How {NOT} To Wean Your Child From The Pacifier

Seriously, this has been a big issue for us for the past year. I told myself that at 2 I would take Emmas pacifier away and her birthday came and I wimped out. She was only 2, right? Still a baby

Another defense is that I got pregnant again that same month and was so sick the last thing on my mind was the pacifier.

Over the last couple of years, there have been different degrees of Emmas obsession with the pacifier. For awhile she left it in her crib and only wanted it at night. Then the baby came and she decided she needed it every moment of every day. I look back now and realize there were perfect times to make the pacifiers disappear. But I didnt.

And we would be over this by now if my dear darling husband hadnt gone out shopping with Emma once and come home with two more packs of pacifiers. He is SUCH a pushover when it comes to Emma, and she didnt even talk that much back then! Wait until she realizes all she has to do is bat her eyelashes and say, Please daddy?. I shudder to think.

Anyway, now Emma is almost 3 and Ive been telling myself that I have to wean her before her birthday which is in two months (May). But, due to my wishy washyness about Emmas tears and earthquake-inducing wails, I decided I needed my husbands help and support with this. Together we can do anything, right?

After all, we CREATED this child with a pacifier obsession!

So about a week ago we had a conversation that went like this:

Me: So Im thinking that we need to wean Emma off of the pacifier.

John: Why?

Me: (Incredulous) Well, arent you tired of looking for the pacifier all the time? I am! Oh, I guess its me who is having to get up in the middle of the night and look for it it under the crib and search for it before bedtime and naptime. Im really tired of it and she doesnt need it anymore.

John: But shes not even three yet!

Me: Shes three in two months!

John: (silence)

Me: Fine, well wait two more months, but thats all.

Who would have thought that I would have to be the tough one here?

Well, yesterday something happened that I wasnt expecting. Emma is on her LAST pacifier (Where do those things GO? Seriously theyre all over our house but we cant find ONE.) and the night before last she bit a hole in it. She fussed a bit (Its broken!) then stuck it in her mouth and went to sleep.

Last night she bit the end off completely.

And oh the crying and gnashing of teeth. We put her to bed and she wouldnt sleep, cried for about 10 minutes. Then John and I both went into the room and when she told us with tears in her eyes and a tremulous voice (oh so sad!) that her pacifier was broken again, we told her we couldnt fix it. Then we tucked her in, told her to hug her glow seahorse tight, kissed her goodnight, and left the room.

And guess what? She slept all night!

This whole time Ive been dreading the pacifier weaning process, thinking Id be up with her throughout the night and dealing with a lot of crying.

Im SO glad! Dont get me wrong, Im sure there will be some annoyance today when she realizes she cant have her pacifier. But were on the way to success! YAY!

Now I just have THIS little guy to deal with.

SIGH.