Pacifier Free!

Yep, that's right, no more pacifier for my baby! It's been over a week now, but I didn't want to post anything sooner because I was afraid if I said it (or wrote it) outloud that I would jinx us, but it is definitely official! I would have preferred to get rid of it when he was about 18 months old, but that's right when we moved and I wanted him to be able to have something consistent that would comfort him amidst all the chaos, but we also wanted to be sure that he was rid of it for good by the time the baby came so that that wouldn't be one more thing I'd have to deal with. So now was actually the perfect time and he was ready (which I think is really important), so it worked out great. I actually think it was harder for me than it was for Tyler. I guess I sort of see it like another phase or milestone that he has passed which just serves to remind me; he's growing up. Tear.

He's only had it for naps and bedtime for about the last 2 months and for the last month we didn't even give it to him at bedtime, we'd just hide it in his crib and let him have it if he found it (which he always managed to do). I realized that, for Tyler, it wouldn't work to slowly take it away-like try not to give it to him, but if he really cried go ahead and let him have it-because that wouldn't do the trick. It had to be all or nothing so we picked a date and decided that as of that day he would no longer have a pacifier. Cold Turkey. On Oct. 26 we decided that November 1st would be the day (no reason in particular, just decided that would be a good day to make the move and it gave me a week to prepare...emotionally, we didn't tell Tyler or anything). So on Nov. 1st I laid him down for his nap, he asked for his "pa-fier", I told him it had to go bye-bye to see his mommy (that's where we tell him anything is that he wants to have that we don't want him to have), he just shrugged his shoulders and laid down. I walked out of the room and that was the end of it. Forever. He whined for a minute or 2 and I was holding my breath the whole time wondering if I would be strong enough not to give in if he started to cry, but thankfully I didn't need to find out. He's never asked for it since and besides that first nap without it, hasn't cried or whined either.

The only downside I've seen from this is it does take him longer to fall asleep (almost 30 min. sometimes) but hopefully as time goes by and he gets used to falling asleep without it, it won't take as long. He also wakes up 1 or 2 times during the night, but we just ignore him and he falls back asleep within a couple minuets. So overall, I'm ecstatic about how it all turned out because I know it could have been so much worse! And we had a whole list of "creative" ways to get rid of it if the cold turkey thing didn't work but I'm glad we didn't have to use them. However I do have an eensy weensy confession; I still have his pacifier hidden in a drawer. I just can't throw it away. I don't have it because I think he might really need it at some point, I'm keeping it because I just can't bring myself to throw it away. Why am I more attached to it than he is?! Ah, oh well, at least this transition is over!!! Next...potty training! (not any time soon though :))