Phase 2: No More Pacifier or Swaddle

It's been two weeks since I initiated Phase 1 (Stop Early Wake-Up) in my plan for getting the kids in one bedroom. Overall, things are much better and Harper isn't waking up (most days) at 5:30am. She is still waking up around 6:30am, so I have to keep working on that.

I've decided it's time to proceed to Phase 2: No More Pacifier or Swaddle. I've noticed more mid-nap wake-ups recently and I can see we're heading down the path of pacifier sleep disruption. I just re-read my posts from 2007 when I went through the same thing with Z and it helped strengthen my resolve. It also reminded me of how Z's cries were so much worse than Harper's are. It's never easy to hear your baby cry, but Z could have made a Nazi grimace. Seriously, I mean, someone called the cops on him, all right? I rest my case.

Anyway, I've been debating whether to go gradually with Harper or just cut it all out cold turkey. As for the pacifier, I'm going to stop cold turkey. It really is like an addiction where if I let myself use it even a little (just one drink), I can't stop there. However, for the swaddle, I've already started phasing it out by wrapping her more loosely and then using a stretchier blanket for an even easier swaddle. There have been a handful of naps where she got one or two arms out and did fine. So, starting tomorrow morning, I'm going to wrap her hands up by her chin as usual, but not tuck in the blanket around her torso. I'll see how that goes for a day, I think. If the pacifier withdrawal is really bad, I may step back to the very loose swaddle. I'm more concerned about getting rid of the pacifier than the swaddle for now. We'll see how it goes. Stay tuned. For the geeks out there, there is a high probability of charts being posted. (ooh....charts...)