How to Get Rid of the Pacifier - Lancaster,OH

Hi T.! My kids are now a little older and the very best thing we did to help my son get rid of his "foofie" was to snip a tiny bit of it off, week by week, until there was nothing left for him to suck on. It worked like a dream. This was something the pediatrician recommended and we didn't have any choking fears.

My son was approximately 19 months old when we finally was rid of the pacifier. He had taken the pacifier to the bathtub with him one day and threw it in when the water was filling up. I quickly reached in, snuck it out and then we told him it went down the drain. He has not had one since. I have also heard several other stories from other moms, like giving it to the Easter Bunny or Santa in the malls. Good luck.

Some of the gals are right in telling you that if you wait a bit longer it will be easier. At least he only uses it for bed and nap times, so it should be an easier fix, than to cut him off the whole day thing.

I told my son that on his birthday he was going to get a big party and that would be the end of the pacifier, because he would be a big boy and get big boy's toys. So you can replace one thing with another. Remember that he does not remember much about his first b-day because he was still a baby, so the 2nd b-day can be very memorable. I would give him a stuffed animal or something to replace the paci. He will fuss the first or 2nd nights but after that he should be content. We sometimes think it's harder than it is, but it seems harder on us than them.

Good luck and remember, you are the mom, don't let him tell you what is best for him.

A. Carslgaard

Dearest T.: I have learned many precious things about dear children, and, you know what.....(I have 6) patience is key. Is it really necessary to get rid of the pacifier if the child isn't really developmentally ready to let go of it. does the time matter - does it count - is there some table that tells us a child must be rid of the bottle and pacifier at specific ages. You know something...I have friends who homeschool their children and are stay-at-home Christian moms that believe that one should breastfeed for 2 years plus and they have no problems with this. What does the child want - need? Pay attention to that and you'll have successful children.

God bless,

M. G.

Ah, he seems to young to get rid of the pacifier..

T.
at only 15 months your little one probably still needs the security of the paci. If he only uses it for bedtime and naps...what is the hurry to take it away? It is not a bad thing it is toooo young to take it away.

There are such conflicting views on whether or not a pacifier is a healthy habit and when to break it. Check in developmental ages and stages material if you haven't already. 15 months is still a pretty oral stage and if it's not interefering with his verbalizing,and he's just using it to go to sleep I think it's a good thing!
Blessings,
S.
Developmental Therapist

What worked best was to just take all the paci's in the house and put them in a top drawer right when our son turned 1. Every child is different and I won't lie it was a rough couple of days! But after 2-3 days he seemed to forget all about them but he has gone to holding a "blankie" for a lovie. During nap and bedtimes I would take extra time to read him a book and let him cuddle with his blankie while drinking his milk and rocking him to sleep. Eventually I was just able to read him a book in his crib and he would just fall asleep. It takes time and patience good luck to you sweetie! Stay strong. :)

Cutting the pacifier is NOT a good idea, as one member suggested -- that is a choking hazard!

Hi T. - first of all, I would offer you shouldn't feel "pressured" into breaking the paci habit. Both our boys, 20 mos and 34 mos gave theirs up very easily and our 20 mos old was very attached to his paci! At around 15 mos we just let them use it for naps and bedtime. At around 18 mos we just didn't offer it to them. Our older son never once asked for it or indicated he missed it. Our younger son would go to sleep easily at nap time without it but wanted it at nighttime, so we'd give it to him. Before he turned 19 mos he was using it so infrequently that when he asked for it at night, we just said it was "bye-bye" and did the sign for "all gone". He cried for a few seconds but then got interested in reading books. I think this happened for two or three nights in a row and then it was over. Never heard about it again from him -my parents were shocked because every time they saw him, he had it in his mouth and almost every picture of him he's got one in his mouth.

Bottom line, don't stress over getting him to give up the paci. If it helps him calm down and go to sleep and he still shows an interest in it, let him have it. As a single first time Mom, I'm sure you feel compelled to want to do everything "right" (don't we all!)... in hindsight, I think what was the big deal with the paci anyway? (I never wanted my boys to use one). Relax, let him use it for awhile if it helps him AND you a little! :)

Cut off the tips! It's the easiest way in the world to get rid of them. Start small. They loose their sucking effect that way. And when they get confused and tell you it's broken, just say I'm sorry honney, sometimes things just break. They will naturally want it less. Then every couple days, or every week, cut it a little farther. Continue doing this until they stop using them on their own. I know for some kids, that means cutting it almost all the way! Good luck!

