No matter how many times someone tells you that every baby is different it seems you always forget. When Ella was a baby she was attached to her soother almost 24/7 Matt and I were thinking that we would have a heck of a time when it came time for her to no longer have it. As it turned out it was much easier to take it away than we had expected.
Before Dillan was born I wanted to make sure that I was prepared for every possible scenario. Because Ella was such a good baby and because all we had heard was how different babies are from each other we were expecting to have a much more difficult baby. I didn’t want to have to run out to the store for anything. I made sure to have soothers, bottles, gripe water, ovol drops, Tylenol and all of those other little baby care items that you might not think about with your first baby.
When Dillan arrived we were surprised to find that we have another really easy baby. (I know, I know, we’ll pay for it later!) Things with Dillan were a much smoother start than they had been with Ella. Other than a bit of latch issues in the first week, things with Dillan were easy peasy. Eat play and sleep, but every now and then a feeding doesn’t come quite fast enough for him. Maybe we are driving or out and about. With Ella she just would have had her soother to calm her and she would wait or fall asleep. At night time feedings I would nurse her and pop the soother in her mouth to keep her sleeping and then I could put her down. Dillan will have none of that. Put the soother in and he just spits it out. He will take it for a few minutes every now and then but very rarely will he take it from me. He knows I have the good stuff!
Most of the time this doesn’t bother me, but every now and then I just wish he would take it! While Ella was attached to her soother, I needed it just as much as she did. Not only did is soothe her it calmed my own nerves when I couldn’t get to her fast enough. I’ve lost that with Dillan not taking one and to be honest I think I needed him to take a pacifier more than I needed Ella to take one. When you have two kids sometimes they both have to take turns waiting. Before I feed Dillan I have to make sure Ella has gone to the bathroom, has a snack and a drink all before I can even start feeding him or I know that sure enough I will have to stop mid-feed to help her with something.
Yes there is a flip side to this; He doesn’t attach himself to a soother, I don’t have to take it away. Sometimes I have to wonder which would be worse, toughing through it for now or trying to take one away later. I just have to remind myself that it is a short while that they have these things and the fussing and needing soothing in that sense wont last very long. And maybe that is another reason I wish he would take one, babies grow up too fast!
Post written April 3 2011 moved from previous blog
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