How Do I Break My Toddler of Her Pacifers??

I agree with the ladies on what they said. My daughter was 2 1/2 when she gave up hers. And that was only b/c she had chewed on them so much, they were falling apart. Every time she chewed one apart to where it was not safe to have, we told her, that she had to throw it away. It has been about 5 weeks now and she asks for it now and then. And before we weened her completely, she was only allowed to have it at nap or bed time.

My first son threw his in the garbage at his 3rd birthday party. Everyone was cheering and he was so proud that he was a big boy without his pacifier. For my second son i just cut the nipples off them. He was over it in a couple of days.

I broke my neice of her binky when she was 3 by putting a touch of hot sauce on it. She never wanted it after that. Hide the others and if she finds the other ones put hot sauce on them too. My neice found one under her bed one night and did not want it at bedtime when she always had them cuz of the hot sauce. It did not burn, she just did not like the taste of it. You can also use alum.

I agree with the other ladies..Just throw them away.My oldest was the only one that used a pacifier.At 1 1/2 we just threw them away and that was that.She did ask for it but we just told her she was a big girl and that they were all gone.She only asked for it a couple of times..

Just throw them away. ACtually if she is almost 3 you can involve her and make a big deal that she doesn't need them and is a big girl. My son and I threw his away together when he was just over 2 and he really didn't miss them that much once they were gone. He was completely over it within a few days. Really, you just have to bite the bullet and do it. I kept waiting for the "right time" and there isn't one.

When my daughter was 2 we went to Chicago and when we got home I told her that we forgot her pacifier in Chicago and it was too far away to go and get it. She accepted it. She is now 4 years old and every now and again she will remember fondly that she left her "Uh-Oh" in Chicago.

Sounds like she really needs that reassurance after a long day.

Could you perhaps sit her down and help her choose 1 paci and then send the others "to a new baby" Make a big deal out of boxing them up and "mailing" them to a new baby (even if you just mail them to Gramma or back to yourself) you might have to do it one at a time too.

Put the Paci that she chose to keep in a special place so she knows where it is and that it's there for her when she needs it.

I agree with Jennifer, cold turkey is the only way to go. Anything else just prolongs the process of getting rid of it for you and the child. Maybe make a big deal of putting them out in the trash or giving them to the binkie fairy or another baby that needs it, but other then that just get rid of it.

Find some sort of container and fill it with water. Make this the pacifier's "home". Make it a big deal that when she's not using her pacifier, she needs to put it in its house and have her plunk it in the water. When she is ready for nap or bed, or having one of those emotional moments, let her have the pacifier. Every day, add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the "house of water". Within no time, she's not going to be able to stand the taste and will not want to get it out of the water... it works like a charm and no fighting is involved; she makes the decision for herself that she no longer wants or needs the pacifier.

Here are a couple past posts on this very subject. Some very interesting and creative suggestions... Best of luck - it will likely be easier than you think. It was for us.

http://www.mamasource.com/request/18312927053290143745

http://www.mamasource.com/request/12396623978389569537

I had the exact same problem with my oldest daughter except she was going on 4yrs old. She actually gave me the idea. One day she got really upset with me and bit her "binkie" and pulled at the same time. Well she ended up biting a hole in the pacifier. She used it still but not for long so I cut a tiny hole in the remaining ones in the house. It was the same way she used it for a bit but before long she broke herself from it because she didn't like the way it worked any longer. I actually did the same thing for my youngest at the same time but I think she really only liked them because big sissy had them too.

Hi C.,

I know your going to get all kinds of suggestions, some very creative like the past poster said. But honestly what worked for us with our son was simply taking it away period. No giving it at bed-time or when he got fussy, just cold turkey. He eventually substituted his pacifier for something else of his choosing.
I'm thankful that my daughter takes one, but she isn't as attached to it as my son was...
Good Luck!!

Hi C.,
I was in your situation a year and a half year old. My son will be 4 in August and he had a pacifier at night until he was almost 3. My son only had his at night though so it was't during the day. I went cold turkey. I told them that he was getting to be a big boy and that 3 year old didn't use pacifiers so we needed to get rid of them. He didn't really seem to care. When he went to be he got a little mad but it didn't last long. If you don't want to go cold turkey maybe you could take them away during the day and only use them for bedtime that way she gets used to not having them. Then when she gets used to not having them all the time take them away at night. Good luck.
Chris

I'm about to go through this very thing. My son is 16 months, but I don't want to wait any longer. I'd rather do it now. A friend of mine told me that she just cut off the tips, so when her daughter put them in her mouth, she realized they weren't any good and she was fine with that. It took about a day and a half and then it was like she'd never had one.

My husband and I told our son he was too old for his binky and that he should throw it away and be a big boy. We knew he didn't want to be a "baby" anymore, so told him that is just for babies, not big boys that get to play outside, ride bikes, etc. He threw it out on his own will - so he knew it was gone, and wouldn't be coming back!! It worked very well! You just have to convince them that they don't NEED it anymore, and then once they decide for themselves that they don't need it, they will get rid of it!! Good luck!

My son was greatly pacifier dependant and we started the weaning process when he was about 2 years old....originally he was able to have it whenever, but then we (slowly) restricted use until it was just at night. We thought it would be a HUGE battle to give it up. However, after babysitting a girlfriends baby (7 month old) for an entire day & night, we got rid of my sons pacifier. When he asked for it at bedtime that night, we told him they were for babies (like the one in the other room). The next day, he asked again, and again, we explained that was for babies - and asked him if he was a baby (because BIG boys didn't use pacifiers). That was all it took to cure him. If that doesn't work, you can find another motivation! Good luck.

Let me first start by saying I love Montesorri. I noted in your profile you were a Montesorri teacher. My son attened Kindegarten Mont. and it was the best thing we ever did. They taught him more in Kindergarten then he learned in regular 1st grade this past year, so Kudo's to you!! We went with cutting the pacifier and it worked like a charm. As a matter of fact, I think I overestimated my son's attachment to the pacifer. My son was 3 at the time and it really was no big deal. Maybe one bad night but that was it. Good luck to you....
L.

C.,
I experience the same pacifier attachment with my son. He would be fine all day at preschool, playing at friends, etc. As soon as we came home he had the pacifier in his mouth and several 'stashed' away through out our house.
So what I ended up doing about a week after his 3rd birthday while he was napping, I found all the pacifiers and cut holes in the tops of them, so when he woke and saw that they were 'broken' he didn't want them anymore. And I let HIM throw them out...so it looked like it was his idea.
After that he never asked for them again.

Hopefully this helps.

Good Luck!