When we were ready to break the paci-habit, the "paci-fairy" visited our house. One evening before bed, we took the paci outside and tied it to a tree branch with ribbon. In the morning, the paci was gone and in its place was a simple little gift sprinkled with fairy dust. My son thought it was magical but he was slightly older (about 2). Good luck!

Well the only way you can do this is by taking it away slowly. Start at nap time for a couple of days then once he is ok with not having it for a nap you can start with taking overnight. With anything once you start you can't stop this will only confuse him. So the best thing for you to do is not to give in once you start.

I've heard that a baby finds the pacifier soothing because it's "his" or "hers". If you give them something else to cuddle with, you can then take away the pacifier. My daughter is almost a year old, and she only uses the pacifier at night & naptime. We're transitioning her to the blanket now (pacifier and blanket). In a couple months, we'll take away the pacifier, but she'll still have her blanket to cuddle with at night.

Some people might think that we're just getting her attached to something else that will need to be taken away. I, personally, do not care how long she holds on to her blanket because it does not have the side affects that the pacifier does.

Just my opinion... I hope this helps!

I had a child very much attached to her pacifier. When ready to "get rid" of it, I cut the tips off the pacifiers. When she went to suck on it at night, it didn't fill the need she wanted, so she naturally stopped using it. You could also tie in the "oh no, it is broken" routine and then throw them out together.

My son was 18 months old when we decided to take the pacifier. We slowly took it to just nap and bedtime, then one night i couldn't find it and that was when we decided to completely stop using it. cold turkey! We have 2 nights of a fussy wake up in the middle of the night, but his dad went (because i knew i would cave and turn the house upside down to find one) in and checked on him and tucked him in again and gave him a hug and kiss and that was it, no screaming nights for a week or whatever you normally hear. We were just sick and tired of having to have a pacifier all the time! I am so happy that we stoppped it when we did, because i see 3 and 4 year olds with them still and i'm just in awe! Try nap time/ bedtime on a weekend when you don't need to get up for work or anything and see how it goes... just remember one thing try not to cave in and give him one! trust me it'll be hard but my son is now 22 months old and it's a lot easier when your out and about not having to worry about the pacifier they may or may not be throwing out of the storller/ cart! Good Luck!!! Be Strong!

Throw it away and don"t buy another.

T.,
Our daughter was 2 when we were on vacation and every pacifier we had with us either cracked or got a hole in it from her chewing on them. We weaned her while there and actually I think it was a good thing because there were many distractions and she was tired at night. While I am not suggesting that you need to take a vacation it may be helpful to cut a small slit in the tip so he will not get the enjoyment from sucking on it. We only had a few tough nights were it was hard for her to get to sleep, but after that she was fine. I do think that his transition should be pretty smooth because he is so young. Good luck!
T.

With my son after he broke the passy,I had him take the pacifier and trow it in the trash himself and told him to say "I am a big boy now, and the passy is for babies not big boys". It help him trowing it away, so when he asked for it the next time I said remember you are a big boy now and you trew it in the trash and the trasman took it away.
My son was also about 18 months. Hope this helps.

Hi T.,
It's hard and you have to be strong. My children are 14, 9, and 3 and they were all different. The oldest I just took it away one night and he cried for about a half an hour and I didn't go into the room and the next night he didn't ask for it. My three year old, I just told her "don't you want to be a big girl?". (She has an older sis) And she didn't want it anymore. Boys are usually a little slower than girls, try it once and see how he reacts and then go from there. If he throws a huge fit, maybe wait until 2. Don't worry about it though. How many 18 year olds are walking around with pacifiers? Good luck.

There is no hurry. Our granddaughter is 34 months and uses it only at bedtime. Her speech is fine and she is happy and contented.

