Getting Rid of the Pacifier with a 16 Mo Old Boy! Suggestions?

Probably not what you want to hear but I say let him have it. My daughter was the same way and PAT said that if they just use it at bedtime it would be fine to let them have it as a soother, as they will be having a lot of change coming up (I just had twins when my daughter was just over 2).

Ended up we got rid of her paci unexpectedly this summer when she was about 27 months old and the twins were about 2 months old. She was down to 2 pacis and they both cracked within a week of each other. We showed them to her and said they were very dangerous and she helped us throw them away, saying "bye bye paci". She had a little bit of a hard time getting to sleep the next few nights but there were no tears. She does chew on her hand sometimes but no thumb sucking.

if you do want to get rid of it now, most of my family cut them off bit by bit and the kids no longer wanted them. Good luck with everything!

So why are you taking it away? I took my daughters away around 2 or 3. They had perfect teeth. My other son sucked his thumb, nothing wrong with it. He had perfect teeth also. I remember taking it away when I could tell them that the new babies in the hospital needed them , so we bagged up the two she had. She was upset only a few days. But it broke my heart because it meant that stage was over.

I completly understand, I went through the same with my son at the same age. I had experience with this from working in a daycare with young children. I tired everything from cutting the nipple but all my son did was tell me it was broken and that I needed to go to the store to get a new one. He is extreamly smart. I tried to just not give it to him but I gave in, but what finally worked was I told him the doggie peed on it and everytime he asked or cried about it I just told him that the dog peed on it, he is now 5 and still remembers and says the dog peed on my nunu

I would let him keep it when he sleeps. What's the big deal with him having the paci at night? I have 2 boys and both gave it up easily when I felt they were ready to do so. My oldest at 3 and my youngest at 2. Don't worry about it, he won't be going to kindergarten with it.

My sister-in-law swears by the "snip the tip" method. You snip off the tip and continue to give it to your son, but it doesn't have the same satisfying "suck" that it used to, so they actually make the decision to give it up. Her son was done with in within 2 days, and I think he was about 13 months old or so. By the way, it is completely up to you when to wean your son from this habit! If you want him to get rid of it, then by all means get rid of it! Best of luck!

Sorry... I'm with Daisey F. Not sure why they'd have an issue at daycare. There are several kids in the toddler room where my son goes that still have theirs. As soon as my mom took mine away, I sucked my thumb. I sucked my thumb in my own home until I was 10 or so.

Have to agree with most of the other moms- if he only has it at night- what is the rush? My daughter is now 26 months old and just this week gave it up- she has a new baby cousin and she's giving him the paci's because she is a big girl and he is a baby and needs it more. She asked for it and cried the first two days but after that she has only asked once or twice and as soon as she does I ask her where they are and she says "oh yeah- I gave to baby Joseph" In my first attempt to wean her from them I cut the tips- it does work- she would hand it back to me and tell me it was broken and Ikky-

Just another side note- as another mom said- when we hit day four of no paci I cried- it was the last "babyhood" left...

Sorry, Jen...but your post breaks my heart...I am not being judgmental please..it is just he is 16 month old! and actually I don't understand why the daycare does not allow the baby to have his pacifier. It is going to be really hard, he needs the sucking, he NEEDS COMFORT he is away from his mom so little, he NEEDS something to feel secure with. He still does not understand what is going on and he is still a baby!!!!
My kids had the pacifier until 2 years and half (the pacifier was gone cold turkey) and they have perfect teeth. My SIL, who is dentist, told me just not let him pass 4 years old with it.
Talk to the day care, they may have a good idea how to do it if they have that policy!
Good luck...everything is possible!!

I did a gradual snip-the-tip thing also when my daughter was about 16-17 months. The first night I poked a hole in the end with a needle; the second night a cut a little bit off the end; the third night the whole end was off, and she was over it. She still wanted it in the crib with her, but by the fourth night, she was over it.

We had #2 on the way, so we wanted that paci gone before came and had her own. I think it's easier to wean them from it sooner rather than later -- when they're pushing 2 or 3.

I took my oldest daughter's away when she was 18 months. I cut the tip showed her it was broke and that was that.
My youngest I took away around 26 months, we were at a store where she lost it. That night she asked for it, then on her own said, lost it at the store. And I went with that.

Both of them asked for it here and there. My youngest had a few rough nights falling to sleep but in both instances it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Oh and neither of them took up thumb sucking.

The key is to take it away and not look back. Good luck.

My mom was a single mom of three and had to pick her battles. She sent me off to school with my pacifier because I refused to give it up. That lasted one day... As a result of having my pacifier for so long, I had buck teeth and was actually the first kid in the neighborhood to have braces ( I am 53). Having braces back then enabled everyone to come up with wonderful nicknames like tinsel teeth and tin grin... Lots of fun- luckily I have a sense of humor.

When my son was 2, our doctor recommended taking him to the dentist. I was told that his mouth was narrower than it should be because of the pacifier and that his teeth were not coming in properly. He lived with a pacifier in his mouth so we were petrified to take it away. But we did. Just took it away. He was cranky and it was a little extra work, but he was fine in one week. The question is: Are you up for it?

When it came time to take away his bottle, and his diapers, we did it the same way...no fear. Just do it, expect him to be uncomfortable with the change, but show no hesitancy. Extra hugs and attention and if he is old enough, praise and appreciation, will help it along- a lot.

