Nap / Bed Time Strike - Help!!!!!!!!

tell him cause bubba went to the moon.. you have to go to the toy store and buy a stuffed animal for him to sleep with.. or a power ranger guy or whatever he chooses.. don't go near the baby section!! let him pick it out.. then be firm about bed time... good luck my son had a blanket he loved.. and we cut it every once in a while.. till by age 5 he only had a piece that was about 5" by 5"... he still has it in his drawer... he never touches it.. but it's a good memory.. he is 14 now!!!

Stand strong!!! You are the mother and this is a power play from a 2 yr old. his dental health is better off without it. Set a routine, bath, book,brush teeth and off to bed. Use a firm,reassuring voice and you will get our message across.

I'm not sure why you took it from him, did it just become annoying to you? With most kids that I've seen over the years once they really start talking a lot, they use the pacifier less (on their own) as it interrupts their speech. My kids just gradually forgot about their pacis and were finished with them around age 2.5. They used it for naps and bedtime and then one day the pacis were lost and we looked and looked for them and we couldnt find them anywhere. I would lay in bed with them and read them a story for naptime and bedtime, and they would always fall asleep within a few pages.
You just have to make sure your child has the ability to self soothe... let HIM pick out a sleeping buddy in the stuffed animal section at the toy store. Don't you talk about the bubba, and change the subject quickly when he brings it up... if you argue with him over it it just creates a frenzy, he needs distraction.

we had 8 nights that were kind of rough and then it was over...hang in there!

I'm guessing 'bubba' is his bottle. I call it 'baba'. My twins are 21 mos and they do not sleep with a botte. I do give them a bottle before bedtime, brush their teeth and its bedtime! Most times they don't finish them. My daughter sleeps thru the night, always has. Her twin brother, on the other hand, has always waking up twice before in which each time I would give him a bottle, then he just started doing it once and now he kinda wakes up between 4-7am, I give him a bottle and he falls asleep again. They both wake up around 9am. Nap time, no bottle, I just take them to their cribs between 1-2pm. At times, of course they'll fuss but for only a minute and they'll fast asleep for about 2-4 hrs. They both do have a favorite 'thing' they like to hold on to. My daughter has a teddyblanky that she holds (and i'm not kidding!) 24/7!! Her twin has a blue soft teddy he holds and sleeps with as well. She also has a pink soft dolly that she holds along with her yellow teddyblanky. I think you took his bottle too fast and that sorta traumatized him. My kids pediatrician told us to stop the night bottle cold turkey but I refuse! I brush my kids teeth and that's the only time they get a bottle and I don't want to do something drastic like that. They will grow out of it soon, trust me. I already raised two older kids (21 & 17) from a previous marriage and they have perfect teeth. Give your son his bubba! Everyone will sleep so much better!

After reading the other responses, I'm going to be the "bad mom" and tell you that this battle over the pacifier is really not worth the lack of sleep. Out of curiosity and as another asked: why did you take it away?

My son LOVED his "bebe," and it was a battle I didn't want (and knew my sanity wouldn't win), so I let it go. When I really wanted him to stop, he was at potty training age, and I was expecting our 2nd child. Too much change, too fast was my main reason for "allowing" it to continue.

He was only allowed to have it when he was in his bed, but even that backfired! He'd go upstairs and lay in his bed just so he could have his bebe!!!!!! (I can laugh about it now) After my daughter was born, we made a decision. So, after much preparation and a declaration from his dentist at his checkup, he finally stopped at age 3yrs 5mo. It wasn't as if I hadn't tried before; many times....

Honestly, the bedtime battle (he gave up naps just after he turned 2) wasn't worth it!!! There are so many more battles we're going to engage in with our children. Ask yourself why him not having his bubba is so important to you, and really evaluate your answer (and be honest with yourself!!). He's still pretty young to overcome something so obviously important to him, but at the same time, he's at a relatively insecure age where he wants that something familiar at bedtime and when he wakes in the middle of the night and is half-asleep.

I guess I would give it back to the child until he's ready to give it up.

What is his bubba? If it's not a pacifier let him have it. Even many adults need something to help them feel more secure. My daughter still has her stuffed bunny sitting on her bed and she's 30. It's not a security item any more. It's a reminder of pleasant things. Your son will outgrow it, as Allison H. suggests. I also like her suggestion, if it's a pacifier, to let him choose something else to use as a security item.

Most of all I suggest that you be sympathetic with him. Be firm while saying, he's gone but say it with a sympathetic voice. This is a loss which he will have to grieve. You can teach him that he can have other things to help him sleep, by taking him to the store to pick out another thing.

I also suggest that you may be trying too hard to satisfy him, hoping to convince him that it's alright to be without bubba. That may be what is making him more resistant to sleep. He feels, on some level, that you're uncertain about his ability to accept that he's gone. Otherwise why are you trying so hard to help him? A brief, "I'm sorry that bubby is gone. I know it's hard for you. I trust that you can find other ways to get to sleep." period say it once and walk out of the room.

Return after a few minutes, to rub his back, pat him,or physically soothe him but don't talk with him unless it's to say, "I know this is hard for you. You will be OK."

When you say that Bubba is on the moon helping other babies you're telling him that he doesn't need bubba and/or that bubba doesn't want him. I suggest being honest with him about why bubba is gone.

I like the idea of building up to removing an item by talking with the baby/child about a story in which the item is going to help other children, etc. But he wasn't a part of that plan. All he knows is that bubba left and he didn't even get to say good bye.

He's angry with you for taking away bubba. This is a normal reaction.
Babies bond with objects. Doing so is a part of how we learn about object consistency and trust. It sounds like he's especially dependent on bubba. This is a good thing. It shows that he does bond and that his bonds are strong.

Not knowing what bubba is, I suggest that you bring him back for a visit and start over, being open and honest with your little one and involve him with him going away. Your description makes me think that this is a more serious issue for your son than it is for many children. Along the way, find a substitute for bubba to help him feel more secure.

If bubba is a bottle, you can put water in it. I'm guessing your son is around 2. If he doesn't have dental issues you should take the time to help your son let go of the bottle. A bottle has a double meaning in feeling secure. It provides something for him to hold onto but it also represents food and mom. If you held him while feeding him, that bottle helped him to bond with you.

Cold turkey works for some kids but obviously not for yours. He needs his bubba or something else for security.

In my house, 'bubba', is 'nuki'. Isn't it funny how we all have different names for the common pacifier!?!?! (which, I see you mention pacifier in your first sentence! :).

I wish I had a great personal expereince to share with you on this one, but I actually clicked on your question to read responses myself. We too have having the 'pacifier strike' in our house. It's been a couple of weeks now. We complicated the matter (or maybe not??) my 'losing it' while in Hawaii on vacation. It's wasn't too bad while on vacation as we were all co-sleeping more in a rented condo, but now that we're home, he too is struggling at night. For now, I'm just remaining consistent as possible and hoping to get through this change for him within the next couple of weeks!

I hope you get some good replies. Maybe I'll check back in later to see if any good tips are mentioned for the aftermath of getting rid of a pacifier (i.e., pacifier ;)

good luck to you and your little one!!