The big goodbye

I can't quite remember when we first gave The Bean a dummy to sleep with, but it has been a fantastic tool and she has been a fantastic sleeper. When she was still small enough to sleep in my arms, popping a dummy in her mouth was her cue to sleep and she would snuggle up and drift off no matter where we were—cinema, café, friend’s house. Apart from giving it to her as a 'treat' on flights the dummy hasn't really left her bed and has been used exclusively for sleep. 

Lately I have seen her holding her dummy and chewing on the teat, which worried me in case the teat was damaged and became a choking hazard. We decided it was time for the 'dummy fairy' to pay a visit and take her dummy to give to a baby that needs it. 

We spoke about the 'dummy fairy' for a few days to try and prepare her for the big goodbye. Two nights ago we had her pop her dummy in a little bag and hung it on her doorknob and then…

She wanted a bottle
She wanted to brush her teeth
She was thirsty
She was hungry
Her shoes were running away
Her curtains were falling off
Her (full) water needed refilling
The bear in her bed was scaring her
She needed to see her dummy again
She wanted to sleep in mama and dada’s bed
She could hear the cat scratching the couch
Her door was open too wide
Her door wasn't opened wide enough
The sky was falling down
She wanted to kiss, 'huggle' and high five the dummy fairy
The light was scary
The dark was scary

...and finally the tears came and she wanted mama to sleep with her. The Bean is very independent and confident and she is certainly daddy's little girl, so it isn't very often that she actually says she 'needs' me. Of course I was happy to oblige and threw a pillow on the floor, lay down next to her little bed and held her hand for just a few minutes until she fell asleep.

In the morning she woke to find that the dummy fairy had taken her dummy and replaced it with some books and a little soft toy that will join the troupe of toys that surround her and provide comfort while she sleeps.

Her afternoon sleep and her second night without her beloved dummy were much the same for us although her list of demands grew a little shorter. I may have made a mistake by lying down next to her on the floor two nights in a row and holding her hand until she fell asleep, but how could I resist when she was so sad and so clearly heartbroken?

Lesson learned - we would have sworn that she didn't rely so heavily on her dummy. We won't allow number two to become so attached.

Progress report: fifth night's a charm.