We waited until our son was 2 to break the habit of the pacifier. At first we kept the pacifier only for naps and bedtime. Then we told our son it was "going to go ". We basically went "cold turkey " with him. We threw them ALL away. (Not in front of him) There were not any in the house. I don't think his transition was extemely hard, but he did miss them. But we warned him they were going. At fifteen months, that may be hard for him to understand.... but try what you think will work for you and your son.

I cut my son's pacifier down the middle and when he put it in his mouth he immediately took it out and never wanted it again. I hope this helps.

Supernanny did the cutest thing for this! She had the boy box up all his pacifiers and put them outside on the doorstep for the "Passy Fairy." Next morning there was a gift on the doorstep for him. This boy was old enough (4, I think!) to take part in the packaging; yours may be a bit young yet.

I never had to really deal with this, my kids were attached to the blankies! But I have heard ideas, like let them "purchase" a special toy with the pacifier-they can hand it to the cashier, or leave it for the pacifier "fairy" who will leave something special.

T., I might not be popular for giving this answer....but I wouldn't rush it...my now 7 yo daughter took a "pappy" at nap and bedtime til she was 4 and then the "pappy fairy" came one night and took it and left her a stuffed animal. Sometimes kids need that comfort. If you are worried, consult your dentist (which is what I did...talked to the pediatric dentist) and made sure that her teeth weren't being affected then didn't worry about it since she wasn't doing it in public, etc.

Good Luck!

little ones WANT what they are USED to having...

parents need to be tough and make it through the first 2-5 days when they kids beg or throw tantrums cause they "can't have it".

is it EASIER to get rid of the PACIFIER habit than the THUMB SUCKING habit.

We had one of each with our first two - we just begged and begged the thumb sucker to stop (that was probably when she was about 2 1/2). It didn't work. Well not while we were still trying.

Our PACIFIER girl - always "needed" it when she went to bed (nap or night). Until one day when It got lost (that was after we lost the other 3-4 that we had). Well the last one we had, GOT LOST (lol). She wasn't a happy camper the first 2-3 days but you could see she was kind of getting used to it after that and it didn't take long til she was okay with not having a pacifier.

then....

GUESS WHAT?????

... we found it (right where I PUT it)... awww... it was "broke" (because before I hid it, between her box springs and bedframe, I put a large cut in it)...she was fine with that and I had her throw it away!

Wa La --- it worked! It was all up to me - the PARENT! :)

Now we have another Thumb Sucker - well, not for long... he also, since he was a baby, would put his index finger up his nose... it was a comfort thing - kind of like when 'I used to rub the silky part of my blankie' and it was kinds cute - well, THAT has become a problem... he WAS Making his nose bleed almost every night (even if I would file his nails and keep them cut short)... he has had to wear gloves or mittens the past couple weeks... guess what, he is getting in the GOOD HABIT of NOT needing his THUMB!

JUST be CREATIVE and BE PARENTS -- we are the ones who decide what is right and wrong for our kids... if we don't follow through - WHERE WILL THEY BE????

sorry if I went on and on - just thought others who might read this could benefit from it.

Have a great day!

T.-

I somewhat feel like a pro in this area. I have three children and all of them were ADDICTED to their "passy". My oldest was two when I decided that it was time for her to give it up. I read, read and read even more to find the best method. Let me tell you, there is no best method. However, whatever method you choose, you have to stick with it. Anyway, with my oldest, we picked a date that we were going to start weaning her off of her addiction and put it on the calendar. We chose a Friday in the event that late nights were involved. We clipped the end off so that it didn't have the same feeling when she sucked on it. Three days into it, she was taking the "passy" out of her mouth saying that it didn't taste good -- she was done!

My middle daughter has a brother that is 14 months younger. We felt guilty about robbing her of her babyhood by bringing the little boy beast into the family, thus we allowed the passy to linger too long. She was 3 before we weaned her off and we decided that it would be cruel for her to watch her brother run around with one in his mouth so we zapped his at the same time. Clipping the end DID NOT WORK this time around. This time we decided to go cold turkey. Again, we began on a Friday and all caregivers had to be on the same page -- NO MORE PASSY. My husband chose one child and I chose the other and we did sleepovers (we slept in their rooms with them) and we tried to tickle, sing or whatever it took for them to fall asleep without their beloved friend, passy. My two year old did great. He'd ask for it but we'd tell him that he was a big boy and he didn't need it any more. My 3 year old on the other hand was having serious withdraws. We would then let her take 10 sucks and lay it on her pillow or hold it in her hand. Three days into it -- she was done. She just needed the security. We had a passy free house. We then celebrate at Chucky Cheese.

