kitchen table academy Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Anyone have any suggestions for getting rid of the paci and the night time bottle? Buglet is almost 2 and I think it's time for the paci and night time baba to go, preferably before the new baby gets here. I've considered putting something like this on it to deter him, but it says not to use it for children under age 3. Maybe there's an herbal alternative that would be safer? I've tried using sippy cups instead of a bottle at night time like we do at naptime, but he won't have it. I hate to hear him scream for hours on end...so I give in after about hour 3 or so just to maintain some peace. He also shares a room with my oldest boy, who has to get up around 7:30 in the morning, so Buglet's screaming effects Boo too. I've even resorted to slipping small doses of melatonin in his night time sippy cup to get him to sleep without the bottle, but if he wakes up during the night and can't find his baba, he screams and we're off... All of the needless sucking is having an effect on his teeth and ears, which is very concerning. He has a serious overbite already. His four front teeth are beginning to push out and have gaps between them, while his bottom teeth are beginning to tilt backwards and are very crowded. He also has frequent ear infections and upper respiratory infections. (The pediatrician hasn't said anything about the bottle/paci being a culprit, but I'm fairly certain that it is.) I suppose I've justified giving him the paci and bottle this long as a way to get things done around here. My older two bottle broke themselves around age 1 or so. Princess took a paci but only for brief periods of time, usually in the car or when she was sick and it really wasn't a big deal when I threw it out shortly before her 3rd birthday. Buglet is very different, he has a deep attachment to both things. PLEASE HELP, HIVE!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 No help here but:bigear: because I'm trying to get my 2yo to give up his paci as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchel210 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 We just had to make them disappear. It is very hard. Maybe you can run a radio in the other kids rooms to help distract the sounds? As far as bottles...we nursed and I just fed my DD more before bed so that she wasnt waking up at night...and I just cut those cold turkey as well. The crying is no fun but it didnt last forever...Im sorry that you are going through it now. I dont think there is a difference between a cup or bottle...so I dont think a cup would solve the issue. Also can you put him in your room instead of your other son's room this week? or allow your older child to share a room with you while you go through this battle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 My friend was told by another mom to cut a tiny little slit in the pacifier. Just a small one the first night, and a slightly bigger one a day or two later. It makes the sucking experience different and the the mindset is that the child will not like it and gradually give it up on their own. My friend had success with this method on her first daughter but not her second. If anyone hear has tried it I would love to hear how it worked for them... :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigger Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I'm no help with the pacifier - both my boys tossed it aside between 2 and 3 months. With my older DS, once he was weaned (to goat milk), but still waking overnight for a feeding, I started two things - one was to feed him some full-fat cheese or yogurt before he fell asleep. That only extended the time until he woke up, which was later middle of the night, but not morning. So then I watered down his milk - 50/50 with water - he didn't fuss about it, so I then went to 100% water and he didn't fuss.....he was waking because he wanted to suck, so he could with just water - he wasn't hungry, he just wanted to suck. Now baby is 1 and I'm doing the same thing - started feeding something with protein and fat shortly before bed a couple of weeks ago, and that's helped get him to stay asleep longer. We're now weaned to goat milk, so I've started 50/50 in the bottle he wakes for and in a week or so, I'll go to 100% water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMA Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 My friend was told by another mom to cut a tiny little slit in the pacifier. Just a small one the first night, and a slightly bigger one a day or two later. It makes the sucking experience different and the the mindset is that the child will not like it and gradually give it up on their own. My friend had success with this method on her first daughter but not her second. If anyone hear has tried it I would love to hear how it worked for them... :bigear: I would not cut the pacifier. I considered doing this for my oldest, but the pediatrician says once you cut a pacifier, you have damaged it. Why would you want to put a damaged item into your child's mouth? If you read the warnings on the packages for pacifiers, you should throw out any pacifier with a hole or cut. A cut pacifier could be a choking item. You are better off just throwing it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Go on an over night trip and leave the pacifier in the hotel room. I think I'd do one at a time though. Get rid of the bottle first. The in a few months get rid of the paci. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 We ditched the night time bottle cold turkey. Ds was not happy, but he was in my bed and I was able to hold him and rub his back while he wailed at me. It took three nights for him to realize that was that. He still wakes up to come to bed with me in the middle of the night most nights, but he just lies down and goes back to sleep. The pacifier is a whole 'nuther issue for us. