About a week ago, we decided Maya should be finished with her Nuks. She started wanting them more than just at bedtime, and started relying on them anytime she was cranky or slightly cranky, or thought about being cranky. Maya also likes gumballs. Loves them, really. So I thought of a great plan. Nuks for gumballs. We collected all of her Nuks, I think there were twelve. I bought a bag of gumballs, got the Nuks and a trash can. We headed outside and Maya got down to business. She gave each Nuk a goodbye trip to her mouth and then pitched it in the garbage in return for a gumball. This went on until the Nuks were all gone, and then I gave her the bag of gumballs. Needless to say she forgot about the Nuks...until naptime. She told me that she didn't want the gumballs anymore, that she wanted her Nuks back. I told her that she was a big girl and didn't need them anymore. She wasn't sold and there were many tears and fits at bedtime for the next three days, but I gave her gumballs when she woke up to reward her for finally going to sleep. Exactly like when we did 'cry it out', it lasted three days and she hasn't looked back. She will proudly tell you that she is a big girl and doesn't need a Nuk anymore. There has been a lot less whining and complaining since the transition. I am so glad we did it now.
3 comments:
What a great post to wake up to today! William's last "paci" literally broke this morning--the silicone split, so that's it. No more paci! I imagine we'll be in for a rough weekend, but it's definitely time. We're not completely done with pacis, though. Seth is already hooked at 4 months!
That's a great idea. I like the one last suck approach. We have a binky habit to break, and this has given me some great ideas.
Yay! Congratulations! It was a few hard days for us when Kade gave them up, but now it's totally worth it!
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