Pacifier Use In OWN Child - I Don't Know What To Do :(

[ammama]

My DD2 was a screamer for the first year of her life - literally screamed for hours everyday. We never did figure out what the problem was, but one day, it just stopped.

We didn't take her pacifier away at 12 months, like many people do, because we just couldn't fathom going back to the screaming. I know, it's a cop out, but at the time, it was a sanity saver to have the kid sleep. Now she is 2 yrs, 3 months. We took her paci away on Thursday. She cried, but wen't to bed Th night. Didn't nap Fri, slept friday night. Didn't nap Saturday, slept Saturday night. Same Sunday. Today she finally fell asleep for nap at 3:30 (down since 2pm), slept tonight.

It was a long weekend for us, so tomorrow is the first day i'll have the dck's back. She isn't napping!! Instead, she just sings, makes noise, bangs around in her crib, etc etc for the whole 2-3 hours I leave her there. She is going to keep the other kids up, and I don't know what to do about it. I NEED nap time! I NEED her to be quiet and sleep during this time, or I just can't relax.

What should I do??

[QualiTcare]

you should deal with it and tough it out bc you've already gone this far.

you could give the paci back - have a four year old getting crazy looks when she still has a paci along with dental/speech problems - and eventually have to go through the same thing all over again.

[spud912]

I'm there with you, except my dd doesn't sleep at night either when she doesn't have the paci. She is 22 months old....I think I'm going to try this weekend to break the habit.

[Cat Herder]

I think you already know...

[Unregistered]

My DD2 was a screamer for the first year of her life - literally screamed for hours everyday. We never did figure out what the problem was, but one day, it just stopped.

We didn't take her pacifier away at 12 months, like many people do, because we just couldn't fathom going back to the screaming. I know, it's a cop out, but at the time, it was a sanity saver to have the kid sleep. Now she is 2 yrs, 3 months. We took her paci away on Thursday. She cried, but wen't to bed Th night. Didn't nap Fri, slept friday night. Didn't nap Saturday, slept Saturday night. Same Sunday. Today she finally fell asleep for nap at 3:30 (down since 2pm), slept tonight.

It was a long weekend for us, so tomorrow is the first day i'll have the dck's back. She isn't napping!! Instead, she just sings, makes noise, bangs around in her crib, etc etc for the whole 2-3 hours I leave her there. She is going to keep the other kids up, and I don't know what to do about it. I NEED nap time! I NEED her to be quiet and sleep during this time, or I just can't relax.

What should I do??

Sorry, I agree with the other's. It is a cop out to keep letting her have it. You need to get her off it, she is 2 yrs old, that is way to old to still have a pacifier. Your going to have to just deal with her and her not napping for a few days until she knows she will not get it back. You have to break her of it someday, so why don't you just do it now. I know it is hard to break kids of what they like, like bottles and pacifier's, but you have to be firm and just do it.

[daysofelijah]

Just keep working through it. I had two of mine that had the paci until about 2.5 when I took it away. Does she have some other comfort object that she could use? My oldest transferred his need for a paci to a need for his blankey to get to sleep. My youngest transferred her need for a paci to a need for a sippy of milk to fall asleep (not the best choice, I know, but now she just has a sippy of water).

Maybe get her up earlier for a while so she is really tired by naptime? I know if my dd sleeps too late she wouldn't take a nap at that age anyway, unfortunately.

[Kaddidle Care]

My DD2 was a screamer for the first year of her life - literally screamed for hours everyday. We never did figure out what the problem was, but one day, it just stopped.

We didn't take her pacifier away at 12 months, like many people do, because we just couldn't fathom going back to the screaming. I know, it's a cop out, but at the time, it was a sanity saver to have the kid sleep. Now she is 2 yrs, 3 months. We took her paci away on Thursday. She cried, but wen't to bed Th night. Didn't nap Fri, slept friday night. Didn't nap Saturday, slept Saturday night. Same Sunday. Today she finally fell asleep for nap at 3:30 (down since 2pm), slept tonight.

