Disclaimer picture from a while ago…
Yes my son has a pacifier. Yes he is four and yes I am aware it’s a big mom fail. Whatever. My son loves his wa wa and cries if you tell him he’s too big. It’s heartbreaking but recently he has been going to bed with out I and I am hoping it will phase out without drama. May be wishful thinking but I do not have it in me to take it away. I just don’t. I know it’s wrong, I do, but everyone has their limitations and this is one of mine.
My son didn’t care much for the pacifier till he turned one and I stopped nursing. It was then he calld it a ma ma which then turned into wa wa. He had it all the time till he turned 2 1/2 and then we only allowed it at nap and bed. He loved that thing and looked forward to nap and bed because of it. So we allowed it. As a SAHM nap was my savior and I refused to take away the one thing I believe had my son napping daily till he was four. Now….he doesn’t nap.
As I said I can’t tell him he can’t have it. I just can’t…I’ll cry. The Wa Wa represents my baby. I can’t handle a big event of taking it away. I’m sorry. I have offered bribes and tried the wa wa fairy but he tells me it’s his favorite thing in the whole world and cries so I back off….don’t judge.
Then a few weeks back when he was sick it broke. See he only uses one. The blue one, and now it’s cracked. He says “It’s OK Mommy I can still use it”, but it doesn’t work any more.
Then, this past week he has gone to bed four out of seven nights with out it. I don’t say anything and when he’s asleep I put it on his nightstand just in case we have a freak out at night and nothing. To me that’s a success. It means there is hope of a “phase out” that I am hoping for.
When he asked for it this week I told him he has gone with out it and doesn’t need it. Instead of telling him he’s too big (which makes it worse trust me) I have been telling him his teeth will move which seems to get him thinking. I tell him none of his friends use it and then we list all his friends. That too gets him thinking.
I think we are making progress, but tonight as I checked on him before he went to sleep I found myself crying. Why? End of an era I guess. Like I said the wa wa represents my baby. The other night he reminded me of all the times he needs his wa wa like when he’s sick. It’s such a comfort and soon my baby won’t have that. So I cried.
I know it’s time…I know he’s too old but it makes me sad. Let’s just hope it happens easily or I will have to move out for a week and have Captain Awesome deal with it, because a mommy sobbing before bed time is not helpful.
((hugs)) He isn’t too old for his mom and for your love. You care about him and respected what he needed all these years. He hasn’t suffered by having it a few extra years. Only benefited. Sucks when they have to grow up though!
Thank you so much. and yes ? they have to grow up and I’m finding it hard!
I’m dealing with this as we speak. Nolan is going to be four at the end of April and I told him April 1st was the cutoff. He’s down to one binky (from five) and only in his bed, but I feel like the Wicked Witch taking it away. I’m fairly confident though that if I don’t, he will never just “phase it out.” We bought a stuffed Olaf to give him on no-binky day, but I’m anticipating some tears. When I asked him why he liked binkys he said, “Binkys feel me better.” Heartbreaking! I have a feeling I’ll be giving this another go before he leaves for college.
I wish you much luck! Let me know how it goes because I wish I could do it. I had meetings for 2 nights and my husband did bed time and said “you don’t need the wa wa” and he didn’t take it. Tonight I did it and he cried. He plays me! I told him daddy will have to put him to bed from now on cause he doesn’t have a wa wa when he puts him to bed. He didn’t like that. Stay strong!! lol