Pacifier weaning

For bad or good, my babies have all been "binky babies."  They've each had their own preferred "brand," but no matter which it was, they were attached.  

When Little Lou was a baby, she loved Nuks.

 

Of course, they didn't have these super cute ones then!  I read that when babies turn 9 months old they start to gain attachments to objects, so if we wanted her to give up the paci we should take it by then.  I took hers the DAY she turned 9 months old and never looked back.  She cried...that day...and then was fine.  She started sucking her blanket tags instead, and still, at 5, I sometimes catch her with those nasty tags in her mouth!

Bugsy was different, or so I though.  Gum Drops were the only pacifiers he could figure out how to work.

Of course, now that he's 3, you can buy them at retail stores, but when he was a baby, you could only order them online, at a pricey $3 a pop, plus shipping!  I had planned to take his away at 9 months, but then surgery was scheduled for 9 1/2 months and I felt bad, so I didn't.  I figured once he was recovered well I would take it.  I didn't have to.  He started throwing his paci in the hospital after surgery, and I figured that if he didn't want it, I wasn't going to force it!  So, at 9 months his was gone as well.

AND then there was Stinky.  Ah, Stinky.  I love you even more than you love your Soothie!

 

Stinky is 11 months old and has never gone a day without his Soothie.  Even in the hospital after he was born.  Even though they don't allow pacifiers at the hospital where I delivered my children.  Stinky's a sucker...literally!  

I've told myself a hundred times that I need to take the pacifier away from him.  I've probably told some of you I want to take it away!  But Stinky JUST started sleeping through the night...sometimes.  And I figured that until he was consistently sleeping through the night, I would let him keep it!  

There's a problem, though.  Stinky has a tooth.  Yes, A tooth.  Just one.  But that one tooth is sharp!  And Stinky has discovered that if he holds his binky tight enough between that one tooth and his top gums, it makes a silly *pop* when he pulls it out!  He does this often, now.  I thought it was harmless, until yesterday, when I took a good look at Stinky's binky and discovered that he's bitten a hole in it!  So I looked at another one, and...yep...another hole!

Today is a new day.  Thankfully, Stinky's not used to having that stinky binky all day long.  I've always limited them, really from birth, to just sleepy times.  Today, Stinky went down for a nap (although not willingly!) without the plug.  The jury's still out on whether we'll attempt bedtime the same way, but I'm done with the naptime pacifier.  (Or he is...or we both are.)

Some of you are probably thinking, "But he's still a baby!" and I respect your opinion.  This is what works for us, though.  Only one of my babies has ever had a bottle.  Only one of my babies has eaten jarred baby food on a regular basis.  (The same one...not the first one!)  I ditch the bink before they're a year.  And yes, I'm transitioning to cloth diapers.  

Wish me luck as I transition my itty bitty a little bit closer to "big boy."  We could BOTH use the encouragement!