Goodbye Soother
We said goodbye to Little MPB’s soother this weekend! It was somewhat unplanned. We knew we were getting rid of it before the end of the year, but we didn’t know exactly when.
But three things encouraged us to try this weekend.
First, late last week someone commented on my blog post with the idea of trading a soother for a toy at bedtime. It worked perfectly for her and seemed rather painless for everyone. For some reason this idea just spoke to us. So, we decided we’d give it a try once we were committed to actually taking the soother away.
Then, on Saturday, Little MPB found a soother in his playroom. As he isn’t allowed them during the day, we normally just take it away from him. But, Mr. MPB took a different approach. He explained to Little MPB that he would read stories but only if Little MPB didn’t have a soother in his mouth. And so Little MPB happily went and put his soother on his book shelf and returned to Mr. MPB with a book. Of course they then proceed to read stories together. So, clearly Little MPB understands not having a soother and is willing to part with it.
Oh, and both Mr. MPB and I were both home to suffer through the horrible sleepless nights that were bound to happen.
So, it was time.
Then, at bedtime we simply offered Little MPB a stuffed bunny rabbit in exchange for his soother. He took the bait! He handed over the soother and promptly snuggled the bunny. He was asleep within 5 minutes and he slept through the entire night. Absolutely no issues. (As a bonus the bunny was a baby gift that was at the bottom of his toy bin which meant it was something he already owned and just forgot about. So, it was actually a free bribery toy!)
Sunday nap time did not go so well. There were lots of tears and not a lot of sleep.
But, as we are committed to this now, Sunday night we stuck to our decision. As we put Little MPB to bed, we gave him his bunny and told him to snuggle his bunny tonight. Little MPB didn’t even ask for his soother and instead he went right to sleep. Once again, he slept through the entire night.
As of this morning, we no longer have any soothers in the house. I threw them all out. So, here’s to hoping tonight goes well, because there is no going back now!
And I have to admit, I’m feeling a little sad right now. This is just one more sign that my baby boy is truly growing up.
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Hey fantastic! It sounds like he was really ready for the change! I feel you on the growing up so fast sentiment though. Feeling that one hard (both good and sad) at the moment. Congratulations on the soother extraction though, I think it really indicates that he feels safe and secure too 🙂
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Thank you! We are thrilled with how well it’s gone so far, yet I still don’t think we are in the clear. A few more nights and maybe I’ll start to believe he’s really okay with this. 🙂
And yes, the growing up sentiment is both good and sad. 🙂
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I’m glad it’s going well! I think doing those kinds of things before they turn 2 and start having strong opinions about things is way easier.
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He’s definitely in the throws of having strong opinions so we were expecting it to be super challenging. But I am glad it’s done now before his even more strong willed. 🙂
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Well done!!
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We kind of accidentally got our daughter to sleep in her own room like that… we just put her down joking she would never sleep without being rocked for hours, and down she went!
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These happy accidents are the absolute best! 🙂
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My kids didn’t have pacifiers (they refused them) but as I read this, I thought of how the moms dealing with this very problem are feeling reading this. 😂. They’re thinking, “what the absolute F*CK?!?!” 😂
CONGRATS TO YOU GUYS! I’m so glad it was painless for you all!!
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That’s what I thought when I read the comment – “it was way to easy. No way it’s going to work!”
And then it did! And we are still thinking “what the absolute F*CK”!! This is one of those pleasant surprises to something we’ve been dreading for months now. But truth be told, I’m still skeptical it’ll last. I still feel like tonight he’s going to demand a soother. Or even worse, at 3am he’s doing to demand a soother. It just cannot be this easy!
Also, I should add, we did everything in our power to make sure he’s good and tired to help him sleep well – lots of running and playing all weekend along. 🙂
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Whooo hooo! That’s great! And I agree! No going back! Sounds like he’s doing great!
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Yup, absolutely no going back! I don’t think we have any left in the house, so we really cannot go back now. 🙂
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Wow, congrats! It sounds like it went really well. I’m not looking forward to talking E’s pacifier.
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Yes, I am thrilled with how well it’s gone so far. But honestly, I still don’t think we are through it – I still think one of these nights he’s going to wake up screaming for it!
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I am not looking forward to getting rid of ours 😒 I am torn between doing it before 2 or waiting a little longer until he is old enough to understand the ‘dummy fairy’ concept.
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I was determined to get rid of it by 2 because of the concerns raised by dentists – I have horrible teeth so I’m sensitive to potential avoidable teeth problems.
I hope whenever you decide to get rid of it, it goes smoothly. 🙂
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Whereas I had mine until I was 3 and no teeth problems 😂 we will try and restrict it to sleep times only once this round of teething is over 😒 my sanity may take a dive.
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And my teeth problems have nothing to do with a soother, just crappy genetics. But, I’m still super cautious. 🙂
I completely agree about keeping your sanity!! That’s beyond critical!
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We just did this about a week and a half ago! We had a few days of really sad, pathetic tears, but eventually it passed. She was REALLY attached to her paci, so I expected it would be rough. I’m just happy we did it finally. I am SO thrilled to be rid of the dang pacifier. Congratulations!
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I completely understand the REALLY attached statement. Gosh, I was starting to wonder if Little MPB would go off to collage with one shoved in his mouth! That kid lived for his soother! So, I’m still shocked at how willing he was to part with it. I still feel like the other shoe is going to drop tonight or tomorrow night. Did Charlotte ever want her’s back after a few nights? Or can I start to breath easy that we are through the worst of it?
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I wish I could say she got over it completely but for about a week she asked for it anytime she got upset. In fact, 2 days ago was the first time she got very upset and didn’t ask for it. But we survived!
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Our sons also give up their pacifiers with much less fuss than we’d expected. Good for you!
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Much less fuss than we expected is always a good thing! 🙂
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Job well done !
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Great job!!! Sounds like it went pretty well for you all!!!
We don’t give it to Baby Bach during the day anymore, just naps and at night, but considering trying to cut back, so one of these days we may follow your lead!!!
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Nice! I am going to have to go down this path sometime in the next 6 months so this is actually really helpful!! I notice at daycare they are really strict that H doesn’t have her dummy outside of nap time. So when we arrive I ask her to put it in her bag and she complies without hesitation. As soon as we leave in the afternoon she starts pawing at the bag to get to them though. It’s like she knows now we are back to mummy time she can have a soother whenever she wants. Ha! Soft mummy. Anyway given that I can see that she can work out the difference I really should start some home limitation process… thx for posting this!
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That’s great! I hope nap times get easier.
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