Tuesday, March 18, 2008

"Ba-Ba" Dilemma--And We're Not Talkin' Sheep (well, kind of)

A "Ba-Ba", according to Josiah, is a pacifier. This child soothing device has been by Josiah's side (or in his mouth) since the second day of his life....he goes down for naps with it, goes to bed with it, and asks for it first thing in the morning. It wasn't until recently that Randy and I noticed him using it as a chew toy. Over the last two days, two "Ba-Ba"s have made their way to the trash because they were "broken" (and last night he threw his "ba-ba" away). We are currently working on the last one we have in the house/purse/car. Last night Josiah did really well and fell asleep without it. He did ask for it once, but after I told him "your ba-ba is broken, and we had to throw it in the trash", he didn't ask for it again until this morning. However, today at daycare, he carried on and insisted that he have his "ba-ba" when he went down for his nap, which is the only time he gets it during the day.

So my question is: do I go the store and purchase more pacifiers (that he's only going to chew through) and gradually limit the amount of time spent at home with a pacifier, or do we suck it up, deal with the crying, and make him quit "cold turkey"? I welcome any advice.

4 comments:

Elaine said...

you asked for advice, but i'll just give you my opinion...don't go buy more! he is basically weaning himself off. yes, he may cry for a few naps, but ultimately he'll be done with it.

Mama to little lions said...

You'll have to have him off it eventually.. so either now or later. It will probably be easier now that you don't have another little one vying for your attention.
Of course that said, I had gone and gotten more until *I* was ready to take the big plunge.

Elizabeth said...

I say get rid of it. He's weaning himself whether he realizes it or not. But he's attached to it, so it's normal to feel some separation anxiety. I think it'll pass quickly. It's better in the long run to be rid of it now rather than after the baby comes. I quit my paci cold turkey when I was 2 and I survived!

Colin & Lori said...

Don't go buy more!! You will have about a week of Josiah asking for it but I took Jack's away just about 2 months ago and he is fine without but he won't nap unless he falls asleep in the car. Try to give Josiah a little animal to sleep with at naps and see if that helps. I did that with Jack and it helped him transition a bit. Just hang in there and you will be happy you did!