Since potty training was kind of a no-go when we started a few weeks ago, and we can't move Nate to a big-boy bed until we can get it (Nov 10 + delivery time - yay bonus!), I've decided it's about time we got rid of binky. I think he got a little more attached to it while we were in CA because of our weird schedule and traveling. I kept giving it to him hoping he would fall asleep in the car or stroller, but usually he'd just stay awake with a pacifier in his mouth. I didn't want to do it the first weekend we were back because he was still getting back in the groove of things, so I had my mind set on starting on Friday night. And then he fell down the stairs.
He was/is totally fine! I guess he tripped over Casey somehow and pretty much went end over end 3 times until he hit the floor at the bottom. He hit his head on the floor, but luckily not the shoe bench that's right at the bottom. Peter said he was about one step behind being able to stop him all the way down the stairs. When he finally reached me an hour later (I was in a meeting) and I convinced him to call the doctor (and gave him their number) they pretty much confirmed that he was fine, but to keep an eye out for some things that might spell concussion.
Well, none of those things happened and he was acting totally normal, so I figured why not? If I wait for a perfect weekend when nothing is going on, it will never happen. So we started Friday night. If you read any parenting books, magazines, websites, etc - and I do, they all give suggestions for ways to get kids to give up their pacifiers. Things like taking them to the store to buy a train, building them into a teddy bear, sending them off on a balloon, sending them to another "baby", cutting off the tip so they don't want to suck... Well I didn't do any of those things. I figured if we did those things they'd be fine at the time, but come 8pm bedtime he'd still be asking for his binky, so what's the point? I've been telling him they're lost! He still wants the binky, but I didn't have to go to much more effort than hiding all of them in case of an emergency.
Friday was definitely the worst night to get him down to begin with. He fought it for over an hour then woke up a couple of times through the night looking for them. Saturday was a little better, but really just a little. Sunday night was the worst! He went down alright, but then kept waking up... probably 6+ times. It definitely got old, and of course HAD to be on the night we both had to be at work in the morning. One of the times Peter was up with him that night and asking what was wrong he said his head hurt and his legs. Of course, that made me feel kind of guilty because of the whole falling down the stairs thing, but then he said something else that made us realize he was probably just making it up or feeling the residual bumps and bruises, not anything major. Monday night was a little better - he only woke up 3 times! But it got much better after that. Tuesday night he didn't wake up once and last night he only woke up long enough to get me out of bed before calming himself. I didn't mind too much because I pretty much have to get up at least once every night anyway, so not too much out of the ordinary. He got his first nap since Friday this afternoon and went down without an issue. We'll keep our fingers crossed he contines to do well without them. And I'm really debating even getting Cranberry started on them. Life will probably be easier if she just never starts the habit.
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| Maybe I should have just shown him this! |
