Getting Rid of the Pacifier?

"How am I ever going to get rid of this pacifier?" I hear that question A LOT from parents who have babies under one year. Sure, some babies never take a liking to pacifiers, but there are just as many babies who can't get enough of that sucking action. You might worry that if you don't take away the pacifier soon, your baby will get even more attached and you'll find yourself with a 3, 4, or 5 year old still sucking on that pacifier. But you also can't imagine taking it away now... especially since your baby started sleeping through the night and you don't want to return to sleepless nights. Or you have that upcoming trip on an airplane and you know you will need it then. What's a mom to do? I was one of those moms... my first daughter was obsessed with her paci. OBSESSED. At around 1 year we limited her use of it to just her crib, her stroller and the car. And then we cut back to letting her have it just in her crib. But there was no way she was going to give it up on her own. The method we finally went with is "The Pacifier Fairy." You might have heard about it, but if not, read on to see what it's all about, and make sure to leave a comment sharing your story about the pacifier. The Pacifier Fairy - Will it Work for Me?

The ideal age for using The Paci Fairy method is between 2 and 2.5 years. Most babies cycle through phases where they are easier and open to change and where they are difficult and fight change. You will need to choose a time to do this when there is not other stress in baby's life (new sibling, new school, etc) AND when baby just seems to be having one of those good weeks. Read up on the method, get prepared to do it, and then be flexible with timing... if you choose a certain date but baby seems to be acting up about everything, be flexible and postpone it a week or a month or more.

The Pacifier Fairy - How Does It Work? The basic gist is that you tell your 2 year old about The Pacifier Fairy who comes at night to collect the big kid's pacifiers so she can give them to all the new babies in the world, and then leaves a present for the big kid. Like this so far? Then follow these step by step instructions for how to do it:

One or two times, casually mention the story of the Paci Fairy to your child. Explain about the fairy, but don't make it personal to your child or your child's paci. Just talk about the existence of the fairy, so that when the time comes for the fairy to visit he or she will be familiar with the idea. Do this between 1 and 4 weeks before you actually take the pacifier away.

You start the process 3 nights before you actually take the paci away, and you tell your toddler on each of these 3 nights what is going to happen. For example, on Sunday night you will explain that the Pacifier Fairy is coming in 3 days, on Wednesday night. Explain that they get to sleep with their paci tonight, tomorrow night and the next night, but on Wednesday night (or whatever day) the Pacifier Fairy is coming. Repeat how he or she will leave all his/her pacifiers for the fairy and the fairy will leave a toy.

Do the same thing for the second and third nights. For example, you will explain on Monday night how your toddler will get to sleep with his paci tonight and tomorrow night, but on Wednesday night the pacifier fairy is coming. You get the idea.

On the third night, walk around the house with your child before bed collecting all the pacifiers together. Place them in a bag. Put the bag outside the front door. Follow your normal bedtime routine, give extra love and snuggles. Talk about how the Pacifier Fairy is coming tonight and will be leaving a toy.

In the morning, give your toddler lots of love and walk to the front door together. Open the door and discover the toy that the pacifier fairy left. (Note: don't forget to replace the pacifiers with a toy before your toddler wakes up! The pacifier fairy is actually not a real fairy. Also, make sure you don't put the old pacifiers somewhere where your toddler will find them!)

Congratulations! I hope you find that it was actually easier then you expected it to be. One final piece of advice is that it is really important for you to exhibit CONFIDENCE that your toddler will be okay without his/her pacifier. If you don't believe it yourself he/she will pick up on your anxiety and it will make it much harder for both of you. by Adrienne Shulman from TinyPlayground.com - Help for New Moms Everywhere. TinyPlayground.com is dedicated to providing help for new moms everywhere with practical advice on various topics from surviving pregnancy through the first 24 months with your new baby. Original article here. Reprinted with permission.

Top 10 Tips for Creating a Great Sleeper

Follow these 10 simple guidelines to help your baby reach the "sleeping through the night" milestone. And my number one piece of advice to sleep deprived new moms is BE PATIENT. It is never too early to follow these sleep guidelines but you can't expect your baby to start sleeping 12 hour stretches until they are developmentally and physiologically ready (typically between 4 and 8 months). Also, if and when you decide to sleep train give the approach at least a week to work. 1. Got White Noise? This is must-have, especially for city-dwellers. White noise helps comfort small babies and help to cancels out household and environmental noises which may wake a sensitive sleeper. 2. Darken, Darken, Darken. The ideal level of darkness should allow you to barely see the outline of your hand. This is hard to achieve with blinds alone so we generally recommend blackout liners. 3. Clear the Clutter. The crib should be a place to sleep, not play. Clear out mobiles, electronic crib toys and the mountain of stuffed animals. If your child shares a room with others, partition off his or her crib with a hanging curtain or divider to eliminate distractions. 4. Cool It Down. The ideal temperature for sleeping is 68 – 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the guess work out by having a room thermometer on hand. It will help your child sleep better and longer. 5. Pick an Appropriate Bed Time. The best bedtime for babies and toddlers is between 6 – 8 p.m. Choose a time that you can commit to for the long haul. 6. Create a Calming Bedtime. A bedtime routine should not last more than 10-15 minutes (excluding bath time) and be free of television or stimulating toys. Incorporating massage time can also be a wonderful source of connection while helping to transition children into a more calming state. 7. Pick the Right Time ForSleep Teaching. Do not start sleep teaching if your child is sick, received shots within the past 48 hours, or is currently experiencing a major life transition. We also generally suggest waiting until a child is at least 4 months of age. 8. Ensure Partnership Among Parents. Both parents should agree on a sleep teaching method and understand the approach. Start sleep teaching on a night you are both at home, ideally on a weekend. 9. Take a Deep Breath. The less emotional parents can be about the sleep teaching process, the easier it will be for a child. Children looking to parents for cues, remain supportively neutral and firmly believe in your child’s ability to sleep independently. 10. Find Support if You Need To. Sleep teaching can test even the most self-assured parents. If you’ve struggled with sleep teaching for more than two weeks, look for a professional sleep coach such as Dream Team Baby. These tips were written by Dream Team Baby Sleep Consultants and were first published on TinyPlayground.com - a website full of practical resources for new moms.