Some try the Passy Fairy or giving their passy to a "new" baby in the neighborhood but my kids were too smart and too addicted to fall for something that crazy.

Pick your date and stick too it. BTW, good luck!

The best advice I ever got was this: cut the nipple of the pacifier, then give it to your son when he wants it. I did this with my son and he found he had no use for it - he threw it across the room and that was the end of that. Instead of taking away something he wanted, he realized he had no use for it anymore. Good luck!

Start cutting a little of the nipple off. Your son will notice the difference and will not want to suck on it as much. It worked for my daughter. Make sure you find all of the pacifiers in the house and throw them out. Only have one that has been cut. Just keep cutting back until there is no nipple left. I hope this helps!

Hi T.,
I have three children (2, 4, & 6) who all loved their paci. For each of them, around 20 months, I just cut the tip off. (Mine also only used them for naps and bedtime.) Once they discovered that it was 'broken,' they wanted no part of it and ended up throwing it away on their own. It was really easy...much harder on me...and they slept fine afterwards (and have ever since.) I know it isn't easy, but it is so nice when it is done! Good luck!!!!!!!
S.

Hi T.,

I also cut off the tip of the pacifier just like Jennifer, and believe me, it works wonderfully and is not a choking hazard (I don't know what that person is thinking). Every week I cut a little more off until my son had nothing left to suck, and even then he held it in his hand for a few more weeks before he stopped asking for it at bedtime (he had no other "lovey" at the time). I think you are smart to get rid of them sooner rather than later, when they become a psychological rather than physical need, but my pediatrician said the sucking need actually peaks around 18 months, so you may want to wait a little longer before you start the process. It was painless for us, and my son is 2 now and talks and sings himself to sleep instead of sucking on a silly pacifier! Good luck!

The key is listening to and understanding your child. There is absolutely no reason at this point for him to give up his paci. If he's only using it for bedtimes and nap then he's already doing well. Some kids need it and some kids don't. What works for one mom may not work for another. My daughter was 3 when she gave hers up. We had talked with her pediatric dentist and he said as long as it was gone by 3 1/2 she would be fine. And when the time came it was easy. As other mom's have said, this time will go by so fast there's no need to rush it.

with my twins, one night I just had removed them from the cribs. i "looked and looked for them" when they 'asked" for them - they were about 18 months - and i "couldnt find them". It was a rough few nights after that but after about a week they're fine. Good luck and stick with it - dont give in.

A.

I had to take away my son's pacifier so he could sleep through the night. Sadly, the best way I found was to let him cry. I would go in every 10 minutes or so to assure him I was still there. It took about 3 nights, but now he can sleep without the pacifier and generally sleeps for 10 hours straight each night.

Do whatever feels best to you. :)

Hi I think my son used the pacifier up to age 2, but only for naps and the car. Then one day we discovered that my dog had chewed one of them up. I was surprised that my son was OK with that. So I planted the other pacifier on the floor with the end of it cut off and when my son walked into his room, he just said, Oh no, the doggy at the binky. But then he was fine with it. He might have asked for it a few times, but we just reminded him that the dog ate it. It worked very well. Good luck.

Hi, T.. My friend had a great way of getting rid of the paci. Her just 2-year-old son was only using his paci at naps and bedtime, too. There was a specific toy that he kept talking about at Wal Mart. So she talked with him at different times over a week about "buying" the toy with his pacifiers. When she was confident that he understood that he was going to be getting rid of all of his pacifiers for the toy she took him to a Wal Mart they didn't usually go to (therefore he couldn't go to 'their' Wal Mart and try to get the pacifiers back) and he "paid" for the toy with his pacifiers. She literally had him hand his baggy of pacifiers to the cashier and they left. It worked great! The important thing was he was ready and understood. Hope this helps...D.

