bye Pacifier

What could be better than a newborn taking a pacifier right away and being immediately soothed by it? My husband and I thought we lucked out when Elizabeth took a pacifier like a champ. What we didn’t realize then was that she would be attached to that soother for four years! Her dentist was not pleased! And recently, she started waking every single night screaming because she dropped her paci off the bed. We knew we had to get rid of the pacifier…but easier said than done.

Step One:

First, we started just talking about it with her. Luckily, it was a major motivator to tell Elizabeth that her dentist would be so happy if she stopped using it. E loves her dentist and loves the little toy she gets every time she has a good check-up. One thing our dentist told us was not to rush it because we didn’t want her to find her thumb…that would be even more detrimental errr “dentrimental”(hahaha) to her teeth and it would be even harder of a habit to kick because you can’t throw away your thumbs.

Step Two:

Next, we considered timing. This was a really busy year what with our major home renovation and moving, plus several family vacations, and Elizabeth starting preschool for the first time. We didn’t want to take it away at a time when E would feel unsure. We considered taking it away “in exchange” for our trip to Disneyland, but we were too scared that she would be miserable without it and far away from home. We didn’t want to ruin her first visit to the most magical place on Earth. I just heard so many horror stories about sleepless weeks, months, forevers when parents took the pacifier away. I was keen to wait until E told me she was ready…yeah right, right? Well, that’s exactly what she did. Smart little monkey!

Step Three:

Finally, after months of talking about it with her, how she would be such a “big girl,” and letting her select an AWESOME K’nex roller coaster toy (which took 6 hours to assemble, but totally worth it) in exchange for the pacifier, she accepted. We bought the toy, then walked out of the store, and I had her remaining pacifiers in my purse, and I let her toss each one in the trash can while I recorded the incident with my phone (in case she forgot). She cheerfully dropped them in the trash and said, “bye-bye paci” and has never looked back! No tears. No sleepless nights. No thumb-finding. She sleeps better now that she doesn’t have to worry about keeping track of her paci, and so do my husband and I. That’s what I call a parenting WIN! Now, if we could only take away the iPad that easily…

What are your strategies to get rid of the pacifier?

 

 

Erin Ellis
Erin owns Events by Erin, a custom event planning business and co-owns Ellis Designs LLC, a custom woodworking business with her husband, John Ellis. Together, their greatest design is their wonderful daughter, Elizabeth. Erin is an Austin native and graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a degree in English. She lives in Round Rock, enjoys running, going to the movies and the beach, and of course, writing for Austin Moms Blog!

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