How to Get Rid of Pacifier with 22 Month Old !! HELP!

The other suggestions are good, and I would add one more. If he doesnt already have a lovey, this could be it. You might want to try introducing some sort of stuffed animal or blankey that he can love on at night or whenever instead of the paci. Good luck, this is going to be hard!

There's probably more than one way to go about it, but here's what I did with my then 3 year old: She was already down to only having it at naps and bedtime, and sometimes in the car. Then I cut the end of it with a scissors - just a teeny little bit, so that most of it was still there, but it just didn't have the same feeling. She went absolutely crazy! She hated that it was different! She stomped around, slamming doors, etc. She did have a very hard time going to sleep for naps and bedtime for the next few days, but then that was it. She was done with the paci.

When I cut my 3 year old's paci, I also cut my 18 month old's. (I thought it wasn't going to be easy for my 3 year old to see her sister with one when hers was gone, so I decided to get rid of both of theirs at the same time.)Also, for my 18 month old, a teeny little cut in the tip. She didn't seem to mind. She just kept it in her mouth anyway. After a few days, I cut it a little more, then a few days later, a little more. Finally the paci got so small she couldn't keep it in her mouth any longer and then that was it. There was nothing to hold on to and she was done with it. I got the idea from a day care worker who had good results with her kids. Good luck. This too shall pass.

I've also heard of giving it to a baby who really "needs" it.

You have to just take them all away and get rid of them. It's the only way. You cannot reason with a baby. Just put them all away (or throw them away if you can't handle the pressure) then when my kids would ask for it - I would shrug my shoulders and say I don't know where it is? They would look for a little bit and then forget. Then they would ask the next day or a couple of hours later. After about three days they never asked again.

Be strong the longer we let them hang on to things they shouldn't the harder on THEM it is,

L. B

my cousin just broke her son of the pacifier at 2 years old. she was told to cut off a part of the pacifier and see how he did and the just gradually cut a little at a time. i think that she only had to cut once - he kept saying it was broke and i guess that he finally just got tired of it and no more pacifier. good luck !!

We were in the exact same boat about a year ago and our child was approaching 3! So I can completely sympathize with you. Yes, some tactics are to clip the ends or to dip it in something foul tasting (like the no nail biter stuff) but those types of tactics only made my daughter more mad and determined. We eventually took a love and logic type approach. We continuously pointed out when we went by the school (her brother was in preschool at the time) that NO ONE at school used a binkie. We tried to get her to give them to the binkie fairie so they could be recycled to other children that needed them, but that was a no go. So we made her responsible for her own binkies. She was always losing them so it was just a matter of time. If she didn't leave it under her pillow (which she never did but it was the "safe zone") then it was fair game if we found it. All binkies were hidden in a place she'd not find them (because she was smart enough to check the trash cans) until all of them were gone. Yes, there were some times of crying and but it taught her some responsibility for her things. And we did get her a snuggly of her choice when she felt she needed something else to sleep with. I did end up laying down with her and soothing her a bit before she'd fall asleep for the first week or two but now she falls asleep anywhere anytime without it.

It really is a difficult journey for about a month. We're not in a habit of keeping things like this from our kids but when it is threatening their growth and development we really don't have a choice. Hang in there. It WILL get better!

Oh, one more thing...the pacifier could be a sign of having an oral fixation...you might want to start using some other substitutes for a short time...like popsicles (good with summer coming on), lollipops for things done well, etc. It doesn't have to be a constant thing but it will be a distractor.

I did two different things. Sorry for the length but it was a very involved process so I can sympathize!!! But the first thing I did when my daughter was about 2 1/2 was bring home lots of books about no more paci's from the library. It was funny the first time I tried because she loves books so she jumped in my lap and I started reading. We were only a few pages in when she realized what was going to happen to the child in the book and the paci and she jumped down screaming "no", "no" and ran off and wouldn't let me read her anymore books about it. So I left it alone for a few months.

Then when she was three I started again and talking to her about how her friends naming them specifically dont' have paci's and all the places they can go because they don't and then reading books again about it. Then I talked to a mommy of a baby in our church who we know really well (I would have used a realitive but don't have any near) and asked if we could come over in the future and "give" all our paci's to Stuart the baby. She said ok. So as I was talking to Karah and reading books for several weeks, I gave her a date in the future and talked about how we were going to give baby Stuart all her paci's because he neeeds them he's a baby and she's not. So that day I told her it was time and made it really exciting and gave her a ziplock bag and we went around talking and looking and putting as many as we could find in the bag. I was really hamming it up that she was such a big girl for helping me and Stuart and I was so proud of her etc, etc.

We got in the car and drove to them and made a big production of "giving" all the paci's to him. I made sure I washed them first and it was a good thing because she insisted on giving him one and making him suck on it. We went and got ice cream and talked about it. Then for the next couple days she'd ask and I'd make a big scene about remember we gave them to baby Stuart because..... and she'd fuss a little but not too bad. Finally she stopped asking and she'd only used it since she was 18 months in bed/car anway. WELL NOT THE END OF STORY.....

