Getting Rid of the Pacifier - Portland,TN

I cut a tiny tiny part of the tip of the passifier off when he wasn't looking. It took 1 day and he told me "mommy broken" and HE threw it in the trash!

Hi T.,

I hate to say it but you are going to have to be strong and just let him cry at night. It should ony take about 2 or 3 nights of some hard crying but he will realize he is not going to get it. My son is 19 months olds now and has not had a pacifier since he was 10 months when he lost it on a family vacation.

With one son we let him cry it out after explaining that he could not have it any longer and he went to sleep within a reasonable amount of time.

With another son we cut the tip off the paci and it took away the responsive suck reaction and he handed it back, we said it was broken and we threw it in the trash.

Be sure to do a sweep of your house and car and find every single one so you don't have one pop up a day, week or month later.

My daughter would never take one which was wonderful but both our boys had very strong sucking needs and they unfortunately took one. We made sure we took the paci away while they were still in the crib. It just seems to work better that way because then they can't come out of their rooms and follow you around crying for it. Our first son, we just cut the tip off and he sucked it once and started crying "Daddy cut my paci" and threw it back at his dad and he repeated that through the whole night. He would cry himself to sleep and then would wake up (looking for paci) and then start crying again "daddy cut my paci". I was glad Daddy cut and not mommy because it would have broken my heart to hear that all night! LOL! He cried one night and it was over! One night! He, of course, told everyone in the world that "Daddy cut paci" but hey we could live with that! Our second son was about the same. He may have cried for two nights, but it was over.

Good luck and be strong! I know you can do this! don't forget to write down the funny things that come out of it! LOL!

I went through the same thing with my 2 yr old daughter. Her dentist recommended cutting a small piece off of the tip of the paci each day until there is nothing left. Believe it or not, it actually worked. Of course it was difficult at first b/c it felt different, but she eventually stopped complaining. It didn't take long before she just didn't want it anymore.

cut the nipple and give it to him. Once it loses it's air, he won't want it anymore.....of course when I did this, I had an extra just in case! BUt usually after a day or two of it not having the sucking sensation, they stop wanting it.

Hope that helps

If he only wants it at night, I would let him have it. You don't want to disrupt night time. It is a comfort to him, and he should feel comforted at bed time. He will give it up eventually, it really isn't a big deal. We only let our daughter have it in the car and at bed time and I promise you she gave it up eventually. I think the bigger deal you make about it, the harder it is to give up.

K. D.

it was my daughters 1st b-day and she got a plush blanket and from then on she would sleep w/ that and eventually she got her passi less and less and afew weeks later she was over it we did have a few cryin nites but hey she was over it

What we did was nip a hole in the bulb of the pacifier. It's not quite so gratifying to suck air, and your 2yo should lose interest after a few days. You could even increase the size of the hole in increments. The point is to make it his idea, not a power struggle or security issue. Warning... mine figured out that I had messed with the pacie this way, and promptly hid 2 or 3 I hadn't found yet under his mattress so he would have back-ups! Little booger. haha

we cut the ends of my son's when he was about 18 months old. he just said paci's broken and handed them back to us. went great!

Well I have 2 things you can do. #1. Take it away at night and let him cry it out and after about a week he will be okay. #2. Tell him you're giving the paci away to the baby fairy so that all the new babies can have one that he's getting to be such a big boy. I would do #1 because I think #2 is a little deceptive but I know quite a few parents who have tried this technique and it worked. I think when they did the baby fairy they did it at bedtime and took them and threw them out the door so the fairy could get them outside. You may want to do something different but that's what I'd do. Hope whatever you decide is as painless as possible for both of you.

He will stop. Just try to give him a couple extra hugs. Mine did the same thing. It took her about 7 days and she finally stopped throwing a fit.

Hi T.,
I know you are wanting to break your son of the pacifier now but maybe like some of the other posts have suggested, waiting for a little may be a good option. When he gets a little bit older and can understand it a little better that may open other options to use as means to get rid of the passy. Maybe then you can explain it better to him.

If it was me, they could have the paci to go to sleep. You can take it out after an hr of them sleeping well. They need lots of security at 2. At 31/2, they can give it up fine. Relax, and let them relax.

Be pro-active instead of negative. Instead of 'you CAN'T have it such-and-such time(s)', tell him when he CAN have it -- and be FIRM and CONSISTENT (that is if you're not breaking him of it 'cold turkey', which is what I'd suggest). There have been many posts on here about this same issue, and I'm sure you'll get the same kinds of responses (such as tell him the LITTLE babies need it [them] and take them all away, or tell him he can buy something at the store with it that he really wants, and then give it to the cashier [and, of course, pay her 'on the sly'].) Either be firm and 'break' him in one fell swoop, or just let him keep at night with no fuss, I say. 'Negotiating' with a 2-yr old is kind of like practicing arguing. And if you're not winning with a 2-yr old, how will you win when he's 10? 14? 17? Just BE the one in charge, even if it's gently.

