The Nuk Addiction...

Yesterday, we decided enough of the nuk (aka, pacifier)...Vivianne doesn’t agree with us yet, but were hoping she comes around in the next couple of days. In the last few months, we had done a pretty good job of only letting her have her nuk at naps and at bedtime, and occasionally in the car/stroller. But, it was getting more and more obvious that she was completely attached to the thing. I have heard and have read that the longer you wait to take the pacifier away the harder it is. Thomas is out of town this week and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to nip this nuk addiction in the bud once and for all.

As most of you know, she loves to throw stuff in the garbage, so I thought I would let her throw away her nuks (see video).

After she dumped them, she stood there and cried for a good 2 minutes until I distracted her with a sippy cup of juice. She doesn’t normally get juice at home, so that did the trick and she forgot all about it until bedtime came around, at which time, I met her alter ego (looks just like her but ooooo…doesn’t have her happy personality). She was determined not to go to bed without her nuk. She stood up in her crib and cried and cried and cried. Just when I thought, ok, she’s finally cried herself to sleep, she would start up again! About 30 minutes had passed and I couldn’t take it any longer. Hearing her cry like that was killing me. So I went and got her and brought her in to our room and turned the TV on…that worked for about 3 minutes. Then we started making the trips. Yes, the 20 odd trips from the bedroom to the kitchen and back again, to get drinks, snacks, and sometimes just for fun I think. I believe she just wanted to have the sensation of something in her mouth and she was fine. She was still not going to go to bed. So I turned the TV off and let her sleep in our bed. That didn’t work either. She would toss and turn and cry and then be quiet and cry again. Finally we get up, AGAIN, she wants another drink (it is quite possible that she consumed a gallon of fluids yesterday)...so I get her one, then she doesn’t want one, then she wants some fruit, I open the fruit cup, no, she changes her mind she doesn’t want it…I know that she’s tired, so tired, as it’s nearly midnight by now. I bring her back to the bed…she’s whining…I can’t take it…every piece of literature I’ve read says that if your going to take away the nuk, then you have to commit to it and not give in or it will confuse the child and show them that if they cry long enough they can get what they want…I’m starting to doubt these people now…how can I not give in, have they even tried this before…this is horrible. I feel like the meanest mom ever…and just as I was about to go dig the darn thing out of the garbage, she lets out the biggest sigh and rolls over and is out! She finally gave in and thankfully right before I did. She slept like a baby the rest of the night. I woke up and was like, wow! This can really maybe happen…she can sleep without the nuk.

Now we begin Day 2…hoping it goes better than Day 1. And I took the garbage out this morning…so there aren’t any nuks left in the house. No chance for me to cave.

I am anxious to hear how it goes today at daycare during nap time…without her nuk.

Wish us both luck!