Goodbye Paci...The Second Time Around

Taking away Collins's paci was a traumatic process for her and for us. So we vowed with daughter #2 that we would take it away much sooner so it would not be as hard for her. Well...easier said than done. Addie has never been a good sleeper, and I was in no rush to take away the one thing that made it a little easier.

But on Addie's first trip to the dentist, we found out that she was already developing an overbite (from the paci) so we decided it was time to take it away. Collins was 2 1/2 when we did it; Addie would be two, but luckily Addie was not quite as attached as her sister was. 

So we waited for the holidays to pass and then decided to do it the same way we did it with Collins...with a goodbye paci party and then go cold turkey!

I checked out the blog book to remember how we did it with Collins. Look how cute and little she was! I was a bit disturbed to read in the post that her sleep was disturbed for a whole month after we took the paci away. Oh no...I had forgotten that part.

Well, it was too late to turn back now. We were already in party mode! I made a brownie cake for the occasion (inspired by Jack Kasper's fabulous bday cake) and Donna and Marty came over to help us drive home the message. We told Addie that now that she was two years old, she was a big girl and didn't need the paci anymore. That only babies used paci's. She seemed to buy it. :)

 

Then of course there was bribery. Donna and Marty gave her an awesome light up toothbrush...

and a back-up lovie just in case!

And I was really hoping an Elsa nightgown (to match her big sister's) might really make her feel like a big girl. I think it did! 

 Collins donned her Elsa gown pretty quickly after that...

After the party, there was lots of teeth brushing.... 

in the dark. :)

So Addie seemed to "get" the message we were telling her at the party. Then we put her to bed, and she screamed. But not for as long as we thought she would. She impressed us that first night! The second night didn't go as well, but it wasn't terrible so we were hopeful.

Then she got sick with a cold. That's where things went downhill and none of us slept for the next week. Had she not gotten sick, I think the whole process would have been pretty easy. But now two weeks later, she is just starting to sleep normally again. But it could have been much worse! She doesn't mention the paci anymore and is looking like such a big girl these days...proud of you, Addie!