Pacifier Use - Evergreen,CO

Honestly, I wouldn't have let either of my kids keep it that long. But, that can't be changed, and if you have another, maybe you will do it differently.

What worked for someone I know, she took the binkies/pacis whatever you want to call them, tied them to balloons and told her daughter they were sending them to the binkie fairy and the binkie fairy would give her binkie to some of the little babies. Then she let them go, they waved byebye and that was that.

And the risk of SIDS peaks 2-4 months, by the time they can roll over and pick their heads up well off the floor the risk of SIDS is almost nil. Studies have shown that pacifiers may help reduce the risk, but not in a two year old.

My son stoped useing his this year. He is two and a half. I read that letting them use it while sleeping until 2 is good becaue it can help avoid SIDS. When we thought it was time to take it away tht is just what we did. We just let them "disappear". we actually lost all of them and did not go buy more. We told my son that the Binky Fairies came and took all of them to another little baby that needed them. It worked and he has not asked for one since. Good luck!

At about 12 months I took the paci away from my daughter. Fortunately it just worked. I have a friend who just got her daughter to give it up, just before h 4th b-day. The sooner the better. Pacifiers are for babies...good luck

My son was never interested in a pacifier, but I've heard that one thing that can work is to use a needle to puncture the little air bubble inside the pacifier (the part that makes it enjoyable to suck on) and she may decide she doesn't like it anymore and wean herself from it. That might be easier than trying to take it away. Good luck!

With my son, who is now 2, I stopped giving him his pacifier at age 1. When he was really little he would have it everywhere he went, and then we made it just strictly for bedtime only at about 10 months, so he cried when we went out for it, but it only really lasted a day. Then when he turned 1, i just took it away. He cried at bedtime once, and that was it! Honestly, I wouldn't really go into detail about taking it away trying to explain to a toddler that might not quite understand. I would just do it, throw them all out so you have no excuse to give in! Your daughter will eventually forget that she ever needed it. I know it sounds harsh, but it won't last long.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org) is awesome. There is an article on pacifier and thumb sucking which I had to read because my 18 month old daughter is addicted to her pacifier as well. Here's what it says on that site:

As a first step in dealing with your child's sucking habits, ignore them! Most often, they will stop on their own. Harsh words, teasing, or punishment may upset your child and is not an effective way to get rid of habits. Instead, try the following:

*Praise and reward your child when he does not suck his thumb or use the pacifier. Star charts, daily rewards, and gentle reminders, especially during the day, are also very helpful.
*If your child uses sucking to relieve boredom, keep his hands busy or distract him with things he finds fun.
*If you see changes in the roof of your child's mouth (palate) or in the way the teeth are lining up, talk to your pediatrician or pediatric dentist. There are devices that can be put in the mouth that make it uncomfortable to suck on a finger or thumb.

No matter what method you try, be sure to explain them to your child. If they make your child afraid or tense, stop them at once.

The good news is that most children stop their sucking habits before they get very far in school. This is because of peer pressure. While your child might still use sucking as a way of going to sleep or calming down when upset, this is usually done in private and is not harmful. Putting too much pressure on your child to stop may cause more harm than good. Be assured your child will eventually stop the habit on his own.

***Hope this helps, as it did with my decision! =)

With all of our kids, they only used the pacifier for sleeping - and we we stopped them at around 15 months - 2 years depending on the child (We have 4). The best way we found to rid them of it was to snip a teeny piece off the end....then wait a few days and snip a tiny bit more. Eventually, it loses its' appeal.

Good luck!

I stopped using them as soon as they started to get teeth..... when they are old enough to drop the bottle, the same goes for the "binki".... my 1st was the easiest, she loved the sippy and then the binki was easy.... the 2nd she wouldnt let go that was her security, right after her 1st bday we brought her the trash can and told her it was time to be a big girl and it was time to say bye bye to binki, it worked..... she cried for a couple nights when she realized she didnt have it, but it went away quick...thankfully with my youngest he didnt want anything to do with it, it was the bottle that was hard to break him of............... its worth a shot!

For our daughter, we did the same thing. Pacifier use was restricted to bedtime and fussiness. We actually just went cold turkey one night and didn't give her one at all. Believe it or not, she didn't mind and went to sleep. You might just want to try weaning her off. Try one night without for a week and then increase the number or just try cold turkey and see how it works. She was actually ready to give it up. If you have a nighttime ritual, that seems to help. If you don't have a bedtime routine, then start one without the pacifier. She will no longer expect it. It also depends on her temperament. If she is more attached to objects, then it may take a little longer to wean her off but if she seems a little indifferent to it, then just trying not giving it to her at all.

