Dad's Diary: Goodbye, Pacifiers
By Scott
BabyBlogAddict.com
The pacis are gone. All four of them. It didn't take Jack long to move on. I've had a much more difficult time.
Sure he's three months from turning three, and we probably waited a little longer than most to get rid of the stupid things, but he was so cute with them and slept so well we (I) didn't want to mess with a good thing. Jennifer had been pushing to get rid of the pacis for a while, but I was 
resistant. It was his last link to "baby," so I wanted to hang on as long as possible. Months ago we started limited his use of them to naptime and bedtime, but, still, during the day he would quietly sneak into his room and steal them from his bed like he was on a top secret special ops mission. When he was being goofy, he'd sometimes put three or four of them in his mouth at once. Or he'd have one in each hand, one in his mouth and one balanced on top of the paci and nestled under his nose.
Jennifer finally got to me and we made the decision to put an end to the paci madness. We laid the groundwork for a few days by telling Jack that "Baby Nick," an infant friend of ours, needed his pacis. Despite some early doubts, Jack was very receptive to the idea of giving them away. He kissed them goodbye, carefully put them in an envelope, walked to the mailbox in a steady drizzle and bid them farewell. That first night was much better than expected (even though he was definitely second-guessing his decision at bedtime) and he's only asked for them a few times since then. We softened the blow when we returned from the mailbox by providing an instant thank you note from Baby Nick, along with a toy surprise. Jack played with his new toy. I reflected on his loss.
Our baby is no longer a baby and I'm not happy about it. If I'm like this now, what's it going to be like when he heads off to kindergarten? Or high school? Are dads supposed to be this sappy?
:: Dad's Diary appears Sundays on BabyBlogAddict.com ::
2 comments:
too funny! i often told my husband that i thought he was more attached to the paci then my son wa.
I thought this would be relevant. This is a very helpful article on how to calm your newborn and soothe him when he is suffering from colic or gas problems.
How to Use the Rocking and Motion Method to Calm Your Newborn
Most of us dream about having a newborn baby, and then when we do have one, we can’t dream due to not getting to sleep because of the constant crying of our infant.
Most likely, if your baby is crying constantly, he or she is suffering from colic. This is very common in newborn babies from the age of two weeks up to the age of four months. So, what can you possibly do to get a good night’s sleep some time within those four months, if your baby has colic? Good question!
One way to help you and your baby get some much needed relief is by using the rocking and motion technique to alleviate the colic. This has been proven to be a very effective way to help with colic. It’s best to hold the baby on his or her side when rocking him or her as this technique can really help in keeping your baby calm. However, be certain to always support your baby’s head and neck when rocking him or her.
Listed below are some different techniques for using the rocking and motion technique:
1. Method #1 – This consists of the traditional rocking motion that most people use to put their babies to sleep. It’s just a gentle swaying back and forth. It does work for some, but not for all.
2. Method #2 – This is the same as the first method, but with much faster and smaller motions. You should aim to go back and forth about twice a second, or even a little faster.
3. Method #3 – This method is more like vibrating than rocking, and involves holding the baby and shaking it as if were shivering. This can get tiresome, so many parents may choose to hold the baby on their lap and vibrate one of their legs up and down. It’s mainly the upper body of the baby that you want to vibrate, but be certain you support his or her head and neck while doing this.
4. Method #4 - This method is a little more complicated. Begin by holding your left hand out, palm up, elbow bent, and then place your baby on your hand so your hand is under his or her chest and your left forearm or wrist is under his or her crotch. Finally, bring your baby close to your chest and use your other arm to support his or her head and neck while wrapping your right hand around to hold his or her side and bottom. This should allow your baby to be draped over your left hand with his or her arms and legs dangling toward the floor. You can then support the head and neck with your right arm.
Hopefully one of these methods will help your baby. There are many more techniques (These are just a few from the e-book), but this should give you a start. Best of luck to you.
“This information was taken from the free e-book, “The Parent’s Guide to Calming a Crying Baby.”
Al Lipper's experience includes child psychology, teaching and professional writing. He and his wife Aurora have two boys (both of whom had colic). If you would like more methods for helping your baby with colic, feel free to download a free copy of their e-book "The parent's guide to calming a crying baby" from www.ThePeacefulBaby.com.
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