I'm having a hard time whit my 2year old and sleep/pacifiers? help please.

Question

So my daughter was obsessed with her pacifers. The 1st of July i cut the tips of all her pacifers off. and now she doesn't ask for them. we have always had the same time/routine for bed time and nap and i could pretty much put her in bed no problem and she would go right to sleep, until i took away her pacifers. now its a fight every nap and at night.Have to be mean for her to go to sleep and i hate it!! It will take me two hours to get her to sleep now. sooo today i had enough i found a pacifier when i was cleaning and after two hours if fighting her i gave in and gave her a pacifier and after 2 min she was asleep. she never asks for it but i know she will go back to my great sleeper and my naps and nighttime will be peaceful again! i took it out of her mouth after she was asleep. I'm worried it will be bad for her teeth but i don't know if i should keep fighting or try when she is a little older she turns 3 in DEC. please help!

Answer 1

Unless you want your kid to have a lot of dental problems I would suggest that you take the pacifire out of her mouth.  

Answer 2

i would let her go to sleep with it  && then take it out of her mouth.

Answer 3

Keep fighting.  If push comes to shove she can use her fingers or thumb instead.  Get rid of those pacifiers. They're bad for incoming teeth and can prevent children from talking on time.  There's nothing I hate more than watching older children, ages three and over talking around a pacifier.  She needs to learn to soothe herself to sleep without them.  Try giving her a special bedtime toy or blanket.  That worked for my boys.  My youngest is still very attached to his doggie and blanket, but at least it's not ruining his teeth.  When my boys are talking to each other and won't go to sleep my husband and I tell them a monster is going to come get them.  Try reading to her before bedtime, it'll help relax her and get her more in the mood.  There used to be Lavender lotion and bubble bath made by Johnson and Johnson that helped as well.  Just stick with it, and she'll be fine in a couple weeks.  I had so much trouble with pacifiers and my oldest, I never used them with my youngest and don't regret it one bit.

Answer 4

My daughter is 20 mos and she was the hardest of my 4 kids to break of the habit. It was hard to get her to lay down without it. It was hard on me and her. We kept them away and then she'd find one.....

She has been paci free for a while now and she goes to sleep fine. It just takes more patience from mom than anything else!!!!

Just take it back and throw them away!!!

Good luck!!!!

Answer 5

I had this same problem with my daughter. I was weak and would give it back to her when things got really tough. If it really helps her to have it for napping and sleeping then I say let her use it. You've already made progress by eliminating it during other times of the day. She will gradually give it up on her own or become so ambivalent about it that taking it completely away from her will be an easy, painless transition. My daughter willingly gave hers up completely about a week or two before her third birthday.

As far as teeth...our dentist said that as long as she gave up her pacifier before she started losing baby teeth/getting permanent teeth then there were no dental concerns. Once my daughter quit using her pacifier her teeth shifted within a few months and you couldn't even tell she'd ever used a pacifier. Her dentist told me this would happen, friends who'd had children use pacifiers until an older age told me it would happen AND I witnessed it with my daughter.

I know you feel somewhat guilty for back-pedaling on the pacifier issue. I've been there. But relax, let your daughter use it for sleeping and she will give it up completely in time. She's already starting in the right direction.  Good luck!

Answer 6

You just have to throw it away and stay strong! She will learn to self soothe on her own. I know it hurts but self soothing is a skill she needs to learn. You can't have your world relove around the pacifier. Believe me I was there! Stay strong mama, it's all for her good!

Answer 7

Why is society, and the folks here, so adamant that it is wrong for a young child to use a pacifier? Seriously, this is purely a comfort item.

If you sneak it away after she falls asleep, what time frame are we talking? One, two hours a day of pacifier use? This isn't going to cause any dental problems, and will ease a sleeping problem.

Besides, I'm of the opinion that it doesn't matter if she is ten weeks, ten months, or ten years: it is her body, and her life, if she wants it, she can have it; but within reason (i.e. at bed, stressful times, when sick, etc). Pick the fights for the important things and ignore the people who would think you were a bad parent because you compromised for more important issues.

Answer 8

Maybe I am not the best person to answer this because I took the dummy away from my daughter and felt guilty and gave it back, she's still only a little girl and she only uses it for sleeping ( it falls out when she's asleep anyway) I don't know how much damage a couple of hours a day can do to her really.... I will probably get thumbs down, but I hate to see my daughter distressed and unable to sleep : (

Answer 9

From personal experiance I would suggest to throw that pacifier away and give her a sippy of water,milk or some other form of non carbenated drink and that should help soothe her for her naps and bedtime. We had to do that with our two yr old and she goes right to sleep.

Answer 10

I have always been of the opinion that sucking by nature is a primitive and comforting instinct for children.  Whether it is a bottle, thumb, breast, or pacifier children love to suck.  It has a calming affect on them.  I think that breaking these cycles can very well be traumatic for the child and stressful for the parent.  You have to decide how you want to break the cycle and why.  You know you patience level and your child's comfort level, so work with that.  If you and she can handle cold turkey, then you are going to have to stick to your guns and not give in anymore, but you are going to have to be firm and gentle with her at the same time.  She is losing something that she loves, something that is comforting to her.  Maybe you could convince her to trade up?  Trade in pacies for teddy bears, or treats?  Maybe you could throw a party to send the paci away to a baby?  Have the paci fairy leave her a big girl present?  If you go this latter route, it might take some planning and explaining.  Even slowly weaning her down to just naps or bedtime with it is a start in this direction.  You have to remember though, whatever path you take, once you decide it is gone, then it has to stay gone or the battle will go on and on.  Good luck.

Answer 11

Pick your battles. Give her the pacifier to sleep but don't give it to her the rest of the time (my 3 yo son still sleeps with his but doesn't use it the rest of the day. He's fine with it).  The risk of dental problems is with long term use (beyond 3 years old) so if she's only using it to sleep it won't be a problem.  She'll eventually give it up altogether but in the mean time you both can get some sleep!

Answer 12

simple- lots of wasabi  

Answer 13

Well, if she gave the pacifier up than I would stick with that. You took steps backward by giving it too her, but I know you were desperate, well all get that way sometimes. But maybe she is testing you, its normal at that age to do that. Something I tried with my daughter is to let her play in her room before bed, and by the time i go to check on her she is passed out in her own bed. But you might just have to continue to be firm with her. Because if you do not do it now than you will have to do it later and it will be harder, I am sure you know this. Good Luck!

Answer 14

just take it away. cold turkey.  she will get over it..it takes 3 days to break a habit...and then you should be fine.