Weaning

Yesterday I felt as if I hadn't left my child's room in days. My three month old was being denied the pacifier and tears were plentiful! It's hard to describe to someone who has never held a crying baby what it feels like over the course of four hours. It is different for every person but it generally ends up in tears, on both sides of the front.

There are plenty of reasons to keep a pacifier for your child until they can turn to you and say "Mom, I want my pacifier or I'm going to have my robot army destroy you." but with our three month old it was getting out of hand. It had gotten to the point where every nap she was taking was only twenty minutes long. I had to hold the pacifier to her mouth for her to have a longer nap. I didn't want this to suddenly start happening during the night. I had fears of falling asleep hanging over the crib, my arm falling asleep and my daughter continuing to cry. One can imagine that it was time to make the situation better.

You would think that this would be an easy fix, remove the pacifier! Imagine having a spoon to eat soup. All your life you've only eaten soup with a spoon. Someone refuses to let you have your soup with a spoon.... all you can think about is that damn spoon and how hungry you are. Trying to get this rather ocd person to understand that you can eat the soup if you pick up the bowl, is like explaining how to drive a car to someone inconsolable and screaming at you. You want to leave, you want to exit the car and walk away... but you want your sixteen year old to learn to drive so you can get some peace and quiet in the house!

So there I was consoling an angry three month old. I couldn't just leave her there in her room alone. So I held this screaming hot box and swayed her until she would fall asleep. I'd put her down and quietly leave her room... and she would sleep for twenty minutes.... why did I do this again?

Next week I'll be weaning the pacifier from my toddler. That should be easier, right? Cause I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any robot armies... I'll just double check his closet to be sure.