It was a long weekend for us, so tomorrow is the first day i'll have the dck's back. She isn't napping!! Instead, she just sings, makes noise, bangs around in her crib, etc etc for the whole 2-3 hours I leave her there. She is going to keep the other kids up, and I don't know what to do about it. I NEED nap time! I NEED her to be quiet and sleep during this time, or I just can't relax.

What should I do??

Pray!

I'm sorry but I just had to giggle - she sounds EXACTLY like my 2nd child! Is she really INTENSE too?

I didn't have the paci problem because he liked being noisy too much and spat it out. Even during church while he was still an infant I tried the paci and he'd humm away right through it. :P I would imagine talk about being a big girl and maybe her baby can use the paci when she takes a nap or goes to sleep just to sort of wean her off of it.

I hope the others have good suggestions for you because I didn't have other children in my care at the time and ended eliminating his naps at the age of 3 so that he'd go to bed by 8:00 PM. I muddled through it - he's much older and in school now. He's still noisy though.

Best wishes and nap when you can!

[angelpayne24]

Sounds like she is done with nap time. My first child was like that. She quit taking naps at an early age and she was also addicted to a paci. Ahh the joys of our children.

[ammama]

Pray!

I'm sorry but I just had to giggle - she sounds EXACTLY like my 2nd child! Is she really INTENSE too?

I didn't have the paci problem because he liked being noisy too much and spat it out. Even during church while he was still an infant I tried the paci and he'd humm away right through it. :P I would imagine talk about being a big girl and maybe her baby can use the paci when she takes a nap or goes to sleep just to sort of wean her off of it.

I hope the others have good suggestions for you because I didn't have other children in my care at the time and ended eliminating his naps at the age of 3 so that he'd go to bed by 8:00 PM. I muddled through it - he's much older and in school now. He's still noisy though.

Best wishes and nap when you can!

Funny, INTENSE is one of the best words to describe her. I wasn't planning on giving it back, i've come 4 days. I was hoping for some magic cure Oh well. We did get her up early this morning. She is super cranky, I hope she naps, or it will be one crappy day. I don't care if she is done with naps

I was thinking of putting a noise machine in the room with the dck's to help them sleep through it.

[Unregistered]

Funny, INTENSE is one of the best words to describe her. I wasn't planning on giving it back, i've come 4 days. I was hoping for some magic cure Oh well. We did get her up early this morning. She is super cranky, I hope she naps, or it will be one crappy day. I don't care if she is done with naps

I was thinking of putting a noise machine in the room with the dck's to help them sleep through it.

Say, why don't you try putting a radio in the room and play it quietly with some soothing music on. I had to do that for one of my daycare kids for nap time and it worked beautifully.
Was just enough noise and music to relax him and put hi to sleep. It really works.

[nannyde]

Sounds like she is done with nap time. My first child was like that. She quit taking naps at an early age and she was also addicted to a paci. Ahh the joys of our children.

At two???????

I can't even imagine having a two year old up from morning until night.

[DCMomOf3]

At two???????

I can't even imagine having a two year old up from morning until night.

I agree. They still need a good solid nap at 2.

I do music for my littles and it does help.

[Lilbutterflie]

The reason she isn't napping is because the pacifier was what soothed her to sleep prior to taking it away. She has to learn how to self soothe, and the older they are; the harder it is for them to do. Just stick it out, DON'T give in! I threw the pacis away once I decided to take it away with both of my children so that I had no choice! Believe me, she will start sleeping again during naptime soon. I think lullaby music is a good idea; as is a good naptime routine.

[Live and Learn]

Two year olds NEED NAPS and definitely no pacifiers.
Nobody ever said that being a parent would be easy. This is how you earn your stripes!::

[kathiemarie]

I personaly do not have a problem with pacifiers. Maybe because when I was little everyone told my parents that I needed to give up mine. So they took it away. I found my thumb instead! Try taking that away from a child. . I do think when they are 2 + they should only have it in bed. I don't let a child walk around with it. Its just for naps or if they are having a hard, hard, day they can sit in a quite place with it.