No More Pacis-- HELP!

We have ONLY had pacis at nap and bedtime for a long time. My boys are great sleepers and take a 3 hour nap every day and we have zero problems going to sleep at night. We transitioned to beds right at 2 with no problems. I decided today that pacis are going in the trash. We are 1 hour and 18 minutes into nap time and no sleepers yet-- no crying, just NO SLEEPING! They are in there playing and wrestling. I think they are conditioned to know it is time to sleep when they get their paci. I am so ready to go in there and give it to them. I need nap time-- maybe i am not super mom or whatever, but i cannot make it through the day without them taking a nap. Will it kill them to have their pacis at bedtime and naps until they are 3?

 

I don't know I would give them back since you already took them away. They should get used to not having it. I sure wouldn't blame you if you gave in. I took the twins away at 13 months because I didn't want them asking me for them. Cody on the other hand still has his in bed. For some reason I can't seem to take it away yet.

 

My DD has hers and I am not going to take it away until she really understands that we have to "give them away for other children to use." Right now, she wouldn't know what the heck I was talking about.
My sister has a three year old that still uses hers at bedtime...It is up to you. Her daughter loves her paci, she is getting braces eventually, and this is my sister's third and last. So, she doesn't see a need for a fight... yet!

Only you know what is best - if you wanted to give them back without looking like to you took back your word, you could hide one in their bed and if they find it, great, if not, you may just be through the whole paci-thing after all.

OK, this is all coming from a rookie! ha ha

 

yikes, i haven't gotten the guts to take it away from my 2 yet! let us know what happens!

 

We (or my parents when they had them for a weekend <_< ) took the girls paci away a couple months ago. They went through the same thing at nap/bedtime for a while. Taking FOREVER to go to sleep. They had to re-learn how to fall asleep on their own, like you were saying. I used a sticker chart to help them along. At night, I'd remind them, "you're big girls now, big girls don't cry and scream at bedtime, its time to lay down, have quiet time and go to sleep." We'd give them a few books each to read. If we had to go back in because they were being too loud, we'd remind them of the sticker chart and tell them after so many stickers, you get to go to the store and pick out a 'special toy'. That worked pretty well for them. They're pretty much back to their normal nap/bedtime routines, but sometimes it still takes longer for them to settle down.

Good luck with what you decide!

 

I don't think I will have a problem letting mine have them for night and naps until 3. I WAS down to naps and night only ... then we moved when they were 11 months old ... and a lot of the developmental stuff like walking and teething happened at the same time ... and they were just impossible to bear on my own (SAHM and hubby works a lot!!!) so I gave them binkys and loveys whenever they wanted them ... now they are addicts but so much easier to handle! I know it will be a gradual thing but I hope to be down to night and naps again by 18-24 months then gone by age 3. My sister's 4 yo still sucks his thumb at night ... what can ya do?! You know ... they won't go to college with binkys and sucking their thumbs. If it helps to soothe them ... why not?! We always say that they grow up way too fast! Maybe we "baby" them a little longer by letting them have binkys, but to me, they are still my babies so I am OK with that!

 

I think I'm going to let Evan and James keep theirs for as long as they like, within reason. I figure I can reason with them around age 3, and if they're still using them then I'll negotiate somehow! Maybe Santa will take them in exchange for presents?

 

My advice is this....don't take them away...yet. I say this because I have an older child who I took her paci away from her cold turkey one day, and soon after she began sucking her thumb! It became a REAL problem. Now with the twins, I won't take them away prematurely. They use them to "pacify" themselves. They will use them when they are stressed(crying) and paci will help them to be calm. I think, IMO, that they will learn another way to pacify themselves as they get older but I would not rip their security from them because they will find another way and that's usually the thumb! I learned alot through my older daughter and one thing is do not rip away things that give your child security unless it's harmful. Having a binky or a blankey is not harmful and in the end gives you less stress as well.

 

I don't see a problem with them having the pacis until they are older, it works for you and that is the main thing.
Think of it this way; it's a comfort thing to help them get to sleep-if they had a special blanket that they needed to rub against their cheek to get to sleep you probably wouldn't have had a single thought about taking it away, but there is this stigma around pacifiers and lots of people think they need to "get rid of them" at a certain time.

