Raising Maggie Simpson- January 11, 2011
I’m Amy…new mother, wife, journalist, blogger, dog owner, and coffee enthusiast. Add this to my list of titles…paci retriever. In the past two months I have learned to catch a spit-out pacifier in midair. I have dug them from under sofas and between seat cushions. I have pacifiers in my purse and tucked away in every room in our house. They especially accumulate in the kitchen where they will go in the dishwasher, again. Most often they’re coated with a layer of dust and dog hair. (I do always clean them once they hit the ground. I heard this quirk stops after the first baby.)
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| Oh, how I wish Charlotte could hold and retrieve her own paci! We’re watching a Maggie episode of “The Simpsons” tonight to see if she picks up any binky-handling tips. |
I do not want a thumbsucker! I don’t think it’s cute. I think it’s gross. Sorry. I know lots of you have adorable little thumbsuckers in your house, but that’s just my opinion. Are paci’s any more sanitary than thumbs? Probably not, but I still find it disgusting. Remember that kid in 1st grade who still sucked their thumb? Remember the torture that 6-year-old endured being called a “baby”? You can take away a paci, but you can’t cut off a kid’s thumb. Can I train my daughter to be a paci baby? I don’t know, but I’m gonna give it a try.
How do you wean a paci addict by toddlerhood? My cousin Teresa weaned her son off pacifiers by having him give them to Charlotte. She and her husband explained to their son that he was a big boy now and didn’t need a binky, but Charlotte is a baby and needed them.
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| Cousin Fletcher handing over his binkys to Charlotte, officially making him a “Big Boy”. I heard that night was a rough one for mom and dad, but now he’s doing well in a binky-free home. |
So, just call me Marge. I’m continuing my attempts to raise a little Maggie Simpson.
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| Charlotte likes the MAM brand pacis the best. I like them because they come with the little carrying case. |
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I agree with you. My friend thinks the opposite. She thinks that she would much rather have her daughter her suck her thumb and self-soothe herself or need a parent to soothe. She also doesn't want her kid to be in kindergarten sucking on his paci. My feeling is, I can take the paci away waaaay before Kindergarten, but cutting of a thumb is probably against a few laws.
Mams makes leashes for their pacis… keeps them from flying to the ground when baby spits it out. Eva liked the mams too. We also use the BooginHead leash. Both are great.
All my kiddos took a paci…then spit it out somewhere between 3-6 months and never wanted it again. I was one of the lucky ones lol.
My little guy likes the MAM too, and we use the leash with them. My oldest never wanted a paci so I have no idea how to wean.
My cousin weaned his kid by dropping his paci in the toilet, kid never wanted it again. Um, probably won't try that method. But, ok.
I was constantly doing this with my firstborn! But then somewhere along the line I wised up with the second and kept his paci on one of those leashes that Nessa was talking about. He is now down to two regular pacis, (but only at bedtime). If you get any tips on breaking the habit, let me know! I'll need them for my 18-month old!
P.S. Totally jealous of Kristen right now and her easy habit-breaking kiddos!
Ahhh jealous!! Isis is a thumb-sucker. I tried every paci I could find & she wouldn't take a single one! It was infuriating. As soon as she found that thumb, it was just all lost. Now sometimes she sucks it so much it gets raw & if we try to pull it out, it's just a big mess. I am absolutely TERRIFIED of having a 6-year old thumb sucker!!! I've heard we can try pulling her thumb out of her mouth everytime she's not getting ready to go to bed and just make it a bedtime thing. I'm probably gonna start trying that soon. It's a mess.
So I say congrats that she's taking the paci!! I'm sure you're an awesome paci-retriever!!
Will never would take a pacifier, which I always kind of secretly respected for some reason. Since the day he was born, he's sucked his middle two fingers, but he only does it when he's in his bed trying to go to sleep, or when he has his blanket (which is usually only when he's in his bed or in the carseat.) Truly, if a kid's still sucking fingers at six years old, regardless of whether or not his parents tried to stop him, he/she'll just get made fun of by the other kids and then stop because of the peer pressure. It's self-limiting behavior. Elementary school is survival of the fittest
"I do always clean them once they hit the ground. I heard this quirk stops after the first baby."… this quirk stopped for me when my first son was about 6 months old. That's when I'd pick the dust and dog hair off, stick it in my own mouth to "wash" it, and then pop it back in his mouth! I know that sounds totally gross to you right now. But you'll get there 😉
Both my boys are paci boys. I'm nt a fan of thumbs either.
I have one of each: a thumbsucker and a pacifier enthusiast. Great post!
I desperately tried to get Harrison to take a paci, but he had zero interest. He's a sometimes-thumb-sucker which means he pops it in when he's tired or snuggling, but only for a minute or two.
I sucked my thumb until the 3rd grade. I had to get the orthodonist to put in some appliance that had spikes on it, so it would prick my thumb if I tried to suck on it. Talk about traumatic….if Charlotte wants to suck her thumb, send Aunt Kathryn over…I'll tell her about the spikes
I've been gradually weaning my 13 month old from the paci. I started by only giving it to him for naps and bedtime around 9 months. Now, I'm cutting it to just bedtime. I think the gradual progression has helped. Also, you'll probably kick the paci rinsing habit after 4 or 5 months- not after the second baby 😉
Look on the bright side, it could be easier than you think! At our 12 month appointment the pediatrician said, "I want him weened off the pacifier by his 15 month checkup." Immediately, Sebastian took the paci out of his mouth and threw it on the ground. He only took it one more time after that. It was like he totally understood! I was amazed and SO thankful because I was dreading taking it away after all the horror stories I had heard.
[…] other news, the same child who has taken a pacifier all her life outside the womb and affectionately calls it her “num-num” has been paci-less for about […]