Good luck,
M.

I can say now is the best time. After the year mark every month that passes it will be harder habit to break. She needs to learn how to sleep with out using anything, it isn't good for her at all dental wise. I say too, help it kind of be her choice by cutting the ends of them, making it a big girl thing not to. She is still young, but if you break the habit now you will be a lot less stressed and it will be a lot easier then later. She cues into you giving it to her when she is fussy so she is already associating it with soothing. Try doing a stuffed animal, something else, like burst into a song or something when she is getting fussy.

When my son was about a year old or so, my husband took it away, cold turkey. He was only using it for sleep. To our amazement, NOTHING happened...no reaction. It was great. Maybe we were lucky, but I'm glad we did it. He does have a lovey that he's very attached to, so that's his main thing in bed.

I had a friend who did it as a party. Say good buy and throw them away. She'd get them out of the trash later for the next kid. Worked well for all her kids.

I've also heard that cutting the end off so the suck is not as satisfying can help, but I can't think of anyone I know who's actually done this.

My daughters have both used their pacifier only at nap and bedtime until they turned three. On their third birthday they both new that their pinky (as we called him) had to go back to his Mommy. We talked about this event often and reminded both of that this was coming. On their birthday we sent pinky in an envelope to his Mommy. They both cried for a couple of nights, but then would tell my husband and I how pinky missed his Mommy and had to go back to her. Hope this helps! -A.

I have a son who is 3 1/2 and he used the pacifier until he was 18 months. My son's Dr told me after 18 months is when they really get attached to the pacifier, so I decided it would be then when I took it. It was hard to do but I just took it and he cryed the first night I think he cryed for 1 or 2 hours and I just went in every 15-20 minutes and talked to him and told him mommy and daddy are here but it was night night time. If he needed me I would be here but it was time to go to sleep. Turned and walked out of his room I did this every night and nap time and within a week he was done with the pacifier.

Good Luck
J.

We limited it to bedtime as well. We were on vacation in San Diego when she was 22 months. We saw some baby ducks and I convinced her that the ducks needed it because they were so little and she was so big. So, we left that one and hid the rest to make sure it was going to work. She had a couple of rough nights and we just kept telling her that the baby ducks had it and we couldn't take it back from them. Within a week, she was over them and was sleeping better because she wasn't waking up looking for them in the middle of the night. I have also heard of a "binky fairy" taking it and leaving a "big kid" present. Good Luck! We are getting ready to take it away from our 2nd one as well.

My son didn't drop his until he was two and a half, and that was only because for a couple of weeks I'd make Binky disappear. (But believe me- before that, he and Binky were inseperable!) When my son would ask where Binky was, I would say that Binky went to visit his mommy. Finally, I threw it away. My son asked, and I told him that Binky missed his mommy so much that he had to go live with her again. He was upset, but I think he understood how nice it is to be with your mommy, because he got over it fairly quickly. Best of luck to you!

Two of my 3 boys used pacifiers. We had both get rid of them around 2 ish. We got some GREAT advice on how to quit using them, and it worked great for BOTH of them.....we slowly took a snip off the end of the pacifier with scissors. Every other day we took another small nip off the end. They are able to put their tongue in the hole, and they HATE it. Both of my boys decided they didn't need pacifiers within a week of us doing this. Hope it works for you, too!

S.,
I also have a daughter who will be 16 months old in a few days. She still has a pacifier and uses it whenever she wants it. She has started to go longer periods of time without it, but she still uses it a lot. I think that they will give it up on their own around the age of 2. I am not worried about taking the pacifier away until after then. It is a security for her and I am fine with her having one. If others are pressuring you to get your daughter off the pacifier and you are concerned about it then I would suggest talking to the babies doctor. Also, I know I had a pacifier until I was about 2 years old and then my parents "lost" it. SO that is my plan if she doesn't give it up on her own, but I would say to you not to worry about her yet! I hope this helps a little but. I also have 2 older boys who never had the pacifier like my daughter does, so I think every child is different. Good luck :)

This might sound terrible but my son had his pac up until about 2 1/2. It was his safety net and he wouldn't latch on to anything else. We tried all kinds of stuff. But our son is smart. He felt that if it was broken we could just buy more. And all the other things didn't work. so we talked with our doc and she said it was fine but limit it to nighttime. So at about age 11/2-2 we only let him have it in his room. So during the day if he felt like he needed it he could have them as long as he stayed in his room. To help with this process we decorated a little wooden box (from michaels) and stored them in his "pac box" And if he really needed them, we would let him carry around the box but not put a pac in. Then that Christmas when he was 2 1/2 we told him that santa would be coming to get his paces so he could give them to the other babies who would need them. It worked, we wrapped them and left them under the tree for santa. Also note that since santa did just come, you could do this at anytime just say that santa needs to take them to his workshop so they are ready to pass out on christmas.

