Friday, October 14, 2011

The pacifier debate

I survived my first week at work! Yay! Actually, it went very smoothly. Everyone that I work with is extremely nice and helpful, and everything with childcare went great. I'm so thankful! The hardest thing about working was packing our lunches the night before. I have GOT to get more creative with what I pack for Elliott. Pretty sure peanut butter sandwiches are only going to work for so long. I feel like she has gotten a little more picky lately (I promise I'm not complaining), and she used to be better at eating more fruits and veggies. Lately, she will eat grapes, apple sauce, and maybe an occasional green bean. I think I'm going to have to become more sneaky at incorporating vegetables. The funny/annoying thing is if I put anything on her tray that she doesn't want, she quickly tosses it off. I hear ya loud and clear, Elliott, you don't like that. I always feel like it is her emphatic way of telling me, "I don't even want to look at the food, Mommy. Something better please."

Our big dilemma lately is when to take away the loved/hated pacifier. Weaning her from breastfeeding was a breeze, taking away bottles a cinch, but I literally cringe every time I think about taking her pacifier away. She has loved her pacifier from the beginning which has been a blessing/curse. I have been SO thankful for it many times, and always hated it just as many times. Lately, if she doesn't want to take a nap, she throws it out of her crib and then she definitely won't go to sleep. Drives.me.crazy. I also feel like taking it away will help her sleep better because there are definitely times she wakes up and I think she starts crying if she can't find it.

Originally, we had October as our goal month. In our thinking, she would be transitioned from the move, but then be without the pacifier long enough before the new baby comes to hopefully not regress. October seemed so far away when we made the plans, but now it's here...and the month is already half way over. This weekend is probably the best weekend to take it away because Kev is off all next week for fall break, but I keep second guessing myself. Is it really that important that we take it away now? Maybe we'll just prolong the sleepless nights, mental agony, crying child, until she's at least two. But I definitely don't think it will get any easier so why not just do it now. Oh the decisions. I can't decide if I should throw all her pacifiers (we're down to 3 anyway) away so I can't second guess myself, but then I may be sending Kev to Walmart at midnight to get a pacifier. Why can't this be easier?


3 comments:

  1. My pediatrician told me that if you take it away too early that they are likely to become thumb-suckers. Who knows if it's true, but I don't want that either? I let Paisley only have hers at night and for naps, but she usually only keeps it in for a short time. So, I'm just giving it a little longer!

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  2. I agree with Amber. Callie only uses them for bed time and naps and we'll have them at church to help keep her quiet when needed. I've had in my mind that by the time she's 2, we can get rid of them if she hasn't done it already. I would probably use the method my cousins used and "break" the pacifier in front of her to show it's broken and wont work anymore. They cut off the nipple so there was nothing to suck on. Their daughter was old enough to know what broken was and it didn't really seem to phase her that they were gone. It's hard to know when to take them away but I've also thought about it because I don't want Callie to have them for too long either.

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  3. Even if you break her of it now, she will regress when the baby
    arrives. Better to just go through the weaning process once...

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