I was ready for a rough month of November with Katie. I have been putting off taking her pacifier (her "Noah" as she calls it) for a very long time. Her dentist has been pleading with me to take it away for months, but it was such a sense of security for her that I didn't want to traumatize her. I told myself I would take it by the time she was three. She was very attached to it and asked for it all the time, especially when she was tired.Well her third birthday was fast approaching and I knew it was time. So the week before Halloween, I told myself that November 1 would start the 30 day countdown to being pacifier free.
Monday, November 1, I said to Katie: "Well, Sweetheart, it's time we get rid of your Noah. So from here on out, we are only going to be using it at nighttime. No more at naptime. You are a BIG GIRL now! You are practically three!! So this is it!" She liked the words "big girl" and she talked about it for a moment or two and moved on.
That night at bedtime, she never asked for her pacifier. In fact she didn't mention it once the whole night. I couldn't believe it. The next morning I told her how proud I was of her and she was very excited by my reaction...and that was it.
She had just stopped cold turkey. No trauma, no melt downs, no pleading. No nights of crying herself to sleep while I covered my ears. It had taken one day. ONE. DAY. I wonder now how long ago I could have taken it. Never again will I underestimate this little girl....until the next time I do.
