Ditched the Passy!

Serenity hasn't had a passy since the 21st of October!!

That's two weeks!

My sister would tell me neat things she'd heard or read about what other parents had done to break their children's passy habit. Like giving it to Santa on Christmas, donating it to someone else who needed it, or burying it and planting something with it. But think my favorite habit-breaking trick was how one Mommy put her child's passys inside a Build-A-Bear!

We used to have one in our local Mall (Serenity's second Easter Bunny came from there), but the closest one now is in Metairie on Veterans. I think that's what I want to do with all her old passys - that way she'll always have them with her!

Road trip!



Serenity has (well, had) all kinds of different colored passys. Why do they make them look so cute? She would only suck one particular kind - the Nuk. You couldn't fool her with a different brand either - it wouldn't work. I've spent a small fortune in passys - she'd lose them constantly! And chew holes in them and then come tell me, "It don't work Mommy"!

And just when I thought I took her passy away from her for good, she'd stroll in the living room with one in her mouth that I hadn't seen in months! My Darling Stinker had a hidden stash!



So how did she break the habit? I actually started months ago by not letting her have it so much - especially during the day. Eventually I made it only a nap and nighttime thing. If she asked for it, I would say "Are you ready to take a nap (or go to bed for the night)?" I'd let her decide - usually she'd change her mind about wanting her passy.

My husband would leave it at home when he brought Serenity with him to town. If she asked for it, he would just say he forgot it at home. She wouldn't cry or anything! I thought maybe it was 'cause she was with her Daddy, and she's always better for Daddy! But I started to do it and had good results too! Alright!

Taking the passy from her wasn't an abrupt thing - it was gradual and I didn't rush her. I used to think she had that thing in her mouth all the time, but she really didn't. It just seemed like it.

Two weeks ago I simply told her that the passys were all gone. She said, "They in you kitchen". I told her no, I looked and I couldn't find one. She said, "I go find it." I told her no, she needed to go "night night" and besides, she didn't need the passy. She said, "Passy all gone. Oh well.", and went to sleep!



The only time she asked for it after that was when we tried a sleepover at her BBF's (Cobee Lynn) house three days later. I ended up going pick her up at 5 in the morning 'cause she was ready to come home. She was very upset when I talked to her on the phone, "Where are you Mommy? I wanna go home!" That just tore my heart up! When I picked her up she was just a'cryin' and wanted her passy. I told her that it was gone. I just hugged her tight and when we got home, we laid down and watched a movie that she got to pick out. She got over the need for the passy, and that was that!

I was searching through all my pictures to find some of her with a passy in her mouth - it was hard finding the few I did! I have hundreds of pictures of Serenity - but I could only find a handful of her with that passy! I think I would pop it out of her mouth before I took her pictures!



Yesterday she happened to see a couple of passys I had on my computer desk. She got very excited and said, "My passy!". I told her that they weren't hers anymore that she was a big girl and didn't need them. I was amazed when she said, "Yes I growing big" and totally ignored them after that!

Wow!! Habit broken!!


POST-IT-NOTE: You can find tons of help and advice by Googling "tips on how to ditch the passy".

Have fun!