I had my first child, a daughter, in 1976, a month before I turned 17. My son came along 5 1/2 years later. I never purchased a pacifier, and those received as gifts were promptly thrown away. I could never grasp the concept of using an ugly little rubber fake nipple to console an unhappy infant.

A fussy child is either hungry, uncomfortable, sick, in pain, or yearning to be soothed by the attention of a parent's voice or gentle touch.

I'm quite sure that crying and fussing aren't considered life-threatening situations, or that the media has ever used the headline or breaking news hook: "Infant's Screams Cause Death of Innocent Shopping Mall Patrons!"

I'd be most curious to know how many current substance abusers and addicts were "pacified", not by loving gestures of intimacy and affection from their parents, but instead by the use of a cheap, rubber product, manufactured solely as a convenient substitute to loving, caring, parental attention.

Gather every pacifier in your house, and have your daughter stand next to you, as you matter-of-factly (with NO immature display of apologetic emotion or sympathetic remorse in your voice!), explain to her that because she's a wonderful, grown up, smart, special, good girl (or whatever descriptions make her happiest), today is the exciting, marvelous, award-winning day to say good bye to baby pacifiers (or whatever nickname they may have - don't even get me started on that topic), then toss them in! Reward her with a treat, and avoid mentioning them again. If she speaks of them, or asks for one, ignore her and change the subject immediately.

I sincerely apologize for being harsh, but I have always despised the use of pacifiers.

Good luck.

Both of our boys (now 6 and 4) used pacifiers at night and naps until they were 2. We made a very big deal about turning 2 years old to each of them. There were some special things that they got to do when they turned 2, and the pacifier fairy also came on their birthday. They left their pacifiers (ALL of them) under their pillows and the fairy took them while they were sleeping. We talked about this quite a bit, so that they were very excited about it. It worked like a charm. However, remember to thrown them away or put them someplace they can't be found later!!

I let my kids use pacifiers as long as they wanted to. I never just pulled it away. If they don't ask for it, don't offer it, however. I found that my kids gave it up on their own eventually.

We took my daughter's pacifier away just before her 2nd birthday. I cut a small hole in the tip of it and when I gave it to her at bedtime, she put it in her mouth and then took it back out, gave me a funny look and said something to the effect of "it's broken" and handed it back to me. She fussed for a few minutes that first night and that was it. We were amazed it was so easy! We thought it would be a long and drawn out since she had been so attached to it. Best of luck to you! It might be easier than you think!!

Hi S.!
I can relate to the pacifier dilemma. I personally think pacifiers are okay because some children just need that personal comfort and trying to take it away too soon can be traumatic because they don't understand why you won't let them have it. To some parents its about being right and not about just going with the flow. Not everything can be controlled all of the time.

My experience is this...
My son is two months shy of his 3rd birthday and we tried once to get rid of the "NUK" about a year ago and he was absolutely against the idea. He freaked out and would scream and cry if he didn't get it. SO we gave in which was something I didn't agree with but I thought I'd just go with the flow and try again later. He's been talking for over a year and lately it's been constantly and I'd always have to say "Masun please take your NUK out when you talk". At that point we decided to we started talking to him about it saying... "okay Masun you're getting to be a big boy now and you don't need your NUK anymore". After about a week we decided to take NUK and get him a new toy, something small, as a reward He's huge into Thomas the Train so I took him to Toy's R US and let him pick out a new car. He agreed to that happily and it hasn't been a problem. He received a lot of praise which really helped enforce that it was partly his decision to say good-bye to it.

You could have the Pacifier Fairy come visit while she sleeps (leave it on the window sill during the summer) and leave a small toy in exchange. Or another good idea might be telling her that the newborns at the hospital need pacifiers and it would be very sweet if she would give hers to them. (you could mail it in a pretty envelop - to an address you know - and have her put stamps on it and put it in the mail box) I think it's a big deal for them and a step to becoming a big girl/boy. you can also get books that you can read with them.

