The Paci Miracle

I really can't call it anything other than a miracle.

I had decided a while back that I must break Lucas' pacifier habit when he turned two. It's been a useful, wonderful soothing tool for him, and I know lots of parents let their kids continue to use the pacifier until age 3, 4, or beyond. But for me, age 2 was the limit. I was dreading it though. This paci was basically an appendage. He used a paci at every nap time, every bed time, and multiple times throughout the day if he was hurt, or sad, or just felt like using it. He asked for it by name. He loved it. He would wake up during the night because it had fallen from his mouth, come to my room, wake me up, and demand that I come find his paci so he could go back to sleep. I did not see any easy way of ceasing its use.

Then, just 2 days before his second birthday he suddenly took his paci out of his mouth and cried at it. He tried sucking it again and immediately took it out and cried. Then he threw it down. I could not understand why this would happen except that he was getting his molars and perhaps the paci was hurting his mouth somehow. It even crossed my mind to wonder if he had burned the roof of his mouth on some hot food and the paci was uncomfortable. I may never know exactly what happened. But that night when he went to bed, it was minus a paci. I figured it was a fluke, but the next day he refused his paci completely. I took this as a sign to round up every paci and hide them. During the next few days, he only asked for his paci twice. Once I gave it to him and he sucked it for 2 seconds and spit it out unhappy. The second time I just ignored the request and he forgot about it. It has been well over a week now and he has not seemed to miss the paci at all!

And that is why I am calling this a paci miracle. I didn't have to do anything at all. This was by far my best experience in weaning a child from anything...ever.