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 My friend was told by another mom to cut a tiny little slit in the pacifier. Just a small one the first night, and a slightly bigger one a day or two later. It makes the sucking experience different and the the mindset is that the child will not like it and gradually give it up on their own. My friend had success with this method on her first daughter but not her second. If anyone hear has tried it I would love to hear how it worked for them... :bigear: We did this first with DS3. It traumatized him, and even after getting a fresh one he woke up frantic and screaming for several times a night (well, he wakes up screaming every night, but this was beyond ridiculous). Eventually, last month, we lost the binky after a haircut and refused to replace it. Now, instead of the binky, he has a nightly routine where he just picks a place and asks us to go look for the binky. He doesn't seem to really want it back though. Yesterday, I realized DS2's had a hole in it. I cut it down to 1/4 inch and gave it back to him. He said, "Oh no, it's broken!"... and didn't fuss over it any more. After one day, I think DS2 has forgotten about it, and I think DS3 will still be asking me to find it while he's away at college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 We just had to take it away. It was crummy for a few days but then it was all well. She screamed she cried but we didn't give in. We were pretty young and our oldest was the princess. She got her way always. She went to the dentist at 3 and every tooth in her mouth was rotten. She still had a binky and she still took a water bottle to bed. The dentisit asked why would I do that? I said because she cries. He said well, she is really going to cry now that we have to cap her front teeth and fill the rest. Do you know how much it costs to cap baby teeth with white? They wanted to put silver but we were not having that so we paid the extra. I felt horrible. I don't care what anyone says about water at night being safe and just keep them clean. That doesn't work. None of my other children took binkies or bottles to bed at all ever. The younger three have never ever had a cavity at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Super Nanny has ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchen table academy Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Super Nanny has the Paci-fairy come and get the pacifiers...which might work with a kid who actually falls for that sort of stuff. ;) Buglet does not fall for such gimmicks. I tried using that sort of trick with the bottle a few months ago. "Look Buglet, Jesus came and brought you special new cups to use at night. He loves all little boys. He especially loves it when little boys act like big boys and give their babas to him so he can give them to babies who don't have babas." He gave the side-eye, threw two of his babas in the "donation bag" and promptly ran off to hide the other 3 that were sitting on the floor next to him. To this day, I have only found 2 of 3...the third one is gone to the sands of time, I suppose. The whole thing with the bottles and the pacifiers is that I know he only does it for comfort and self-stimulation, which makes me feel like a bad mama. I do sit with him at night, we read, I rub his back and legs. During the day, I try to keep him busy so he doesn't think about the paci or the baba, but some days (like this past week or so), it has been hard NOT giving him them every time he cries. He and Princess have both caught the flu that Boo had the week before last. As soon as Buglet got over the flu, he got an ear infection. :glare: (And Princess is still a miserable mess of a sinus infection + general crabbiness.) All of that being said, my mom recommended using a safety pin to poke holes in the nipples of the baba and the paci to change the sucking experience...I'm just concerned that if I don't actively deter him from wanting them, he will take them from the new baby when it gets here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I think I would wait till he's feeling better and just approach it on a matter of fact level. "Hey, kiddo, you are getting to be a big boy. Big boys don't use pacis and bottles so on x day next week we are going to throw them away. We are going to have x for a party to celebrate how big you are and then you won't need them anymore. " I would get him a blankie or a special toy to replace the stimulation that he needs. And I would talk to him about what he should do when he misses them. This kid sounds pretty sharp and he may be playing on your sympathies. Yes, he may want the new baby's stuff, but you will brag on what a big boy he is and how he doesn't need baby stuff. See baby is so little, you are not little! