big boy
2. Sew them inside a build-a-bear for his to sleep with at night
3. Cut the tips off so that they are no fun to suck anymore
4. Have a passy fairy come and get them and leave a big boy present in it's place (like we need more presents around here)
5. Go cold turkey and just take it away

I have heard that it's not as hard as you think (probably like potty training), but I am really scared! And a little sad, too. I'm more sad that I'm having to shop for my 3 year old in the BOYS (not kids) section, but that's a different post.

Please leave any and all ideas, additional options and your recommendations in the comments section.
Thanks in advance!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

i have no advice. but i'm coming back to read all the comments because the raiger still has a paci and i'm a total pushover... i've never even attempted to take it from her.. yet!

Anonymous said...

i don't really have advice ...i went cold turkey with both of mine and they were just fine (more importantly, i was just fine)!! i was really scared too but it turned out to be a breeze... of course, all kids are different! they told my niece that the Easter bunny took hers...that is kinda like the fairy idea. good luck and keep us posted!!

Anonymous said...

So I had one til I was 5. The "Binky Fairy" came and took it away. I don't recall getting a gift in its place. Plus, I never had braces or any real teeth problems so...maybe there is some truth to having a binky until you're 5.

~Meredith

Anonymous said...

alright. i had 2 paci boys. first of all, i allowed mine to have them until they were 2. and way before then, it was nap time/ bed time and long car ride thing. your idea for #2 was cute. i like it. i hope he doesn't find a thread and rip it out lol!! for luke, we had been building up to being a big boy at 2. and about a week after his 2 year bday party, he got his first cold ever. and he couldn't breathe and suck at the same time. so i jumped on it and took advantage and said "well luke, remember you just had your BIG BOY party? well, once you become a big boy, you have to give up your paci. if you don't, it will make you sick. and you didn't give it up that day and it made you sick." he asked for it a couple of times the next day or so, and that was it for him.

for seth, i think we just talked up the big boy thing. from what we can remember, we just let him throw them away after his nap after the party. he got a last suck off of them and chucked them in the trash. he never asked for them.

so whatever you decide, just stick to your guns. if you were a "babywise" mama, same rules apply. just stick it out and it will be fine. you will be much more traumatized than he will, i promise. i expected big drama out of seth and he surprised me.

Anonymous said...

Davis just gave his up about 6 months ago (so he was 3 1/2) - we/he went cold turkey - the first few nights were rough and it took him a long time to fall asleep - it was like he was going through withdrawals - very anxious! It only took a couple of nights and we were amazed at how easily he let it go.

Cutting the pacifier makes me a little nervous that they might be able to bite off a little bit and swallow/choke on it.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

We went the cold turkey/Swiper came and took his paci during the night route. It was hard the first 3 days or so, because he definitely was restless when trying to go to sleep, but we just kept reinforcing that he was a big boy and could handle it! Swiper gave his paci's to babies that need them, by the way. After about a week, Gannon didn't even ask for them anymore. This was when he turned 3 in August, and we thought we had collected them all and thrown them away, but when we were on our road trip at Thanksgiving, one just showed up in the car on the floor! I have no idea where it had been hiding for 3 months, but we managed to grab it before Gannon saw it. I'm not sure if he would have asked for it or not, but I did have a panic moment there.
Anyway, I think it is harder for the parents, but overall it really isn't any harder than potty training! :) Good luck no matter what method you choose!

Anonymous said...

i got lucky with lucy and she gave hers up on her own right before she turned 2...still not sure how that happened, just one day she didn't like it. she kept throwing it out of her crib when i put her down for a nap one day and wouldn't take it. she was kinda fussy at bedtime for a few nights (and i did try to give it to her the first night..still kept throwing it out!) and so that was that, then the very next week she crawled out of her crib and we put her in a toddler bed-that was just too many big girl transitions for one week!!! maybe you should try one of the options where he knows what is happening (like the bear or paci fairy) so he can prepare himself and just let it go...that may make it easier for him to understand...i don't know, but it will be fine. i am sure it will be rough for a few days, but then he will be over it! good luck!

Anonymous said...

We did it on his third birthday- we'd just been talking it up about how he was getting so big and wasn't going to have a "sassy" anymore. I was DREADING it- he was totally addicted- but it was fine. It is harder on you I promise. I like seeing them with passies- especially since our boys are so big physically- it is the thing that reminds you they are really little. I like the idea of a passy fairy since you don't have a birthday coming up.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, well, my 2 year old still takes a bottle at nap time and bed time - it's his "passy", he's addicted, but I can't throw out all the bottles b/c I have an 8 month old!!! I'm going to wait and take them BOTH off the bottle in about 5 months!!!! Good luck - apparently I'm a BIG WIMP!!!!

Anonymous said...

*gasp!* luke called it a sassy too. i hated to correct him. seth said everything backwards and called it a seesass. they grow too fast.

Anonymous said...

I'm about to do the same for Megan and Maya. I have to do both of them at the same time, or Megan will want it back, I'm sure. I'm pretty sure I can handle the fits and the whining, but I'm not so sure Ismael can! I may get more fits from him! ;-)

Maybe we can do it at the same time and call each other when we just can't take the whining anymore!

Anonymous said...

Our "bappies" magically disappeared at 15 months. So, cold turkey worked for us.

Anonymous said...

We let Granger wrap them up for Christmas to give to Santa. Santa was going to take them to all the new babies. It was okay the first night but AWFUL every day at nap time and night time. We are still working on his terrible temper tantrums and fit throwing. He was totally addicted to his pacifier and is acting like he is coming off some major drugs. I hope yours goes better than mine is. But believe me it was awful for us and continues to get a little better each day. December 30 was the first day he took a nap since the 24th. He usually naps for 3 1/2 hours so he was exhausted but continued with his fits. I will say the potty training was much easier than the pacifier giving up.

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