So, I have been meaning to post this for quite a while now and keep forgetting. I don?t know HOW I keep forgetting?I have barely anything going on these days?not ?.
A topic of discussion for quite some time now has been just when (oh, when) will Cashy stop needing a pacifier. In all honesty, my Facebook fans weren?t the only ones worried ? I was too! Cash was nearly 2 ? years old, was speaking full sentences, could sing the National Anthem (um?yes, he can), was no longer the baby of the family, and still relied so heavily on his pacifiers. Yes, we were starting to notice his orthodontic consequences for still using a paci, but more than anything we worried about enabling an oral fixation habit, which can lead to food addiction later on in life.
Well, I am happy to report (if you haven?t noticed from recent pacifier-less posts) that the paci habit has officially been broken!
It was so much easier than I thought it would be too! Cash ?bought? a toy he has been wanting for a while (Jake and The Never Land Pirates
, of course) with his entire bag of pacifiers (instead of money). Watch this video to see it go down!
For all you moms and dads wanting to try the same thing and wondering if he missed his pacis: yes, he did ask for pacifiers every so often after we made the ?purchase?. We simply reminded him, ?Cash, don?t you remember you gave your pacifiers to the girl at the store and she gave you your pirate treasure chest?? After a moment of contemplation, he would nod his head and say yes, then go play with his new toy ?.
Now, 4 weeks later, we are 100% pacifier free?even 100% free from him asking for them ?.
Worked like a charm!
Yay for Cash!!!
24 Responses
That is a great idea! No kids yet but storing the ideas for later use. I have a friend who “shipped” all her daughters “binkies” to the new baby her sister was having. So when the little girl would ask for one, mom would remind her that the new baby had them now and her daughter would be ok with it.
I think you have some great ideas! I love reading your blog and think you do such a nice job! Your post about pacifiers was an interesting read. While I agree with most of it, I will disagree that letting your child have a pacifier could lead to an addition to food later on.
Generally, if you take a pacifier away from a child, they tend to find other ways to sooth themselves (i.e. their thumb or index finger, shirt, blanket). Oral fixation is a sign of stress.
If a child learns that food will sooth their stress, of course they will over eat! More than likely, they have been exposed to those types of conditions (not all the time, but most of the time.) If their parents do not create alternate ways to help them relieve stress, they will turn to other ?habits? ? excessive washing of hands, extreme routine, overeating, etc. But those are caused by stress, not the pacifier.
A pacifier for a 2 year old, is not going to start them on food addiction. Consequently, parents who DO NOT teach their children how to be healthy, exercise, make the right choices, etc. will have a greater chance of their child having a food addiction or any other addiction for that matter. Compare this to a parent who provides healthy eating choices and a healthy environment, but also allows their child to have a pacifier a little longer.
I?m not saying that children should be allowed to have a pacifier forever, I?m also not saying that what you stated could never happen, but some children just need a pacifier longer. I sucked on my finger until I was 8 years old. I am not overweight nor do I have a food addiction. It was because my parents taught me how to make good choices and provided me an environment that was so impactful.
So cute!!!!
That was totally a smart idea to have Cash give his pacifiers in exchange for a toy that he had wanted, smart idea,, and so much better for his teeth. When I took my son off his, each day I just throw 1 a day in the garbage (and he saw me do it) so when it came to the last one, he said, oh no more paci’s… worked for me,,, but my son is almost 41,, glad to see some things still work.. Good boy Cash~!!
I did that with my son too!!! Worked wonders he never cried and when he asked I just reminded him of the toy he got and he was fine…..now time to do that with my daughter.
This is brilliant! I don’t know how you thought of it be wow! Great job!
Congratulations! I was worried about my son because of the extended time I sucked my thumb as a child. I just got rid of them all when he was about 14 months or so. He couldn’t ask for them and if was only a little rough for two days. After that, we were all fine. I am very excited for Cash. He is growing up so fast!
I took my daughters at two. Each child has his/her timeline. Such an brilliant idea to have him give them up like that.
That is perfect! GOod job Momma!
great idea! so cute.