My son just turned two and it is time to get rid of the pacifier. He only uses it at naptime and bedtime. I would appreciate any tips to make this a smooth transition.
Thanks.
Thanks to all of you for your advice. We ended up just taking the pacifier away and reading the book Pacifiers Aren't Forever at naptime and bedtime. He was actually okay for the first two nights, and then he was not at all happy. It took a full week for him to get over it. He did stop napping though, but we adjusted his schedule so he goes to bed earlier. Thanks to all of you!
You know a friend just gave me some advice on this. She said she put a small hole in her daughter's passy and she threw it away and her daughter cried. So she gave her another one and after a few days put a bigger hole in it and this time her daughter threw it away away this time and didn't cry to get it back. I am getting ready to try this with my grand daughter.
Hi B.,
My son went from using his pacifer all day to only bed and naptime also. He started to lose them alot and at one point I would replace it, but then I got him to go to sleep by telling him that we can't find it and we can look for it when he wakes up. Eventually he stopped looking for. He was about 1 1/2 when you stopped using it.
I just cut and pasted this from a previous post that I answered awhile ago.....
My daughter was 26 months old when we finally decided that it was time to give up the binky. I was dreading that day because she had it all the time. When she cried, she wanted it, when she slept, she wanted it. So, one day we just took it away and hid them with the others so she couldn't see them. When she asked for it, we told her that "tweet-tweet" took it away (she had just learned that birds say tweet...so we ran with it. :-)) Spur of the moment thing. She never fussed even at bed time. It was always "tweet-tweet took it with him" and she's been fine ever since.
So, cold-turkey seems to be the best way. One option I saw and was thinking about was I read somewhere that someone tied the binky to one or two balloons filled with helium and let the child let it go outside. Thought that was a cool idea. :-)
My daughter was pretty attached to her binky, so when she turned 2 I didn't know how I was going to get rid of it for good. But, one day I discovered a hole in it, and told her we had to throw it away...and this time, we had no more spare ones in the house. She threw it away, and said, 'yey, I'm a big girl." She only asked for it maybe 4 times within the next couple of days, and she only whined for it once. Hopefully your son will do better than expected without out his pacifier, too. Just have him throw it away, and tell him he is a big boy now.
I think it depends on the temperament of your little one. You could tell him ahead of time that the "paci fairy" comes to take paci's from big kids and give them to little babies (it helps if he has a new cousin or someone in the neighborhood has a new baby). And you can have him draw a picture and put it with the pacis in an envelope and put it in the mail.
Or you could just "lose" it :) That's what we did with our 20 month old. We went to grandma's house for the weekend and when we came back we said that we forgot it there. She wasn't happy, but I knew if we announced it ahead of time. Everytime she asked for it, we said "Oh, we left it at Ya-Ya's house, remember?" and she would say "yeah" (sadly, though).
STAY STRONG. Sleep will NOT be good at first, nor will going down to bed, and it will be SO SO easy to just hand the paci back to him. A few times I almost caved. If you're serious about this, just throw them all out so that's not a chance. His sleep will adjust (and not in 2 days, it may take 2 weeks) and he won't ask for it anymore.
I almost caved one day and posted on a message board as my daughter was crying upstairs and one mom said "don't cave! We caved twice and of the three times we tried to take the paci away, it got progressively harder" So draw up support and commit.
Good luck!!
My Stepsister took all the pacis and her son to build a bear. they put the pacis in the bear and now he has his bear to hug and hold! and the pacis are always close!
hope that helps!
I'm totally in the same boat, I have an 18 month old and I knew it was time to get rid of it. I started by doing what you have done and just letting him use it at bedtime. Although, like all of the ladies are warning against, he started getting his eye teeth so I "caved" in and let him have it during the day again. Now it is a NIGHTMARE he is totally ADDICTED. He won't put it down for more than 30 seconds and he runs around with the thing in his mouth ALL THE TIME. I totally just made it worse!
So our plan is that when daddy works his next few days of double shifts (why should we both suffer the anguish ;o) ) I am going to cut the nipples off and just tell him that "their broken". I was going to disappear them but then he whines at the gate to the kitchen, because he knows there in the kitchen and says "fier" "fier". Which is what we call it at our house. I think it will be easier on everyone if he has them and can try them when he gets the urge, then it's not as if Mommy took them, they just don't satisfy like they used too.
I think that 2 is too young for the pacifier fairy to work and I think that he would be mortified if we tucked them in a bear too. For you guys you might just take them all together and suffer through the hard times at rest time for the time being.
Sorry I'm rambling, the point I am making is stick to your guns because I know how hard it is when you don't. :o)
Good Luck and wish us some too.
Have a good weekend.
Your child may give up the pacifier on his own. My daughter quit on her own. AF
I agree with Monica, don't cave once you do it. Just know that (ironically) your baby (and you) will sleep BETTER when it's gone. No more waking up in the middle of the night looking for it. Also, don't feel bad about saying, "It's time," even if you know your son doesn't seem to agree. If it's time for you, then time's up. I was swayed by family saying, "Oh, she'll give it up when she feels like it." My daughter was nearly 3 1/2 and still happily using her pacifier! I knew when it was making me crazy (and I had another one on the way, like you do), that was it. She was older and so we picked out a favorite toy to get to replace it. Still, only after throwing all but one away and cutting the tip, then cutting the top completely OFF (not safe I know) did she decide she didn't want it anymore. Two is a good age, it gets harder as they get older. Man! Don't I know! Good luck, and stay strong. Give lots of hugs and kisses. He's losing a best friend.
Our daughter had a "special ninny" which she used at naptime/night time. Around when she turned two, it wore out and there was a little hole in it. When that happened, it completely turned her off and she had no problem with putting it away. I am guessing because it didn't have the same feeling and didn't hold the air inside anymore. So, maybe if you just put a little hole in it, that would help.
Before that we tried to prep her with she was a "big" girl now and we were going to give it to the "babies" that needed it. It didn't work so well for us, but all kids are different...could work for you.
lol...she is now 4 and we just recently found that "ninny" we put in the cabinet and she said, "Mommy, what is that?" :)
Good luck!
I would just take it away. He is old enough to find other ways to soothe himself, and it should only be a day or two of him really wanting it. It's hard to see your baby upset when you know he wants something so small, but you're doing the right thing to take it away :). Good luck!
If you think he will understand, have him throw it out as a ritual of his becoming a "big boy". That way he remembers that it is gone and that he helped throw it away. You definately don't want him walking around with it as he gets older because it ruins his teeth. Be patient and hang in there.
