Help! I have a 27 month old who is normally very well behaved. So far not too many tantrums, etc. He used a pacifier only during his nap and at night. The doctor told me it was time to get rid of it, so here we are. We started a week ago taking it away at naptime, rewarding with a treat of some sort if he sleeps. Well, he has refused to nap most of the week. I leave him in his room for the time period, and not only does he not sleep, he destroys everything!!! He has played through naps randomly before, but simply played. Now he is climbing on everything, breaking anything he can get his hands on,etc. He is not upset, just entertaining himself it seems. I am also 5 months pregnant and not ready for him to abandon his naps! What do I do??? I am on the verge of major frustration here!! Any advice or similar situations?
Thanks so much for all the advice! We ended up giving it back to him--and he has slept perfectly again the past two days. I agree he was just not ready to let it go-- we think it calms him down to stay still long enough to fall asleep. Sanity has returned to this preggo and her family!!! We will tackle it again later when he is more ready (and I can handle letting the nap go...)
Hi S. - Both of my kids took pacifiers, and refused to voluntarily give them up, let alone cooperate with the weening process. :) I tried throwing them away, but would find them hoarded in little spots around the house.
The only thing that worked for me was to snip the tip of the nipples. They tried several times to use them, but quickly got frustrated and gave up.
Hope this helps give you an idea! Good luck!
A.
Hi S.,
Remember that you know your child better than the doctor. The paci won't hurt your child. As someone once said, the child may take thier paci tot he first day of kindergarten, but I guarantee they won't take it back for the second day.
My son had his paci until he was 3 1/2. Then we weaned him from it. At first, we'd let him fall asleep with it,then we'd take it out of his mouth and put it next to his pillow. If he woke up in the night looking for it, he could find it. After a while, we put it somewhere harder to find. Another week and we took it out of the bed completely. We told him that in about a week the paci was going bye-bye, so he could only have it for 5 minutes a night. After another week or so, we took it away completely.
He was much better about it because he had gotten use to not having it. About a week later he was getting ready for bed and hit his head really hard. He asked for his paci. We told him he could have it for 3 minutes. At the end of the time, we put it away and he never asked for it agan.
Cold turkey didn't work for us. The dentist said it wouldn't harm his teeth until he was 4-5 years old. We had to choose between him sleeping and the paci. Sleep won.
Good luck!
My niece was 4 when her little sister was born. When she was about 3 1/2 my sister and my niece wrapped it up for a present for the new baby. She hasn't had one since. This was after they gave it to Santa and the Easter Bunny to take to other babies that needed the paci. I know my niece was older than your child, but maybe that would work?
S.,
When we took the passy, we just cut the tip so that our son couldn't get any suction on it, then it became his "choice" not to use it. It seemed to work well and might be a better option than trying to get him to go "cold turkey". We cut a cmall amount the first night and within 48 hours he had no interest in even having it in his bed for nap or night time.
Good luck!
I am a older Mom I had the same problem many years ago. My Dr. at the time told us when they are ready to put it down they will. I also have a degree in EarlyChildhood Ed. I was also told the same thing during my college years. My son only used it at nap time and at nights but when he was ready down it went. If I were I would let him do it on his own my son was almost three but it did go. It will be easier on you and your whole family this way.
My now 5 year old daughter was in love with her paci. It was her security blanket. She was one of those kids that wanted it in her mouth at all times. This is what I found to work the best. When my daughter was about 20 mos. I introduced her to a friend of the family that had just had a baby. We told her that the mother could not afford to buy any pacifiers for the baby. We asked her if she would like to give her pacifier to the baby and she did. This may not work with every child, but the point is, you have to find something that will work with your child's personality. Most of all, let it be his "big boy" decision. There were deffinately some hard times, but if you are patient and don't cave(just remember the final outcome will be worth it)it will make adapting to future changes that much easier. It may also help to offer him a "replacement." For example, to get my daughter to sleep in her own room, we let her pick out her own bed set, curtains, etc., in exchange. Then we stuck to putting her back in her "very own, special" room every night. Good luck. You can do it.