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I'd let him keep the bottle, but just with water in it. That way no risk of cavities. Start with that, then I bet it will be easier to get rid of. I'd worry about the paci later, and make sure it is JUST for sleep right now. As in, only in the bed, only at night time. Personally I think kids are biologically wired to have sucking needs up to between 3 and 4, the age of weaning worldwide, so I think letting him keep it a bit longer is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 We just had to take it away. It was crummy for a few days but then it was all well. She screamed she cried but we didn't give in. We were pretty young and our oldest was the princess. She got her way always. She went to the dentist at 3 and every tooth in her mouth was rotten. She still had a binky and she still took a water bottle to bed. The dentisit asked why would I do that? I said because she cries. He said well, she is really going to cry now that we have to cap her front teeth and fill the rest. Do you know how much it costs to cap baby teeth with white? They wanted to put silver but we were not having that so we paid the extra. I felt horrible. I don't care what anyone says about water at night being safe and just keep them clean. That doesn't work. None of my other children took binkies or bottles to bed at all ever. The younger three have never ever had a cavity at all. How on earth did they say water caused cavities? If anything water prevents cavities. Dry mouths are more prone to cavities than damp. There is no way I believe that water caused that problem. Heck, we discussed this whole issue yesterday with the pediatric dentist, and he said water or breastmilk alone are fine, but that breastmilk plus food is bad for cavities. They need to brush their teeth before bed, but then can have water or breastmilk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 (edited) we didn't use a pacifier here, but the bottle was my son's joy & saying goodbye to it was tough for sure. we went cold turkey, well - sort of. i did find a sippy cup with a soft lift, so it did end up replacing the comfort he found in the bottle (not sure that was even smart on my part, but this is how i handled it:001_smile:). we gave his bottles to his baby cousin as a "gift". he was very excited about that... unil night time rolled around. i remember my son crying a lot that night, and i just consoled him to the best of my ability. by the next night he honestly was 80% better already. by the 3rd day, he was completely fine. then the sippy cup we ditched at age 3. Edited January 31, 2012 by mytwomonkeys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 The whole thing with the bottles and the pacifiers is that I know he only does it for comfort and self-stimulation, which makes me feel like a bad mama. I do sit with him at night, we read, I rub his back and legs. During the day, I try to keep him busy so he doesn't think about the paci or the baba, but some days (like this past week or so), it has been hard NOT giving him them every time he cries. He and Princess have both caught the flu that Boo had the week before last. As soon as Buglet got over the flu, he got an ear infection. :glare: (And Princess is still a miserable mess of a sinus infection + general crabbiness.) All of that being said, my mom recommended using a safety pin to poke holes in the nipples of the baba and the paci to change the sucking experience...I'm just concerned that if I don't actively deter him from wanting them, he will take them from the new baby when it gets here. Average age of weaning world wide is around 4 years old. It is NORMAL for him to want to suck to soothe at this age, and does NOT mean you are a bad mama!!! If you want you could limit the bottle or paci to only when he is in your arms, similar to a nursing experience. That way he can't run around with the paci in his mouth, or the bottle in his hand. He has to choose to either sit and have them and cuddle OR go run around. As he gets bigger he will prefer running to snuggling and will use them less and less. As for taking them from the baby, just get different ones for the baby, different color or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Average age of weaning world wide is around 4 years old. It is NORMAL for him to want to suck to soothe at this age, and does NOT mean you are a bad mama!!! If you want you could limit the bottle or paci to only when he is in your arms, similar to a nursing experience. That way he can't run around with the paci in his mouth, or the bottle in his hand. He has to choose to either sit and have them and cuddle OR go run around. As he gets bigger he will prefer running to snuggling and will use them less and less. As for taking them from the baby, just get different ones for the baby, different color or whatever. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 How on earth did they say water caused cavities? If anything water prevents cavities. Dry mouths are more prone to cavities than damp. There is no way I believe that water caused that problem. Heck, we discussed this whole issue yesterday with the pediatric dentist, and he said water or breastmilk alone are fine, but that breastmilk plus food is bad for cavities. They need to brush their teeth before bed, but then can have water or breastmilk. We did brush her teeth. She had a pediatric dentist. I think all dentists will say differently. I know the other three never ever got a bottle or anything to go to bed and none of them have had a cavity. Once they started getting teeth their teeth were brushed and that was it. None of them really fussed either and they didn't wake up wanting anything. I never had to deal with this weaning thing that everyone does. Maybe it was just a thing that happened but I followed the advice and had no more issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I didn't read through everything, but for the bottle, we started with 1/4 water 3/4 formula overnight, then 1/2 and 1/2 then 3/4 water 1/4 formula. Then we let them have sippys of water. The paci, first we just restricted it to nap/bedtime. With dd1, she actually started chewing on them and was punching holes in them w/ her teeth (they were breaking down) so I told her they weren't safe and threw them away and that was that. dd2 was harder, but once you make the decision...go with it. We bought a replacement lovie for her since she was a big girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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