Sayonara Sassy

"Sassy" is what Claire calls her pacifier. Up until this past Sunday, she still used it naptime (at home, not a school) and bedtime. You will not be seeing my child looking like this (photo) any more.

First try: November 2007. Age: 19 months. Method: cold turkey. Our pediatrician said it would take 4 nights to get rid of it and she should get better each night. Wrong! She got progressively worse each night and we were EXHAUSTED. On the fourth night when she was still awake crying 2 hours after we put her in bed and I was ready to go to bed because I had gotten very little sleep the previous 3 nights, we decided to throw in the towel. At that point, we did limit her pacifier use to naptime and bedtime only.

Second try: May 2008. Age: 2 years. Method: cutting the tip. My niece's pediatrician recommended this method. Shortly after David was born, Will cut the tips off of one of her pacifiers and Claire burst into tears like he had done the most horrible thing ever. I honestly think he hurt her feelings.

Third try: September 2008. Age: 2-1/2 years. Method: leaving the sassy somewhere else (not a home). Now that she is almost 2-1/2 and David has arrived and gotten settled in with our family, we decided that this was it. No more excuses. Sassy was going bye-bye. We meant to leave sassy with Mickey Mouse when we went to Disneyworld, but we honestly forgot about it and who wants to spend 12 hours in the car with a very unhappy toddler? Not me. Plus, we really needed her to nap in the car since we drove pretty much non-stop on the way home. Then we told her that we should take her sassy to the babies at church (which is what my niece Evie did with her pacifiers) and she seemed okay with that. Anyway, this time has been much easier. We have still had a few crying sessions, and last night she woke up several times crying. Hopefully, that was a one time thing. You will have to ask Will more about it because I did not get up. Not once. I am sure he will give you an ear-full about that! Claire still asks about her sassy, but the tears are becoming fewer and farther between. She did find one of David's pacifiers in a kitchen drawer and asks for "David's sassy" often. I need to send all of David's pacifiers to the garbage because she will find them and he does not take a pacifier (Hooray!). At least I got something right with the second child.