I didn't realize that we had so many and even though we searched that day a week later she somehow found one hidden somewhere. So she started sucking on it again saying this one wasn't Stuarts it was hers...so I did the cut the top off and she got upset about it being broken but used it for a week or so and then decided she didnt' like it and everytime she said it was broken I'd say "yes, it's broken we need to throw it in the trash." She'd want to buy new ones and I'd tell her they're only for babies they don't make pacis for her age...finally she threw it in the trash herself and never mentioned it again.
hope this helps.

I would chop off the ends of ALL the pacifiers & give him the bases. It will be a very hard few days, but you have to stay strong. If this is what you really want, you can accomplish it, you just have to be sure to follow thru & not look back. Cutting off the tops works very good b/c the child still has the comfort of knowing they were not taken from him, it just got broke. He will eventually not want the base. Beware, some children do attempt to suck the base at first. It is uncomfortable so they quickly stop. Good luck. You can do it!

I've gone through this twice and can tell you the pacifier was just as much my addiction as theirs. Here are the things that worked for me. With my second son (the first stopped on his own at 7 months) I cut a tiny sliver off all of his pacifiers ever few day til he didn't want it anymore. My third son I put it in his hands. I gave him an envelope and I told him when he he was ready he could mail his pacifiers to the Pacifier Fairy and she would send him a surprise. After a few days he told me he was ready and we gathered them up and put them in the envelope and he "addressed" it himself in crayon and put it in the mailbox (after the mail already ran) the next morning he ran to the mailbox and found a new toy train. When he asked for them I just reminded him that the mailman took them. I only had one night of crying at bed time.

It also helps to have another comfort idea to replace it. My youngest start sleeping with a stuffed animal.

I love the suggestions about cutting pieces of the pacifier off - I guess that's safe? I was lucky - all 4 of my kids refused the pacifier from birth on! But my godson was addicted to not only a pacifier but his mother's nighty which he carried around like a blanket.

What seems most disturbing about your son is that he uses it between bites! (Which kind of reminds me of my oldest daughter who lived and breathed food as a toddler and once during a meal she asked if she could have a snack!) I think it kind of points to a subconscious unfilled need - the need doesn't go away even when you seem to be getting what you think you need.

The pacifier could also be a control issue. So maybe what would help is for you to clearly define when it's appropriate to have it. Start with meals. Give him a container to put his pacifier in, away from the table. Tell him we don't need a pacifier when we're eating. He can put his pacifier in the container and it will be there when he's done eating. He has to choose between eating and sucking the pacifier. Do the same thing for snacks - if he wants a snack, the pacifier has to go in the container until he's done.

Once he understands he has a choice and control over it, tell him that now that he's a big boy, he doesn't need his pacifier during another activity like playing with a friend. He can put it in the container until he is done playing.

The more activities he learns to live without it, the less he'll even think about it. Then, ask him if he's ready to throw it away.

I still remember throwing my bottles away. I used have a bottle of milk at night and I remember my mom telling me I got to throw them away. And I remember doing it and telling my mom that there was a bottle at grandma's house that I also needed to throw away. And I looked forward to doing it. I got to be in charge of it. I don't remember missing the bottle after that.

Jill,
When my daughter was 2 she was so attached to her pacifier that we limited her time with it to car rides, nap time and bed time. When she was 3 1/2 I had my son. She still had her pacifier because I was afraid she would take his. She did try his and said it was yucky. He had the one from the hospital. Well about three months after my son was born I took her to Build A Bear at the St. Louis Zoo and had her pick out an animal. She chose a giraffe. We did all the build a bear things (warm up the heart, give the heart a kiss things like that). Then they had her give her pacifier a kiss good bye and she put the pacifier in her giraffe. Well that night when she wanted her pacifier I told her that remember that you said you were a big girl now and no longer needed it. Pacifiers are for babies. I then showed her that she could still hold her pacifier by finding it in her giraffe. She did not cry at all that night. I was ready for a long night. It was much more simple than I had ever thought it would be. She is just about to turn 6 and still has the giraffe. She still will cuddle up with it at times and hold it where her pacifier is when she gets really upset or needs comfort.
One of the things that we talked about for a week or so before going was that once it was put in the animal I could not open the animal up to take it out or it would ruin the animal. She loves her stuffed animals and always has. I tried the cutting off the tip to one of her pacifiers and it did not help, she just chewed on that one.
One of the things that I discovered about a year ago was the the one that I cut she put in a "secret hiding place" of one of her stuffed animals that she made at the Teddy Bear Factory in Spingfield, MO. That one has a velcro pocket in its back that is under that shirt that my daughter picked to put on it. So now even though she is no longer using her pacifiers she still has them close by.
Hope this helps you some. Letting her have her pacifier longer did not do any harm to her teeth. I asked her dentist several times and he kept reasuring me that her teeth were fine.
L.

