Operation no sucky

Zemirah is the first one that has had a pacifier longer than a year. Most of the boys, if they took one got rid of it well before a year. A few were thumb suckers but none of them were really all that attached to what we affectionately call the sucky.

Zemirah on the other hand is a different story. She really loves her sucky and showed no signs of ending this relationship with it. I didnt fuss too much bout it but as she aged towards two, i started transitioning her to using it only at naps and bedtime. It made naptime fabulous-- she looked forward to her sucky so she willingly went to lay down. This was a nice bonus, that I was rather reluctant to give up.

Her 2nd birthday came and went last august. I was more diligent in making sure she only had it at the specific times. Her interest in sucky really showed no waning. In fact recently, it became clear it was getting worse. Id often find her hiding in her closet, under a blanket or anywhere she could with her sucky. And it was pretty obvious too, by her behavior that she knew she shouldnt have it.

I tried the trick of cutting a piece off and telling her it was broken. She really didnt care, was going to suck on it anyway. Which made me nervous bout her swallowing a piece of it, so i encouraged her to throw it away. She did and promptly asked for another one of a different color. That really didnt work. Andrew tried the tactic of telling her it had germs and it was yucky. She then would look at it strangly and walk away popping it into her mouth.

I sorta knew it would have to be an all or nothign prospect and maybe would involve several days of wailing -- either on her part or mine. So I thought id try a chart, not really sure though if she was old enough for that kind of long term goal. So i created a week long chart, with naptimes and bedtimes spots, that we would color in if she went to bed with no sucky. At the end I put a picture of a baby doll(one of her favorite things) that she would earn if she went all week without a sucky. The first day was a bit rough, but not as much as i expected. I just kept reminding her of the baby doll.

One side effect though is naptime is not nearly as long and it takes her much longer to settle down without her sucky. She had done fabulous! Apparently she just needed me to be consistent and take it away for good. Beyond the first day she hasnt even asked for it anymore, out of sight out of mind! So thats a huge blessing that it went as smooth as it did. The end of this week she will get her baby doll, she hasnt missed any days yet of going without it.

I guess its another one of those things that the child was more ready for than the parent!\

God is good ... all the time!
MJ