My pediatrician said that a good goal is their 2nd birthday but if it's a huge fight just go with it. It really depends on the child. You know her better then anyone so I'd work with that.
I hope I've helped. :) Best of luck!

Hello. So I stopped mine from useing one the same time I got him off the bottle which is about 8 months. I just took it away. Some people say that kids will get rid of it when they want, but thats not true if you don't want your child on it anymore take it away.. Im not sure how she would react now that shes a little older but if she whines for it just distract her with something else or if she understands tell her its broken and theres no more. Im planning on doing the same thing with my second son soon, He's 6 months now so I will see. =o)

I went through this last week. My oldest got thrush at about 4 months so we took his away then because he didn't really want it. But my youngest turned 2 on Jan 6 he only used it for bed time. didn't use one for naps at daycare. I always tell him to put it in the same place(on his pillow when he gets up. Well about 2 days before his birthday he got up for water before settling for bed and I kinda took it. He looked for it but didn't really freak out. I think I got lucky because without knowing it he was ready. I thought there would be a freak out session but there wasn't. He asked for it maybe one more time. It has been little more then a week and so far so good. Well see what happens with #3 due in July.
I had talked to my husband about cutting the Pon(pacifier in spanish shortened from Chupon) but taking it away that night was more of an experiment that to our surprise worked.

I would suggest going cold turkey. I know that sounds harsh, but in my experiences, this is what works the best.

I stopped giving my son his pacifier at two years old. We went to the dr for his two year check up and the dr told HIM that he was too old to have a pacifier. I said, "Okay, then let's throw it away right here at Dr. C's office." We went through the motions of actually throwing it away and he never had a pacifier again(even though his baby sister had one at the time) It was hard the first day and that was it. I think it is more about us, as parents, not relying on it as a source to quiet our children.

My daughter was actually weaned off it at 9 months because she was showing disinterest. So, I did not take it away cold turkey. I did what you are doing and gradually forbid it at certain times. She never showed any signs that she even missed it. Well, when it was time to wean her from the breast at 20 months, I had a hard time. So, I went back to the pacifier. After having it for about eight months, I went cold turkey. Grandma still gives her one(nice, huh?) despite our pleas to not give it to her. Anyway, cold turkey has worked for us! Sorry so long-good luck! I say get rid of it while you can, both of my children have had protruding teeth from it, but they have gone back to normal since we took the pacifiers away earlier than later.

When my daughter (now 6) was a baby the pacifier was like a godsend, esp. to quell screaming in the car and when she was teething. She used it until she was about 2 1/2, after her molars finally came in. Then we decided it was time to say byebye to the binky. She wasn't as crazy about the idea though. So, what we did was we refused to buy new ones - she'd chew on them so they'd go 'flat' - when she didn't like the flat ones. She'd ask for her binky, we'd give her a flat one, she'd put it in her mouth for a few seconds, realize it was an old one then throw it down. We told her if she wanted a binky that was the one she'd need to use. The first day or two was a little rough, but she finally figured out we weren't going to budge on our decision so she gave up.

Good luck,
M.

Hi S.. I wouldn't worry about it. I have four kids who have all loved their pacifiers. It seems that gradually they have each weened themselves when they were ready. Some people may see it a different way, but pacifiers, in my opinion, seem to bring such calming comfort to them, that I say if it helps them get to sleep (or to be quiet when they are fussy), let them have their pacifier. In time, they will become distracted by something else, or in our case, one by one they (the pacifiers) will eventually all got lost at the grocery store, park, etc. and thus, forgotten. My rule of thumb is this--as long as they are not old enough to say the word "pacifier" it is O.K. for them to have one. good luck!

Hi S.,

We too had a toddler who didn't want to let go of the pacifier. He was around 2 when he finally stopped using it. My husband and I learned that we were using it more for us than him! Every time we would go out we took it in case of a melt down in public and then when we wanted him to take a nap.

Once we decided to get him weaned off of it it was pretty easy. We used a story that a fairy took his binky and gave it to a baby who needed to use it and that he wasn't a baby anymore. He really responded to the story and said "baby has my binky". I know that it doesn't always work on all kids though. But, when you are ready to try... My sister used the "snip the end of the binky off" of the pacifier and by the end of the week there wasn't anything left of it! It worked for her little girl.

Good luck to you in what you decide!