We just did this with my son about 2 months ago. Now, He's in Daycare so we were only having issues with the weekend naps. The first weekend he just didn't nap. The second weekend we started giving him a special pillow - it's a very thin small pillow (a square like you would put on a couch) with pigs on it. We called it his "special nap pillow". It also takes a little more time to get him down. Usually I stay with him until he falls asleep - the time has gotten shorter - it used to be 30 minutes & now it's 15. Remember the pacy was comfort to him and now he needs some other form of comfort to replace that. Also, this is the age where they usually start fighting naps anyway (my son is 2 1/2).
My daughter is 30 months old and still uses a paci. I have been going back and forth about taking it for awhile. The dentist said as long as I keep it clean it shouldn't have any impact on her teeth. When I do decide to take it, my plan is to take all of them to my cousin's baby and tell my daughter we are giving them to Jackson because he is a baby and she is a big girl and that Jackson needs the paci's. I hope that by letting her actually give the "friend" to him she will understand what we are doing.
Hey S.,
My son is only 9 months, but boy do I know the attachment to the passy. My son would keep his in his mouth 24/7 if I would let him.
I agree with the other ladies who said that giving up the passy shouldn't be a big deal yet, even if a doctor says so. As long as it is an "orthodontic" passy, there should be no harm to the teeth. You have enough to deal with. Worrying about a plastic object that helps put your baby to sleep shouldn't have to be one of them.
If you do want to stick with this though, I read a really neat suggestion in a parenting magazine. It might be a little costly, but here it goes. The mother took her child to Build-A-Bear. They built the animal and put the passy inside. The child could snuggle with the bear, but the passy was gone. Good luck, I know I'll need it soon enough!
give him back the paci only for naps / nightitme!
First of all, doctors are not God. They can give us advice, but we do not have to take it like it is the law. Yes, he is fairly old to have a pacifier, but he is clearly not ready to be without it. If he only uses it at those times, I would consider it a security blanket. If your child were attached to a blankie, would you take it from him because his doctor said it was "time". Each child develops at their own pace and if you take something from them too soon, they develop other issues. For instance, I took a childcare biting class and the main reason behind children biting is the oral fixation that comes from the pacifier being taken away before the child was ready. Then they develop the need for something, anything else in their mouths. Just think about it. Doctors go to school to help us with our children, but only we can decide what is right for them. Now that you are pregnant, you need your rest so if his having a pacifier helps you cope, you should give it to him. You can ween him when he is three. He may be more ready then.
Give him back the paci - he'll give it up when he is ready...I promise he will not be using it on his wedding day. I don't think there is anything wrong with just allowing him to use it at nap and bedtime though. My son is 7 and still loves his blanket - looks more like a rag now. The rule is that the blanket stays in his bed. If he wants to love on the blanket then he has to go hang out in his bed. He never chooses to go sit in his bed with his blanket during the daytime. Whe he has friends over he doesn't even remember the blanket at night. Lots of us have a soothing bedtime routine - I like to read, your child still has that sucking instinct...don't worry about what other people - including the doctor - think. I also liked the mom's response that gradually weaned her child from the paci...that makes good sense and seems a lot easier and fairer to everyone - little one and parents alike. Good luck!
You might have tried it. Every once in a while my son would have the same crazy behavior and it would go away. During those times I would try to do anything and everything to exhuast him. Take him for long walks, go the playground or chik-fil-a. He would be so exhausted that I could easily move him from the car to bed. Good luck!!!
I was an infant teacher for two years, and my little girl was a passy freak - thanks to her grandparents. I watched her 1-yr old teacher work miricles with her. She let Bailey go to sleep with the passy, but as soon as she dozed, she slipped it out of her mouth. If she stirred, she would stroke her back or her forehead. She was not allowed to have the passy any other time, because she couldn't talk with it in her mouth. After about a week or so, she didn't even think about it any more.
However, Bailey became a tooth grinder at about 2 and the dentist said her holding a passy in her mouth would protect her teeth. She would grind on the passy, not sucking on it, and wear out about 2 or 3 a month. He said as long as she wasn't sucking, she wasn't affecting her bite, and the barrier was actually protecting her teeth and jaw.
Everyone has an opinion - if you keep looking long enough. :)
I have three boys. (3, 2, 1.) only the baby takes naps. MAY BE IT IS JUST THAT AGE . Try letting him run around to ware off some energy. we have playtime around 10 where I go play with them, we eat around 11 and nap at 12. if they lay there and do not nap it is still quiet time there is no playing during this time frame. sometimes this works and the 2 yr old may fall asleep. GOOD LUCK!
