Pacifier Woes

My boys were attached to their pacifiers. When it was time to give them up I let them cut the nipples off themselves. We made a game of it with lots of cheering and praise. When naptime came the pacifiers had no nipples because he was the one who cut them off and I was not the one who took it away. My oldest son slept with the nippleless pacifier for awhile and he decided it was no longer necessary and he threw them away.

Have you thought about having her buy something from the store with them, something she really wants at toys r us, or another toy store?

Hi A.,

I too am trying to rid my daughter of the binki. We, my husband and I, have been talking to her about giving it to Santa so he can give it to another baby. In return Santa is going to bring her a big girl present. She wants princess panties. She is ok with it one day and not the next but we are going to stick to it because her front teeth are being pushed out of place. I expect a number of days of crying because she is so attached to it but it really needs to be done. What is really frustrating is her older brother was also a binki kid but he gave them up so easy that it was like what did I wait for. He gave them up when he was two and my daughter right now is two and a half. She will be three in May. I wish you luck!!!!!!!

Hi A.
I have 4 children and 3 out of the 4 took a pacifier. The other one sucked his thumb. I was concerned about the thumb sucker, so when we visited the denist he told me not to worry so much about it. He stated it is easier to fix a couple teeth when they are oler than to fix any emotional problems, that may arrive from taking it away. All 3 pacifier children gave them up pretty easy around the age of 4. My thumb sucker gave it up between the age of 4-5. This is a security for her and especially with being the middle child. I have yet seen a child start school with one in its mouth. I will say I did limit the pacifier to just going to bed or if they weren't feeling too well around the age of 3. I did not make a big deal about it even if I did catch it in their mouth. When the time is right she will let it go. We also had a Pacifier Pary when they did throw them away, cake with presents.
D.

I know how hard that is. My son is younger, he's 19 months, and we have him down to just bedtime for now.
I have heard of turning your "nana" in to the paci fairy and she leaves a big girl present in it's place.
Or mailing the the pacifier to another baby? Just some suggestions. Hope they help!

N.
mommy of 1 19months old

I don't have any answers for you, but I just wanted to say that I know how you feel. Out of my 3 children, only one has been a binkie lover. He will be 3 in February also and I have no idea how I'm going to convince him that it has to go. He tells me all the time that he's a big boy, unless I mention giving up the binkie, then he insists that he's a baby. I think after we get back from Christmas vacation I'm going to start getting tough with the binkie issue, but for the holiday I just want peace! Thanks for posting your request, I'll be watching the responses for help too!!

Make sure she knows she is a big girl now and doesnt need it , and that she is doing the right thing buy giving it up. Give her a reward when she goes with out it, tell her she is good and give her a sticker on a chart, or on her hand, or other rewards, I dont recommend candy but candy will work to in small amounts, when ever she goes with out it. As for the crying both of my boys did it eventually the quite, so hang in there.

My oldest daughter will be 3 in March, and she gave up her much beloved pacifier in July of this year. We talked for several weeks about the "Binky Fairy" and that we were going to gather up all her pacifiers, put them in a bag, and then hang the bag in a tree outside. That night, the Binky Fairy would come take the bag and leave a BIG SURPRISE for her. There were a number of days that she said she was ready to do it, but when it came right down to it she backed out. Finally, one evening she put all the pacifiers in a bag by herself, and that was it. When she got up the next morning, there was a special card and present waiting for her. It took about a week or so before she stopped asking for it at every nap and every bedtime, but she handled it fabulously. I believe that having her put the pacifiers in the bag instead of Mommy or Daddy doing played a huge part in the success we had.

Good luck!

My daughter, who is now almost 4, loved her binkie! At 2.5 years old (Christmas Time) we talked to her about wrapping the binkie up to give to santa so he could give it to other babies. She was excited about the prospect of doing this. Well, the night came when we tried to do it and she cried like we took her best friend. It was soooooo heart breaking that we gave it back thinking she was too young. As her third birthday approached (keeping in mind everything the dentist said) we told her that if she wanted a big girl bike, helment, & knee pads, she had to throw binkie in the trash. The night before her birthday party, she did just that. I think the timing was a bit better and we were so nervous. She has been great with no issues. We also made sure to do some ritualistic stuff at night like change jammies, brush teeth, get a drink, go potty, and my husband & I both read her a bedtime story...him going last as it settles her into bed. Good luck but sometimes bribes work!!

Hi
I used to baby sit a child who was still using her pacifier at age 4. Her mom had the same situation. She had a younger brother about 1 yr old at the time.
When the kids would come over. If it dropped out of their mouth. The pacifier came up missing. I would make her take it out of her mouth to talk to me. The more active she was the less likely she wanted it. It worked the same way at her house.
Her mom took that time to wean her baby brother off of it as well. Within a week there was no pacifiers she would look for them. But within two week no one thought about it.

I have a two tr. old with the same issue I took it away from her & she sucked her thumb! Now I'm having a hard time getting her to stop that even more! I also have a six yr. old with the same problem he's six & still carries a blankie & sucks his thumb, I have tried everything myself put stuff on it threatened to throw the blankie away when he does'nt listen I have put it up & he cries so bad I give in to him. The only thing I can remember with my oldest son was we were driving in the car he threw it, I told him he threw it out the window & we cant go get another at the store because they don't have any more! He was fine with it! Sleeping was a little tough for a couple days then it got better.