I've had enough!! "Where's my pawipasser?" " I want my pawipasser." All in a whiney two year old voice. Middle of the night, crying, "pawipasser! I want my pawipasser!" Having to go into his room, find it on the floor, and hand it to him. That's it! We are done with the pacifier!
I read Bye Bye Binky by Eric Tager. It's a free, quick five page document online at http://www.bye-bye-binky.com/
Chris had been wanting to get rid of the pacifier for awhile, but I didn't want to lose my 3 hour break in the day during his naps or have bed time struggles. Well, I was out of patience and done keeping up with George's last remaining pacifier. Time to say "Bye Bye Pawipasser".
Saturday, February 5, I poked holes in it. George wasn't phazed. He kept sucking away like, well, a baby. Then, Sunday he woke up coughing his head off. The doctor's diagnosis: croup. So, lots of meds and sleep were needed plus my compassion. So staus quo with the pacifier.
Tuesday, February 8, he's feeling better, but I'm worn out listening to his coughing and whining for the pacifier. So snip, snip, off goes the tip of the pacifier.
Uh, oh! Did I make big mistake cutting up the only pacifier left? Well, he did have a hard time accepting that it was broken come nap time. He wanted it to bring him pleasure, but it just wasn't the same. Now, in his whiny two year old voice he cried, " Mommy, fix it!" I had to keep telling him it was broken and I can't fix it. He finally settled down in his bed putting the pacifier in his mouth, then on his bed, then back in his mouth again. After a few minutes, he fell asleep without the pacifier. But would he stay asleep? I was all geared up for a 45 minute nap. But to my delight he slept for 3 hours, a normal afternoon nap. YAY!
I thought the habit was history, but then he got used to the dfferent feel of the cut pacifier and was waking up with it in his mouth. Drat! Get out the scissors again.
Thursday, February 10, Snip!
This time the reaction was minimal. At naptime he just looked at it, stuck it in his mouth, then said, "mommy fix it". I said it was broken and I can't. He just played with it, then settled down to sleep, sometimes with it in his mouth, sometimes not. At bedtime, he said nothing about it. I did notice that he didn't ask for it much, if at all, during the day. I think it may be losing it's appeal.
Friday, February 11, Snip!
Now, he rarely will put it in his mouth, it's just too little and feels funny, I think. He still holds on to it as he falls asleep. He did cry out once for it in the middle of the night since it had moved around while he was sleeping. His naps are shorter, about 2 hours on average and he is waking up consistantly at 6:30am.
Saturday, February 12, Snip!
This time it was cut shorter AND cut vertically. He tried to put it in his mouth, then told me it was broken. He holds on to it while he falls asleep, putting it on his thumb or finger. I think the attachment is unraveling. Yay! We were running lots of errands today. As we were still out and about past his nap time, he became very tired and cried for his "pawipasser". I tried to teach him to say "I'm tired" instead of "I want my pacifier" since that is really what he means. It didn't work, but he is falling asleep without it in his mouth.
We keep snipping away each day, it gets smaller and smaller. He thinks it's a silly game to say, "mommy, fix it". I think the time is nearing for complete dissolution of the attachment to the pawipasser. He even said, "Throw it away." But I think he will be one of the die hards that will grasp on to the nub until it gets "lost".