Notice that he is fine in daycare, so he is capable of doing without, he just needs a little gentle, loving re-programming. Vacation is a great time to do it because he has made no connection with where you are going and his pacifier.

You can do it, YOU may need a pacifier by the weeks end- but he will be fine!

J. B.

My son was extremely stuck on his. He treated it like his best friend. I hated to rip his little heart out by taking it away, but it was interfering with his sleep--he'd wake up screaming for it if it dropped. We just didn't replace them after he lost/ruined his current ones. He was very upset and had a lot of trouble getting him to sleep and keeping him asleep for about 2 or 3 weeks. It's hard. You'll want to cave in and run out and by him more, but don't do it. He'll get over it eventually. Good luck!

My daughter was 24 mos. and used her pacifier a lot more and when we finally got rid of it she didn't cry for it at sleep or anything. Occasionally if she was really upset she would ask for it. I created an elaborate plan where she could get a toy for giving her pacis away, did a count down and if I had to do it all over again I would probably just do like a 2 day countdown (your son may understand more than you think) and then get rid of it. I think I felt more guilty for taking away her source of comfort but she was fine. I know a lot of moms felt the same way and had the same easy results. I do know of one mom who's daughter cried for like 2 weeks but I think she was older when they got rid of it. There are some simple books out there too. I've also heard of people attaching the pacis to a balloon and "setting them free" which might be kind of fun for a 16 month old. Just make sure there aren't any trees near by! Good luck!

My daughter was totally hooked on hers and I couldn't bear just to take it away so when she wasn't looking I snipped the tip off. She had no interest in it at all! She brought it to me and asked what was wrong with it. I just simply said, "hmmm, it's broken." and gave it back. She stuck it in her mouth again and asked me to fix it. I said, "I'm sorry, mommy will always try to fix things that are broken, but there are some things mommy won't be able to fix and this is one of them." She totally accepted that answer and it worked. This is not to say she wouldn't find a binky here and there and stick it in her mouth that we missed, but when she wasn't looking I just snipped the ends off of those too. We had to do a few hugs and kisses, but ultimately it just took a week and no major meltdowns. Also, no thumb sucking. You could also try the binky fairy. Good luck!

The "snip the tip" method worked for my daughter who was 14 months old. For the next 2 days she wanted to hold it, but never put it back in her mouth because it wasn't satisfying anymore. I was scared it was going to be so traumatic for her which is why I put it off for so long, but she actually didn't struggle at all with it.

My middle son (who is 8 years old now) threw his binky into the engine area of the USS Lexington while we were on vacation in Corpus Christi. I rushed to Walmart to buy up their supply because I was scared of him losing his comfort. Two years later when I was pregnant with his little brother I was paranoid about how to avoid 2 kids with binkies. We took a mini vacation to camp out and diamond mine in Arkansas (not recommended at 7 months pregnant!). When we put my son (23 months old at the time) down for bed he was so tired he didn't even ask for his binky. When we weaned my youngest off of his we also did this relative to a vacation. We told him we left his binky at home so we wouldn't lose it in the ocean and a shark would get it. He accepted that on the first try and didn't have any problems after that. If you think your son is ready you can try one of the suggestions that all of us mamas have given. If it turns out he isn't ready you can always give it to him and be creative about why so he doesn't think you will give in just by him asking.

Take it off him and let him watch you throw it away. its going to be rough without it but do it cold turkey my son is gong to be 10 months old and he lost his binkie good luck

Here are some really great suggestions and experiences with weaning the pacifier...they are really creative and could help you with getting rid of the paci. Good luck!

http://www.theskinnyscoop.com/search/pacifier?utm_campaig...

Since you are ready to get rid of the pacifier, I'd say the vacation is a perfect time to "lose it". When you come back, you can tell him it got left on vacation and that is it. If you see them out at the store, you can tell him that his is lost and those are for new little babies. It may be a long first few days but I'd bet he will be ok before you know it.
My Daughter decided to test me and throw hers in the trash can at 18 months and I ran with it. It never came back! She now understands that when you throw something in the garbage, you never see it again! :)

If that's all he uses it for, why are you so focused on getting rid of it ?
It sounds like it is not interfering with anything, and it is a comfort to him in the car. (I hate car rides too, so I can relate ... LOL)

All three of my kids gave theirs up on their own at around 2 years old.

Each of the girls got a bad cold, and they couldn't suck on it and breathe at the same time. By the time they recovered, the pacifier was forgotten and "lost".

My son was a big fan of cowboys at the time (the real thing, not the ball team). We took him to a rodeo one day and he was having a blast. Suddenly he got very quiet and thoughtful. He looked up at his dad and asked "Do cowboys suck "fires" ?" (His word for pacifier)
His wise father contained his laughter and with a straight face and thoughtful tone said "No ........ no, son, I guess they don't."
My son pulled that pacifier out of his mouth, threw it on the ground, walked away and never looked back.
:o)

I would let my son go to sleep with it when he wanted it. When he fell asleep I would take it so he wouldn't wake up with it. Then I gradually started letting him have it less and then all-together.

I know that some will disagree but I think that around the same time as a child is weaned from a bottle, they should be weaned from the pacifier. My son had his pacifier for a few short months longer.

Cold turkey-it will be easier than you think. I would say a couple days will do it. Esp since he doesn't use it to sleep at daycare.