Quiting COLD TURKEY!

So, we finally made the decision to get rid of pacifiers!  Today marks day #5 without them.  The paci's are completely GONE!  We, or more so my husband, thought it would be best to have them quit cold turkey.  Not even paci's while they sleep!  At first, that made me very nervous...especially at bedtime and naps.  I like my sleep and the twins have been great sleepers for us.  The last thing I wanted to do was disturb that nice, nightly routine.  But as much as I have wanted to give in and give them one in their crib, Kevin has helped me to stay strong.  Deep down I do agree...getting rid of them completely while they are young would be the best choice.  And then we don't have to worry about weening them again down the road while they are older.

 

Kevin has been wanting to get rid of the paci's for a long time.  I kept saying, lets wait.  They aren't even two years old yet.  They bothered him more than me.  Myself, I didn't necessarily like them having one during the day while they were playing, but part of me liked having the soothing mechanism for my long days/nights with them.  It helped to calm them out in public, running errands, through temper tantrums, and in the car rides.  When to quit the pacifiers has been a big thing on my mind lately.  It was hard hearing comments from people about Kate and Matt not needing those during the day; they are too old for that.  Those comments stressed me out.  I realized, after talking with some other moms and the parent educator at my ECFE class, that while Kevin is busy working and gone a lot and it's just me with two toddlers, it's okay.  They aren't in my shoes.  Right now, it's not a battle that needs to be tackled while it's just me (trying to survive!) but rather a team effort.  So, Kevin and I made our game plan.  When he was finished with busy season we would take a long weekend together and say good-bye to the paci's. 

 

I can say it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be.  And surprisingly, Matthew has been the easier one in this process.  The only time he has seemed bothered is at naps and nighttime.  Kate, on the other hand, has been a bit of a handful.  Saturday, day #1, after asking for the paci and Kevin saying, "No, you are a big kid now," she started a 30 minute temper tantrum.  Something unlike her.  (I luckily was gone running errands with Matthew during this time!)  That same day, nap time went about the same way.  Both kids this time were back throwing themselves around in their cribs, screaming, and crying for Momma and Daddy.  No nap was officially taken that day since they were so upset.  Bedtime was definitely better, but they cried for a good hour until they both feel asleep. It feels like re-sleep training them all over again.

 

Kate has continued to ask randomly throughout the day and during our nightly routine for a paci, but we have stayed calmed and strong and replied with, "Nope, you're a big girl."  I don't know how much she comprehends, probably more than we realize, but as long as we are staying consistent and to our guns this phase soon shall pass.  I know it's hard for them not having their way of soothing themselves to sleep.  It makes me sad to hear them cry so much to fall asleep when we all aren't used to that.  But I'm happy with the hubby, even though sleep as been very much interrupted these past nights, for keeping the both of us strong and sticking to our guns!

 

No more seeing my two kiddos with the paci anymore.

 

Part of me is sad too. This makes it more official that they are growing up and reminds me how fast this time goes.  It was the last thing from when they were babies.  But, I can more happily say that I will not miss having to battle Kate and Matt every time I tried to take them out of their mouths or finding those things in the dark, on the floor, in the middle of the night when they'd wake up. 

 

We just need to get through this first week.

Then we can think about our next battle to tackle....the Terrible 2's Tantrums! Ekk! :)