toddler pacifier

Y’all, my daughter just turned 2.5 and still sucks on a paci, yep she’s totally that kid. Fully talking, potty trained, sleeping in a twin bed solo, sucking on a pacifier. I didn’t always have the intention of letting this happen, but it did and I’m not fighting it, not at least for the foreseeable future. 

 My husband and I moved to Austin about 4 months ago. While living in Chicago our wubanub-loving daughter decided to start chewing the tips off of her pacifiers. Dangerous choking hazard (we had to watch really closely for awhile), yes, but also a lifesaver for us. Once all of the pacifiers were “broken” she no longer wanted them (insert loud cheers). It was a celebration! What I thought was going to be a massive struggle and fight turned out to be the easiest thing ever, and she did it all on her own! 
 
So she was just under 2, ditched the pacifier, and all was right in the world. That is until we decided to pack our lives up in Chicago and move cross country to Austin. I was making the trip solo, living in an apartment, and transitioning my daughter from a crib to a queen-size bed — again solo, ahem, and pregnant. My husband, normally 100% hands on, was in Chicago tying up some loose ends while I was living in an apartment with our toddler and high maintenance French Bulldog. I like to think I am pretty good and staying positive, but I’ll admit it – it “sucked” (heh). 
 
So I did what any parent would do to keep themselves sane? I brought back the dreaded toddler pacifier. I cruised Amazon and found 5 new wubbas my daughter could suck on on her first flight, suck on in her big bed and suck on any other time she decided to lose her mind. And let me tell you those pacifiers were sanity savers.
 
Fast forward to today she is 2.5 and still loving on that pacifier. I am now 8 months pregnant and gearing up for our second to enter the world in the next few weeks. While I in theory could cut my daughter’s pacifier habit before baby arrives, I know the second she sees that monkey hanging from baby’s mouth the pacifier habit will be back on. And to be honest I don’t have the strength or energy in me to do it right now. Pick your battles, they say, and that is what I did. I know I occasionally  get side-eyed when in public but right now my sanity and my daughter’s sanity is more important to me than killing this pacifier habit. She’ll continue to be that kid for the next few (OK, maybe 6) months and I’m OK with it.

In the meantime we do what we can to discourage continuous use of the paci:

  • we remind her that “paci’s are for babies, and you’re not a baby”
  • we ask her politely to take it out of her mouth when she speaks to us (she does)
  • and we don’t volunteer it – we give it up only when it seems “necessary”
 

What were your tricks for helping your little one kick the habit? 

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