(This is one of my new favorite pictures. I smile every time I see it because she is so mischievous looking, and it is totally her!!)
1 year ago
Monday, February 2, 2009
Oh where or where has my sweet baby gone?
As you all know, I adore Mercedes. She is sweet and happy and totally innocent...until yesterday. She started throwing temper tantrums!! Her first one was at church with all the other moms around watching. Lovely. Then last night Mom made a big mistake and forgot her binky at Grandma's house. She threw a huge fit at bedtime because she didn't have it, and then she woke up at 3:00 am and screamed at Kendall and I for about an hour and a half!! Daddy was so patient with her. He would talk to her in this very gentle voice and she would stop, then it was like she would arch her back and scream at him!! She is a total red-head! It sure made Kendall and I think though, and maybe it is time to wean from the binky if she's going to be that much of a stinker. So here is the part where I ask for advice. I've always weaned my others because I had a new baby coming and I didn't want to figure out whose was whose. So my question is this: at what age or circumstances did you wean your kids from pacifiers and was it easier when they were younger or older? I don't want a 3-yr old sucking on a pacifier, but if it is easier when they are a little older then I'm all about easy. Any advice? I want to hear your stories.
(This is one of my new favorite pictures. I smile every time I see it because she is so mischievous looking, and it is totally her!!)
(This is one of my new favorite pictures. I smile every time I see it because she is so mischievous looking, and it is totally her!!)
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9 comments:
Grant never had a pacifier until he was 6 months as we were trying to drop the night feeding. At 9 months he wanted it all night long and would wake us up 2-3 times just to put it back in his mouth. That is when we got rid of it. It took about a week of crying during the night before he forgot about it. We were just strict...when it was gone it was gone - no going back after that point. Good luck!!
we did about 18 months and it went a lot better than I thought. He only used it to sleep though, so he wasn't super dependent on it. Good luck, it's a tough decision either way!
With Mac we weaned him from it when he was about 1. It was a fight for a few days, but he was fine after that.
With Carter, we haven't really given him one - and I have to tell you - it has been super nice to not have to worry about it. I guess that doesn't help you any a this point though!
At Bryson's 6 month check up the dr. told is time for it to go. This surprised me and I know that there are now some new studies saying to let them have it until 2 to prevent SIDS. I bet you could google it to get info. Anyway, around 9 months the little stink wanted to nurse every 45 minutes so we decided to do it all at once -- get rid of the binky, put him in his own room and stop the nursing at night. We went through a couple of HORRIBLE nights but in the end it was worth it. I'm not sure how much was the binky and how much was the other stuff. Probably not the best idea I've ever had because it was major trauma. We got lucky with Brynlee. She never really wanted a binky and just gave it up one day all on her own. I know some people have farewell ceremonies and such but she's probably too young to understand that. Good luck!!
We weaned Vienna at 9-10 months, when it looked like she was getting dependant on the binky to go to sleep (she only got it in the crib at that point). I took it away at naptime first and then nighttime. Each was struggle for a couple of days, but then she learned to deal without. On a side note, we weaned her from the bottle at 14 months and that was too old, because she was old enough to remember exactly what she wanted. So I all for early weaning so that it doesn't become a crutch for the kid:)
Obviously I haven't had much experience with weening... yet... ;) but brooke only has her's for the car rides or sleeping (naps and night). She is starting to be dependent on it, but I dont really mind. I keep my sanity... My sister in law would cut the tips off the binky's. It would then be "broken" and they wouldn't want it anymore. My only concern is if you ween to young or if they're not ready, will they start the thumb sucking? That's a lot harder to ween...
I was bad and let Natalie keep it till she was 2. I would definetly do it earlier than that but once you do it stick to your guns. The first 2 days will be hard but after that it gets much easier.
Abie never took one, she preferred her thumb, but only for sleeping...still does and she's almost 3 - so far doesn't seem an issue, but thinking of working on that soon.
Benjamin took a binki, but just before he turned 9 months he actually started turning it away. I was worried at first, but he didn't seem to need it. No thumb sucking for him either = whew!
I'm surfing the net doing research on SIDS.
The reason a Binky is believed to prevent SIDS is because it prevents Slow Wave Sleep (SWS). SWS is the time when infants die of SIDS. SWS is also when memories are formed and learning takes place so putting a binky in a childs mouth before bed is a huge negative tradeoff. You are almost certainly delaying your childs development so you should consider that.
Putting an infant to sleep on it's back also prevnts SWS. Again, prior to putting a baby to sleep on it's back you should no that there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Here is a comment by Raphael Pelayo of Stanford and a reply to his letter by the U.S. SIDS Task Force:
"The potential implications of a SIDS risk-reduction strategy that is based on a combination of maintaining a low arousal threshold and reducing quiet(equivalent to slow-wave sleep) in infants must be considered. Because
SWS is considered the most restorative form of sleep and is believed to have a significant role in neurocognitive processes and learning, as well as in growth, what might be the neurodevelopmental consequences
of chronically reducing deep sleep in the first critical 12 months of life?"
Dr. Raphael Pelayo
"physiologic studies demonstrate that infants who sleep supine have decreased sleep duration, decreased non-REM sleep, and increased arousals; this effect peaks at 2 to 3 months of age and is not evident at 5 to 6 months
of age, thus coinciding with the peak incidence for SIDS at 2 to 4 months of age. The SIDS risk-reduction strategy of supine sleep will result in a lower arousal
threshold and a reduction in quiet sleep."
U.S. SIDS Task Force
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