 

QUOTE(Holdentwins @ Aug 26 2008, 02:21 PM) [snapback]948428[/snapback]
We have ONLY had pacis at nap and bedtime for a long time. My boys are great sleepers and take a 3 hour nap every day and we have zero problems going to sleep at night. We transitioned to beds right at 2 with no problems. I decided today that pacis are going in the trash. We are 1 hour and 18 minutes into nap time and no sleepers yet-- no crying, just NO SLEEPING! They are in there playing and wrestling. I think they are conditioned to know it is time to sleep when they get their paci. I am so ready to go in there and give it to them. I need nap time-- maybe i am not super mom or whatever, but i cannot make it through the day without them taking a nap. Will it kill them to have their pacis at bedtime and naps until they are 3?


Honestly, my one dd, Lorien, can have her paci until she is 27 if it means that it will help her to sleep. I just don't get what the big F'n deal is with letting them have their paci especially when it is confined to bed only?? It's very frustrating. I was battleing back and forth with the whole, should I take it away or shouldn't I and in the end we asked ourselves "why?" It makes her happy, helps her sleep and thus makes our entire house a happier house hold. Give that up??? Uh uh. No way. I have been told that it will not effect their teeth so I have absolutely no probelm letting her have it until she is ready to give it up on her own (well, maybe there will come a day when I feel she is definately ready to give it up, maybe around 8 or 9? LOL) so until then I am happy with my choice. You have to do what is good for you, your children and your family as a whole.

 

QUOTE(double-or-nothing @ Aug 27 2008, 07:56 PM) [snapback]950277[/snapback]
Honestly, my one dd, Lorien, can have her paci until she is 27 if it means that it will help her to sleep. I just don't get what the big F'n deal is with letting them have their paci especially when it is confined to bed only??



LOVE THAT!!!!

 

I gave it back
They went right to sleep within like seconds!! Thanks for the encouragement-- im sick of all the negative stuff attached to the paci.. i'm totally going to let them have it to sleep wih until they are done-- or at least before they have sleepovers!! lol

 

QUOTE(Holdentwins @ Aug 29 2008, 05:25 AM) [snapback]952886[/snapback]
I gave it back
They went right to sleep within like seconds!! Thanks for the encouragement-- im sick of all the negative stuff attached to the paci.. i'm totally going to let them have it to sleep wih until they are done-- or at least before they have sleepovers!! lol



I did the same thing the other day. I took them away, and they did not go to sleep for over an hour. I didn't realize HOW attached they were until then. I was not ready to pick that battle yet, so I gave them back. I don't know when I will eventually take them away, but I know it's not anytime really soon!


Reyna

 

With my older girls, we took all of their pacis and put them in a bag. We took them to the toy store and told them they could pick out a toy, but they had to pay for it with their pacis. They picked their toy, handed over the bag of pacis, and we slipped the cashier some money when they weren't looking. They cried the first night when they were going to bed, but we just reminded them of their new toy and how they got to buy it by themself with their pacis. After the first night, they maybe mentioned their pacis once or twice. It worked really well for us. They were about 2 1/2 when we did that.

 

My twins are 17 months and love their pacifiers. DH makes comments all the time about getting rid of them because of the stigma, but honestly I can't be with all 3 kids at one time and if they make them feel better ... GREAT! They are such good sleepers for naps and nighttime, why mess with it??? It is my feeling that they will eventually reach an age that they don't want them - although I do have my limit also. My oldest DD never really used a pacifier and she is the worst sleeper! She never really learned to fall back asleep during the night even though we never did co-sleeping or rocking her to bed. If a pacifier would have helped her sleep from age 2-3 ... I would have bought her a truckload! Anyway, she does have a lovey and I have noticed her not taking it to bed with her as much during the past 6 months do I definitely think they outgrow their comfort items.

 

One of my twins is NUTS over her binkey. In fact, I'm having a hard time limiting the binkie. I've had to pull my car over to get her binkey back when I'm driving with them by myself. When she's outside playing, all I have to say is "give me your binkey, babe," and she gives it right up. Other than that, she freakin' LOVES that thing.

My other girl only really needs it for sleep or when she's upset. It's amazing how it calms them down.

I'm nowhere near attempting to take it away permanently.