Going into it, I don’t think any parent out there plans for their little ones to still be using pacifiers when they are 2, 3 or 4 years old. Most of us probably start out with the idea that we’ll lose the paci (or binky, as we call it) by 1. At least that was my thought. I actually wasn’t excited altogether about giving Darah a pacifier, because it sounded so difficult to take away from children. But this kid had such a strong need to suck on something that we gave her a binky the second the pediatrician told us we wouldn’t be at risk for nipple confusion (she was 2 weeks old). Before that, she was sucking on our fingers for comfort. Here’s a picture as proof! We were happy to no longer be her personal pacifiers, I have to say.
But as we got closer to her 1 year mark, I realized that this “give up the binky” idea wasn’t going to go down easily. It’s not like I could just take it and she wouldn’t notice. And we couldn’t really just have a rational “big girl” chat about it and reach an agreement, either. Basically, everything I was reading about how to remove the binky from a child over the age of one could be summed up like this: “Good luck with that. You brought this on yourself.” Gee, thanks.
By the time Darah was 15 months old, we successfully transitioned to the binky only being used in the crib for going to sleep. I made one feeble attempt to not give her a binky at night, but quickly folded when she started to get upset. I’m just so done by the end of the day that it is hard to muster up the energy to do much of anything other than give her exactly what she wants. Just being honest, here.
So what do those of us with toddlers who still love their pacifiers do about this situation??? Well, today I want to tell you about a very cool book written for us, and it isn’t a finger wagging book (thank goodness!). It’s called The Paci Pixie, and it is a sweet story about how older toddlers have to be brave, and let go of their pacifiers so that the new babies coming can have them. The Paci Pixie gives little ones the strength they need to move on. What I really love about this book is that it comes with a cd. It contains a read-aloud version of the book, as well as a song about the Paci Pixie.
Darah enjoys the song, but so far, is definitely resisting the story! But seriously, a book isn’t going to convince Darah in one sitting to let go of her binky. If it were that easy, she’d be binky-free by now! It is going to be a gradual process for us, and this book is a great part of it. We are starting to talk about the Paci Pixie, and we sing the song from time to time and dance to it. We are also starting to talk more about needing to let go of our binky. I’m going to give the idea a bit of time to take root before we act on it. I’m really glad to have this book as part of the process!
Buy it!: The Paci Pixie is available for $19.95. This is perfect for any child you know who may need to hand over their pacifier in the not so distant future! It is the winner of the Mom’s Choice Award, which means that other moms out there have given it their stamp of approval!
Win it!: TWO Stuff Parents Need readers are going to get AUTOGRAPHED copies of The Paci Pixie. The contest will run until April 23rd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry: Tell me anything relevant to the topic of children and pacifiers. How did you get your little one to stop using one? Still struggling with the issue? Anything related to this topic works for me!
Additional entries:
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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.