Hello....well both of mine were 12 months when we took theirs. They only used theirs at nap and bed time. We just took it away. We never gave in....just threw them away. And surprise you know they had no problem! I think because they were not that "attached" to it, that helped. My DH and I agreed before having our first that when they turned one that they would no longer use a pacifier. We stuck to it....and we are very happy about it! I have always heard the longer you wait the harder it is. I also read an article that it supposely only takes them 72 hours to get over it and forget about it. Good Luck!

On that show nanny 911 I have seen her tell the children that we have to give them to other babies that need them and let the child put it in a baggy for them to go. I have also seen where they tie it to a bloon for the babies in heaven to use. My son was VERY attached to his and it is just like a bottle and I told him he was too old for it now. That he was a big boy now. It was a hard couple of days but if you stick to it he will be fine!!!!

I had this same issue with my daughter! Very frustrating! She was 22 months before I just decided it was time to get rid of the thing. She cried for 2 1/2 days straight and then it was forgotten. It was a bit like someone who quits smoking. My daughter went through "withdrawals". She also had it only when she was in her bed. She used to take long naps just so she could have it. With having it only in bed you can't really wean them away from it. It had to be cold turkey. We gave our daughter extra hugging time and more outside time to really tire her out before bed. After a few nights we would hear her talk herself to sleep or talk to her toys. Her sleep patterns never changed. She continued to sleep all night and take long naps. She napped until she started school. I hope all goes well for you.

Start with taking it away at naptime first. He'll fuss. It's how he's gotten to sleep for months. Be prepared & just let him fuss. In a few days he'll be fine. Soon after that do it at night. All but 1 of mine had it taken away before their birthday.

Hope you get several responses to this one. My Daughter was done with the bottle and pacifier before he was a year old. We had several pacifiers. One day, she seemed uninterested in them except for nap or bed time. I started throwing them away. We got down to 2. I kept one at my Mom's and one at home. After a couple months, I put her down for a nap and she wanted her pacifier (called a binky then). I acted like I was hunting it and then told her I couldn't find it. I calmly talked to her until she fell asleep. I knew where it was just in case she really made an issue of it. She got it several times after that, but as I thought she made a big enough fuss over it. I eventually was able to throw those 2 away. That was how I handles it. Hope you get other responses.

Hello, I am the mother of four children and my first three had their pacifiers taken away without too much fuss. My fourth child DID NOT want to give it up. One day I took the pacifier and cut the tip off of it and gave it back to my son....he decided he didn't like the "broken binky" and would throw it down. I kept the binky around and gave it to him every time he got fussy.....he would say "broke" and throw it down. It took about a week for the fussing to stop but it was a lot better than the constant screaming and crying that he did when I just "lost" the binky. All children react differently since they have different levels of attachment to it. Good luck to you and your son!

I wouldn't be too worried just yet about the 'binky' - pacifer. He is still a little young. When he is ready
(usually around 2) you could substitute it for a stuffed
animal or just talk about what a big boy he is and how
he doens't need the binky. Let him throw it into the
garbage.

Some older kids respond to the "paci needs its mommy" trick. You can tie a paci to a string on a balloon and set it free for it to find its mommy paci. But your baby seems a little too young for that. But that is YOUR call! I say let him have it a little longer! They grow up TOO FAST! I am telling you in a few months you will ask yourself where did the baby go? BUT, you can gradually decrease the time he has it until he if free of it. You will have to do that in addition to distraction methods. Maybe play/cuddle with toys instead of the paci. Its not too hard. My first son just gave it up himself. My second never really wanted one!
Good Luck!

C.

p.s. you can just take it away and see the response!

Try a little lemon juice or something of that nature, that wouldn't be so appealing, actually good for him, but make him think twice about the pacifier. I've heard of people using cayenne, too....and for thumb suckers.

My pediatrician has always told me to make sure the child is ready. If not, it is a battle not worth fighting. My pediatrician and pediatric dentist have both told me that as long as they are only having it at nap and bedtime, there's no real rush to get rid of it. You will know when they are ready to give it up. Also want to point out, you can always take a pacifier away, but not a thumb. If the child is not ready to give it up, they will resort to sucking their thumb instead, which will be a lot harder to break b/c you can't take it away. Best of luck to you!!!