How do NCP handle weaning of 'comfort items'...
Like the dummy, soft toy, blankies etc etc.
Personally, I hate them all! I couldn't imagine having to deal with dragging those sorts of items around everywhere, cleaning them (like in the middle of the night when the kid wont freak about it), the nightmare if it gets misplaced or broken.. I raised my babies to learn how to self sooth, not rely on some tangible item to calm them down.
SD3 (about to turn four in a couple weeks) has the dummy and a soft toy, well, two now, since she found the 'double' a few months ago (BM would rotate them so she could clean them). I think golden uterus BM also tried to get SD attached to a blankie too, saw that a few times, usually straight after BM didn't get her way with SO (so yeah, I think these items are more to pacify BM than SD).
SD honestly can't go anywhere without her two frogs (soft toys), they even have a special seat at daycare.. I guess because I didn't deal with this stuff with my kids.. I imagine SD at 5, going to school wanting her dummy and frogs..
Has anyone else's SO/DH (NCP) had success weaning their kids off these kind of things? I guess you need BM to be on board with it too??
^^This. It took us longer
^^This. It took us longer than a week each step, but that is how I've broken my SB2 of bottles and blankies. He'll ask for a small blanket every now and then at bedtime, but mostly he's lost all interest. We approached potty training in a similar(ish) fashion and so far it is also working really well.
When I was growing up, I was
When I was growing up, I was never weaned from a special blanket I had. I don't remember how attached to it I was when I was very young, but I did like to sleep with it all while growing up. I think once I got to school, I wouldn't admit to anyone that I liked it, so it just stayed in my bed. It did "comfort" me, but I didn't need it enough to have it at sleepovers or anywhere outside my own room.
My oldest has two blanket that he loves, and does sometimes take in the car with him. He is 2. My younger one has a soft toy, but isn't as attached to it as my older one is to the blankets. I'm not going to try to wean them from these. I think that when they are old enough, they will be too embarrassed to take them in public. I may feel differently if these become really disgusting. My son, like me when I was little, has no problems with me washing it during the day. I've talked to my therapist about this, and she claims there is no reason for them to be weaned. But that's just her (and my) opinion.
They have to be completely
They have to be completely removed and support by both parents. 38 years old my bankie is in my pillowcase. I don't use it as a comfort item like I did as a kid but I sleep better knowing it's in there (yes I wash it) yes it's weird I also didn't stop sucking my thumb till I was 22 and had my own kid because no one stopped me (my ex pointed out what a hypocrite I was not letting our dd have a pacifier while I sucked my thumb when I was stressed.)
I guess I see things a little
I guess I see things a little differently.. my youngest has a teddy, absolutely loves and cherishes it, it's very special to him and he doesn't like it when someone else plays with it.. but he doesn't go into full on panic meltdown mode if he can't find it, and he doesn't take it with him everywhere. That to me is the big problem with all these comfort items, I'm not against kids having special things, dummy doesn't even bother me that much... it's that attachment that I find can be pretty unhealthy. Also, golden uterus's LOVE to use these things as currency for love, "See, Mommy loves you more because I give you pop (dummy) whenever you want it and Dad doesn't" plus I don't think BM doesn't like dealing with an upset child, I think to her she views her child being upset as her not being a good parent.
Anyway, i didn't have any intentions of starting or helping a weaning process, I was just curious as how other NCP's handled it, if BM and SO would rather deal with hunting for frogs and dummies every time they leave the house than help sooth their child themselves, *shrugs, personally.. I find it weird, just.. why?!