Might you give him a sippy cup of water to take to bed with him instead? Of course this might make potty training more difficult! LOL

Why do you HAVE to break him of the pacifier? If the only time he uses it is basically at night then I'd say leave him be. Most parents would be thrilled to have a kid at that age go to sleep willingly!
My daughter is 4 and still sucks her thumb, but only when she is tired &/or sleepy. I wouldn't dream of trying to break her of that at night.
But I will ask, does the paci stay "plugged" in his mout through out the night or does it fall out? Have you tried slipping it away from him after he is deeply asleep?
Think of the important reasons why you MUST break him of this right now and why not later? A pacifier is his method of relaxing and calming down, just like a blankie or a thumb helps other kids. Just thank God that he doesn't "hump" things, some kids do!!

I read the great advice you have gotten from everyone and I too tried to cut the tip of the pacifier with my son. However, it didn't work! He just cried and cried for night after night. I thought by the third night it would be better...it was only getting worse. He was only 18 months though so that might have been why it didn't work for us. Two months later we came home from a trip and I just told him we had to leave the "pu pu" (as he called it) on the airplane for the other babies. He cried the first night, but nothing like when we cut it. It really only took one to two nights cold turkey and he was totally over it. I think having the cut paci in his bed to remind him it was broken was harder for him than just taking it away completely. Every child is different so just go with what you think will work best for your son=)

We "lost" all of my son's pacifiers while we were on vacation. When we came home I told him they were all gone and that I knew he would be ok without one. He required a little extra rocking and a couple of more songs than usual at first, but he figured out how to comfort himself pretty soon.

I bet that if he can do without it all those other places, he will do okay at night with a little more comfort before bed.

sorry cant help too much my boys barely too one they both were off of of by 6 months but on nanny 911 they put it in an envelope and let the child mail it to a new baby it worked but they took it out when the child wasnt looking it was pretty cool now my little brother started kindergarten with it

T. -
The baby just turned two. In other words, he's only twenty four months old. Why - at this point - deny him of this source of comfort which he was probably introduced to as a newborn?
I've said it before and I'll say it again - no one has ever walked across the stage to accept their diploma with a pacifier in their mouth.
He's still a baby, in need of what comforts him. If he's doing well without it in some areas, that's great. But I would advise letting him have it at night. When he's closer to three, and more verbal, you could try again.
Years from now, when you look back at his pictures of this period, you'll realize what a baby he was.
Best go luck,
CeceD

We told him that he was growing up and needed to be a big boy. Only babies use pacifiers, and then let him throw it in the trash.

You also may want to change his bedtime routine. Read a story, sing to him, snuggle a bit, etc. We told him that we would sing 3 songs instead of just one now that the pacifier was gone (what's an extra 5 minutes, right?). It took about a week for him to adjust. The first night was AWEFUL...lots of tears and screaming, but it got better after that.

Good luck!

Hi T.

I agree and disagree with some of the replies, that is why I like the forum, you can take what works for you and leave what doesn't!
I called my dentist b/c I have a son that takes a paci. When he didn't have the paci, he used his fingers. The dentist said that the paci is BETTER than fingers. If you take the paci away too early then they may revert to fingers which are harder to get rid of. The dentist also said as long as you get rid of it around 3ish, they will be fine. My son sucked his ALL the time while getting his two year molars and then he was willing to just have it at night in the bed. He knows to tuck it under his pillow so he can find it the next night. He also has a blankie, so when he do get rid of the paci, he has a back up "lovie".
I wouldn't push it, unless you just really feel this is the right move at this point! GOOD LUCK

Let him have the pacifier at night.....how much harm could that do?? We let our son only have it at night time when he was 2 and he was fine with that. We got rid of it totally at age 3 by snipping off the tip of the rubber with scissors just a little at a time; every few days snipping off a little more until he finally said "this passy is broken" and threw it away. He is now almost 5 and the dentist said since we got rid of the pacifier by age 3 that his teeth are fine, no damage done. Hope this helps. :-)

T. I can't say that I have had the problem of a pacifier because my son would never take one when he was small and he is now going to be 4 next month. My husband suggested to put some lemon juice on it and give it to him. Start out with a small amount and if he contiues to want it make the lemon juice stronger. He said to maybe start out with 3 tablespoons and 2 drops of lemon juice and if that doesn't work add more lemon juice at a time. Just be careful not to make it too strong. Hope this helps you some. Good Luck!!

Ugh! I remember those days!! The only thing I can say is, take an aspirin, on a couple of nights where the family can live without sleep, and tell him it's gone forever because he's now a big boy like bubba. And this is very important....throw it away! Never let him see one again! I don't understand families that keep bottles in the house, where little eyes will find them and then tell them they can't have it anymore....so mean and cruel. I know funny considering my advice I just gave you! But it's the only thing that will work. He will cry and flip out but you have to stay strong and consistent or, contrary to popular belief, he will have trouble with teeth later if you don't stop it now. Good luck and hope this helps!

If he only has it at night, let him have it. It's his "lovey" and won't interfere with his speech. More than likely he loses it at night anyway. Just don't buy him anymore. Eventually it will get gross and he'll not want it, especially if it develops holes. You might get him something to start snuggling with like a stuffed animal or a blanket, too, so that he can start to transition to the pacy's replacement.