Friday night: We did the usual bedtime routine: bath, jammies, milk, and some cuddle time. It was close to 8:45 before he started showing signs of being sleepy, which is a little later than usual but not by much. I laid him down with his puppy and blanket, turned on his white noise, and left the room. I stood outside his door and held my breath. But instead of the screaming I was sure I'd hear, I heard some soft toddler babble, and then silence. To my amazement, he was asleep within minutes. Did someone slip something into his sippy?!
Saturday morning: After one brief wake up at 3 am where Colin whined a little bit in his bed, he slept straight through until a little after 6, which is normal for him. In the morning, he searched his room for a paci, even looking under the crib in case one had fallen there. I carried him out of his room as he fussed and whined, but after some cuddle time with Daddy in the bed and a cup of milk, he seemed to forget about his plight.
Saturday nap: It took him a while to fall asleep, and he cried a little, but it was a tired cry, so I let him be. He finally settled himself and napped for an hour and 45 minutes.
Saturday afternoon: When he woke up from his nap, my mother-in-law took us out for lunch at Olive Garden. This was a huge mistake. Colin was an absolute mess at the restaurant, especially when we had to wait 15 minutes to get a table. Apparently 15 minutes to a toddler is an eternity. Hungry and still a bit tired after his nap, he screamed and cried, slapped me in the face, and refused to walk to the table. People were staring, and probably whispered to each other that I'm a horrible mother - and pregnant again, too - as I sat him in the high chair and handed him my iPhone to keep him occupied. Despite the frustrating outing, I stuck to my guns and didn't give him a paci. We survived.
Saturday night: There was a good bit of whining and crying before bed, and we had to lay Colin down several times before he finally allowed himself to fall asleep. It was pretty exhausting for all of us. Once he fell asleep, he was fine, but Momma's nerves were a bit frayed.
Sunday nap: Not good. Not good at all. We went to the 10 am service at church and swung by Cookout on the way home for some lunch. By the time we got home, Colin was obviously tired. For the first time in his life, he fought his nap SO HARD that he was crying until he was about to make himself throw up. We laid him back down and tucked him in countless times, and by 12:30, after about an hour and a half of this, I finally broke down into weepy tears. I went into his room, picked him up, held him close, and we cried together. I gave in and gave him the paci, and he was out within minutes. I felt like a big, fat failure.
By Sunday night, Justin and I had discussed the events of the weekend, and finally decided that while he's still teething (eye tooth #4 is now on its way in), we're going to continue to allow paci use, but only in his crib, during sleep times. Sunday night, we didn't let him have it until he was tucked in, and he went to sleep like a perfect angel. Monday night was also incredibly easy. I feel like we're close to being able to wean Colin from the paci, but right at this moment this Momma's heart can't take the cold turkey method.
How and when did you wean your toddler from the paci? Any special tips or words of advice?
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| Colin and his BFF, the paci. |
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