How did you get rid of your child's soother? DD doesn't "need" it per se. She can go to sleep without it and only ever has it in bed. However she likes it and I feel bad taking it away from her when she is going through a stressful potty training time (a painful bladder infection has her scared to try the potty anymore).
When you did decide to ditch the soother, how did you go about it?
We had parents at daycare tell us cutting the end off the soother works wonders because it doesn't work to suck on anymore. The public health dept nixed that idea because using scissors on it risked the stability of the soother and they deemed it a possible chocking hazard.
One lady at Once Upon a Child told me she tied her daughter's soother to a large helium balloon and they watched it drift away together and her daughter hasn't mentioned it since. (This intrigues me)
Anyone else have some interesting ideas?
I've heard of people giving it, as well as the bottle, to Santa on Christmas....leaving it out for him to take, so he can bring you something for a big girl/boy, but you just missed that!
I've also heard of parents telling their kids they had to give it to a new baby who needed it, but I'm not totally crazy about that idea cuz ya know.....we usually tell our kids not to share stuff like that lol.
My worry would be her fearing what Santa would take next year. Anyone with some experience with this technique?
Hmmm, that's true.
Maybe she won't remember?
Andrea, one of our moms told us how she got rid of hers, I thought of you!
She read a story about the Tooth Fairy, and talked to her DD about who the tooth fairy was, and so on, and they put the soother under the pillow one night, and the tooth fairy took it, so she could help make her teeth healthy! Kinda neat!
That's a great idea. DD is all over imagination and fairies and princesses right now. This could be great timing.
I have a ton of sparkley tooth fairy books if you want me to round em up so you can use em!
I am ahaving the same problem with Jaxon. He always ask's for his "SUSU" when he is tired and ready for bed. I feel really bad about taking it away, it soothes him. Im not sure what to do.
That's my problem, the mommy guilt. She enjoys it and only uses it to sleep, so why not let her keep it a little longer? She has started biting them, so as she bites through them we toss them out together and she is ok with that. she knows she broke it so it is not safe and therefore garbage. Maybe when she bites through the last one, she'll just be content to let them go?
Recentley at the daycare where I work, One of my parents told me that they made a special trip to build-a-bear (the stuffed animal store.) And they got their child to chose her own stuffed animal, and then before they "stuffed" the bear they put her soother inside of it so that she'd always still have it. I thought it was a really sweet idea, and it's still there but they just can't suck on it. I think they made up a story as well saying that the bear would protect it for other babies. Just an idea hope it helps
I LOVE this idea!!!!!! Such a creative bunch we have here. My daughter is going to build a bear when her baby brother arrives so they can make each other a special stuffie....
With a little One on the way, we toyed with this for a long time. The new baby was going to be a preemie as well and likely would need soothers to strengthen suck reflex just as our daughter did. How was she going to feel giving up hers just in time to see a new baby get one?
Turns out it was perfect timing. She decided she was a big girl/big sister and soothers were for babies. We hid them away one night and it took maybe 30 minutes longer to get to sleep and she talked about missing it a lot, but after that, forgotten. Yeah!!!
When the subject arises at our centre by concerned parents, I remind them of a story of a priest who once said...
"I have yet to marry a couple with soothers". Aka, they'll get rid of it soon enough. If there are not dental issues, why sweat the small stuff...pick your battles wisely.
very well put! Thank you for this insight.