It seems like ages ago when our now 10-year old boy was our only baby.  Every milestone was new and crazy.  We were much more neurotic back then. I have NO idea how this idea made it past all the "baby development" book studying, but for some odd reason, at age 1, we were actually waking the boy up in the middle of the night to drink formula out of his bottle.  I told you...we were neurotic.

We took him in for his one-year check up, and our pediatrician asked about his sleep habits.  We told him of our nocturnal feeding habit, and the dear man looked at us like we were nuts. Waking him up to eat?

Very gently, he let us know that Jonathan's nutritional needs were met by his daytime meals, and that we should discontinue these feedings.  Then he gave us the Golden Rule (okay, not THAT Golden Rule) of habit-breaking in young children:

Three days.

Those three days will be unpleasant, especially the first one.  But three days are all it takes to break the habit of a midnight feeding (when no longer necessary), a bottle habit (changing to the cup), or even the seemingly unbreakable connection between a child and his pacifier.  We couldn't believe it.  Surely not!  But Dr. E was right.  Three nights of no compromise, and Jonathan was sleeping through the night, poor kid. The rule has always held true for us...strange but true...call Ripley.

So when we decided that Ellie's connection to her beloved "suckie" had transformed from "helpful" to "obsessive", we put Dr. E to the test again.  Those of you who know Ellie will have some idea of the impending horror we were facing.  We had a great trump card, though...Ellie adores her big sister Katie, and Katie is a big girl who does not need a suckie! We played it.  And it helped.  A little.  That first night was unpleasant (poor Sean...he didn't have the benefit of coma-inducing migraine prevention meds to help him get through that night).  The second night was better.  And here we are, the third night, not a tear or whimper to be heard.  Dr. E wins again...three days is all it takes.

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Posted by Anonymous

Suckeeeeee!!!!!! Suckeeeeee!!!!!! Suckeeeeee!!!!!! Waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!

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Posted by lisalouhoo

I'll have to remember this for future sleepless nights that seem endless. You know thinking about it, I think you are right. It was about three days for my little one to get over her lost pacifier. Though it seemed much, much longer.
Lisa

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Posted by hesstillworkingonme

I agree. Our youngest was attached to her paci. By the third day of not having it anymore, it was as if she never had it.

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Posted by Rachel

We call that 3 day magic here although I have to say it took one of mine 4-5 days for the passy. We need to emply some of that here. Took Jack to church without one on Sunday and his monkey came home drenched in slober where he sucked on it instead!! Way to go Ellie!!

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Posted by Rachel

and I miss Dr E

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Posted by hippiechyck

has the earmarks of a sleep deprived male about it

heeeheehehehee!!!

and i'm hopin' for the potty training thing in a day...HA!

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Posted by Keer

You, m'dear, have inspired me. S is 12.5 months and wakes up a lot at night and ends up in bed with us after a while. My dear, dear, but "where is your brain" husband asked recently at what age babies can stop eating at night. I said, oh a good 6 months ago. LOLOL.

Now to find a spot for the little dearie so she won't disrupt everyone, and to find 3 days in which I am permitted to be incoherent during the day....

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Posted by 4Js4HIM

Yep, three days of that and it's over. The pacifier I cannot speak of though, as Mary threw it out of her crib at 6 months. I tried to put it back in her mouth, as I thought she didn't mean to do it, and she threw it back at me. I got the hint!! Micky never liked them at all. He would take it if I gave it to him, but he didn't really like it and quit taking it from me earlier than Mary gave up hers. NEVER woke my sleeping children. Mary slept through the night at 4 weeks and Micky at 6 weeks. Mary slept about 10 hours or so a night and Micky went for 12 hours if we let him.
I agree, those three days can be really ugly, but oh, what a reward in the end!

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