I have twins that will be 4 in august. They too were addicted to the binky. A friend of mine told me she saw an episode the Super Nanny on tv and she used a trick that worked called the PaciFairy. I tried it and it worked. What I did was told my girls about the pacifairy (kinda like the toothfairy). They were 2 months shy of their 3rd birthday so I was desperate to try anything. What I did was get a basket and told the girls that we would leave the pacifiers in the basket by the window. At night while they are sleeping the pacifairy would show up and take them to babies that needed them. I got them a toy and put them in place of the pacifiers. I hid the pacifiers b/c I wasn't sure it would work. The second night, I told them they couldn't play with their new toy until they made it with out their pacifiers for one more day. It was rough the first couple of days, they begged and screamed and told me I was mean, but after 2 days they were pacifier free and have been ever since. I too tried cutting the tips off or making a split in it, but it didn't work. I hope this works for you too. Good luck!

Jill,

THis is a tough time I know! I have always heard that the best way to do it is just for it to just disappear one day. I tried that with my daughter when she was between 1.5-2. It took a few days for her to accept, but I just told her over and over that it was just gone.........it was sort of cute how we would go around the house and look for it, and then when we did not find I would just shrug my shoulders and say, "well I guess it is gone bye bye!" You might want to substitute a blanket or small stuffed animal for that "security feeling" until she gets used to not having her binky anymore. Rocking helps too! Good luck!

P.S. Even though it might be a rough couple of days, everyone in the house has to be willing to stick to "the binky is gone" and get rid of all of them that you have out of the diaper bags, drawers, and the rest of the house. Good luck...........and no matter which way you decide to go.......remember you are the mom and you know best!

D.

My daughter had her paifier until she was 4yrs old I let her stop on her own her doctor said it was ok there was know harm one day she sat it down and never picked it back up.

My advice, right or wrong, is to tell him that he can have it at nap time and bedtime only. Tell him you are so happy he can talk to you now and that he is not just a little baby that can't talk, and you want to be able to understand him when he does talk to you. Then stick to it. I did that with some of mine and it worked fine and then when the last one needed to get completely rid of it we had her throw it away herself and then it was her decision. It worked best of all the other ways I handled it with the other kids. Of course each child is different and an individual so be careful of comparing them.

Wow,some really good advice has been left on here for you.I hope something in all this helps you,Jill.My daughter is 17mos. She got sick when she was about 8 mos and was having a hard time sucking on the binky,cuz she couldnt breathe thru her nose. I took the oppurtunity and gathered every single one I could find,put them in a ziploc and put them in a kitchen drawer. I wasnt going to pitch them. Oh no! What if it didnt work? She fussed some the first day,but I think because she was sick,I gave her extra comforting anyway,so it helped.By day 3 it was like they never existed. Yanno..I kept those binkies for 3 mos. And 1 stashed in the diaper bag! Lol.

I wonder,sometimes,if its us Moms instead of our kids that have more of the issue.
I do like the 'Binky Faerie' idea.And the container idea. I did hear of another along those lines. You and the kid gather the binkies together and have him put them in a basket by the front door. The only time he can have one is when you are leaving the house and when you come back he has to drop it in the basket.Im told,eventually,he wont think about it as much and you can 'dwindle' the binkies away.(I would really try the container idea tho,to let go of it at meal time.)
Whichever way you try,I think each kid is different and he may not be ready to let go of it. It may just be his 'lovey',and yeah,you might be that parent at the grocery store with a 2yr old with a bink that everyone looks at funny. Dont worry about it. Your not a bad Mom.
Who knows....maybe they have an 8yr old that still wets the bed occasionally...
By the by... live in Buckner too,if you want to send me a private message.
Good Luck!

This is what I did. When you get a three day weekend, Have him walk his "me" to the trash and explain to him that big boys don't need a "me". Then take him out of the house for a ride or something. Then you have to be strong all weekend and let him cry for it. By Sunday , he will have forgotten what he is crying for and he will have moved on. On Monday reward him for being a big boy and don't go back to given him the me all week by the next weekend he will be completely broken.

Career Mom of four 17,14,10,8 married 19 years to loving best friend.

We had the Pacifier Fairy come and get the pacifiers in our house. They were collected and placed in a box. They box was wrapped as a present to the new baby who needs the pacifiers given by the Pacifier Fairy. We left the box for the fairy. The next morning a small toy was in the box's place.
The child has a new toy the Fairy left to play with or if need be to sleep with, one of by boys did not sleep well with out the pacifier. The stuffed animal was his gift.
Good luck!!

My daughter was the same way! She called it her "fire" and would not put it down. She bit it one day and it had a whole in it - she didn't like the sound it made and so we bought another one and she kept biting it! We left it with the whole in it. She said it was "broke" and stopped. I think a whole in it will do the trick - chopping it off seems a little drastic. Good luck!

My daughter is almost 2 1/2 and just gave up her pacifier. Actually my friend helped me. She took my daughter to the Zoo and said the monkey took her pacifier. A few days later the pacifier returned but it was cut in two. My friend told her the monkey tore it apart. My daughter took it and threw it in the trash because it was broken. Every now and then she will ask for it. But then I ask her what happened to it and she will say the monkey took it and tore it. She hasn't really fussed about it.

I wasn't too concerned about her having it (my husband was though). I guess I would much rather her have a pacifier then suck her thumb because that can be a lot harder of a habit to break!!!