The NUK...
So, you might remember back when I posted about taking the nuk from Little Peanut, here. Well, things didn't go that smoothly. My pride didn't want her to have that thing. But her need to suck to soothe said otherwise. So now at 14 months old, we are at the decision table again as to what to do about the nuk! After much consideration, weighing the pros and cons, praying, and asking advice; Super Daddy and I have decided to let her keep the nuk until after our new baby arrives. When the new baby is about 3-4 months old, we are going to take the nuk for good. By that age (23-24 mos old) her need to suck to soothe should be done. Yes, it is a most difficult decision to make when taking away the nuk. Like I said, for us, it's not about the crying. Babies cry and we can handle that part. But I've already tried taking it from her 3 times and all 3 times; she didn't really care it was gone, however, she replaced it with sucking on something else. I tried at 3 mos, 6 mos, and 10 months. At 3 and 6 months she just wanted to nurse almost constantly, that became painful and unpractical; therefore, we gave it back. At 10 months, she stopped using it because of an ear infection and stopped nursing as well. Then, she started wanted to suck on her bottle constantly when she got better from the ear infection. I broke and after 4 days of no nuk I gave it back because she needed it to soothe herself. I would rather her have a nuk than constantly want to suck on a bottle. Even when it was empty. I didn't want her to get a tummy ache from the air she was swallowing. So my point of the story is, in my opinion, it solely depends on the child when he/she is ready to give up the nuk. When the need to suck to soothe is gone, then I believe it will be much easier to take it away for good. She still is not really attached to the nuk itself, just the sucking part of it. If she can find something else to suck on and can't find a nuk, she'll suck on it. If we take it, I know she will find her thumb. And I do not even want to go there. So SuperDaddy and I have decided to let her keep it until the baby is here for a couple months, to help her cope with having a new sibling. This is so contrary to the way I use to believe before I was a mother. My pride wants to scream and say NO! I'm taking it now. But I think it is right in saying every kid is different. As the saying goes, "I use to be the perfect mother, until I became one." Motherhood is not just a journey about raising little ones up to be like Christ (yet this is still very important), but more about our Lord re-shaping us to be more like Him, instead of going on and doing our things our own way. God is good in humbling us in simple yet complex ways.
