Saturday, September 28, 2013

No More Nuks!

Gerrit and I have wanted to get rid of Addie's nuks for some time now. We tried and failed miserably when she was 18 months old. We set a new goal for age 2, thinking she might have a better understanding that pacifiers were leaving her.
But other parts of life got in the way. She'd be sick, or we'd go out of town, or potty training began. There  never seemed to be an appropriate time. 
So, this week, we just decided it's time. I brainstormed some clever ways to make this less traumatic for her. I've heard advice about "giving the nuks away to a baby." But she's 2 and she's selfish. That would be a no-go for us. 
I've heard of many others giving the nuks to a "pacifier fairy." But Gerrit and I decided before our kids were born that we are not introducing pretend characters in her life and claiming them as real. 

Alas, I decided an awesome trade would be in order. 
We told her that if she wanted to open the BIG bag, she first had to gather all her nuks and put them in the little bag.

 She thought the pacifier hunt was pretty fun. 

Then together, we all said, "Good bye, nuks!"

What could it be?

Rapunzel of course!

 A fair trade, indeed!

Addie exceeded our expectations at bedtime. We were prepared for war, but it was only a small battle. She asked for her nuks a few times, but was satisfied with the reminder that we said goodbye to them. She fell asleep a little later than usual and woke up once in the night. Otherwise, the transition has been smoother than we thought. She didn't need toddler rehab or the pacifier patch. 
Great success!

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