When to Get Rid of Paci - Abilene,TX

Just let it wear out. Don't buy anymore and get rid of the "extras" you have around the house. If she is 3, so what? When it gets yucky, she'll give it up herself. Meanwhile, you'll sleep just fine. I never saw a kid take a paci to kindergarten, and I taught for 5 years!!!

I cut the tip off also, within a fews days he didn't want it at all. He did not cry at all. My sister did the same thing and it worked for her too.

I would get rid of it now, before you move. If you don't, then I'ld say wait until 6 months after you move. She'll adjust to not having it in a week or so. Just stick to it once you've taken it away. I would be a HUGE hassle for all involved if you don't stick to it once you've decided to stop.

Hi R.,
My daughter had her paci through her 3rd birthday because at 2 years old, we moved and at 3 we were expecting a new baby. My daughter's cardiologist encouraged us to let her have the paci through these stressful times. At 3 and a half we had a talk with our daughter. Would she like the paci fairy to come and leave her a present in exchange for her paci's or would she like to hand down her paci's to her baby sister? Only babies need paci's and she was a big girl now! Worked beautifully. She did latch on to a teddy bear for a while that had been previously ignored when she did drop the paci, but nothing traumatic. My advice is don't push her, in a few months her reasoning skills will improve and everyone will be less stressed.

Every book I've read says 6 months at the latest (most say 3 when the sucking reflex ends but that's a tad soon imo). To me, pacis are for babies and most toddlers don't need them (there are exceptions of course for "needing" them but pretty severe imo such as autism or other medical conditions where the child is less capable of being comforted by other means). I think pacis for the most part are given WAY too often to try to quiet a baby/toddler and instead parents need to learn a differet tool. This is NOT easy AT ALL and I totally understand why parents have toddlers with pacis, but to me it's just the easy way out and the sooner it's taken away the easier it is and the better for the mouth/teeth formation as well. I'm sure I will be disliked for this opinion because it is prevalent in our society to see walking/talking toddlers with pacis in their mouths, but it is just my opinion. I wouldn't wait, I would take it away now BEFORE the move, she has a full month to adjust, which imo is plenty of time. It needs to be done cold turkey, simply get rid of ALL of them so she doesn't have them and so no once else has access to give into her in case it gets to be too much (for the adult). That way by the time you move she will be paci free and will have forgotten all about them by that time. If you wait until after you move you are just prolonging it and then when you move you will say "we just moved, she has this change...it's too much" and will be more apt to still have her on the paci afterwards. I worry a LOT about the teeth formation after the age of a year/year and a half for sure because even if you don't physically see damage being done, it doesn't mean it's not happening. Good luck and hope it goes well whenever you decide to do it...

I agree that it is getting to the time where you need to get rid of it but I wouldn't do it now. Moving is going to be stressful. She will need that comfort. Wait until she is sleeping good and the new place and has adjusted well. I am a dental hygienist and waiting a few more months won't hurt anything.

If you have't taken her yet, take her to your dentist. If it's not doing her teeth any harm, she will give it up when she is ready. If it is starting to move her teeth (or cause any other problem) the dentist should have suggestions on how to wean her.

R.,
I have 2 daughters, both used a "paci" (we called it a plug). My oldest daughter was extremely attached to hers and an acquaintance gave me so advice that worked for getting rid of the paci with both daughters. The first daughter was about 18 months when I first tried this technique.

The advice was to take the paci after the child was asleep and cut a very tiny piece off the end of the paci, changing it very subtlely. Very important- the first cut should be so slight that it is barely seen.

The result is that the paci starts changing, you are not the bad guy.

You wait about 3-6 days, then repeat the process. With a two year old, the changes need to be subtle, slow. The paci gradually starts changing and the child eventually does not want it any more because it feels different and they decide they don't want it any more. The paci goes bad, you are not the bad guy.

You have to be sure that all other pacifiers are put away and try not to lose the one "bad" paci.

My second daughter threw her paci away after the second cut, my oldest was really attached to hers. We cut it gradually until the rubber was so short that she had to hold it in her mouth with her teeth (it was maybe 1/2 inch), but she finally threw it down and was finished with it. The best part was I never had to "take" that paci away from them!
Good luck!
J. C

Paci at bedtime/naptime advice:

I was OCD about getting rid of my 1st's paci at 18 mo. He was so mad he learned to jump out of his crib. I did it cold turkey and we were both miserable for MONTHS. Finally, I gave it back around 21 months so I could sleep again. When my husband gave me a hard time for "giving in" and asked me when I was going to take it away again, I told him " I'll take it way when he's 12!"

It is a piece of plastic that can provide hours of extra sleep for mom, comfort for baby, etc. Let her have it!!!

My two cents is that when they can go to the toy store, pick out a new toy, and put the paci in the trash at the store in exchange for the toy...then they are ready. If they want it more than a new toy, it is still pretty important to them and it is an easy fix that is not hurting anyone.

Don't take it away, let her decide something else is more important. She will make that choice when she's ready.

Um, tell them to deal with her if they want her to get rid of it!! There is NO WAY you should get rid of it right before a move. A few months from now should be much easier. I would actually say wait until after the holidays. Things are slow and calm in January, and you can focus more on her. Once that is done, you could start focusing on the potty thing. Especially since she only does it during bed times, and is not walking around with it all day long. You are the mom and you know what you are both ready to deal with. Good luck with the move..and the family! ~A.~

Please do not feel pressured by others or society to take something away from your child. You are the parent, you will know when it's the right time. How many adults do you see walking around with paci's and bottles? Trust me, your child will be just fine. Give yourself the peace of mind that you need and take paci when you both are ready!

You should do what you think is best. Personally I would wait until after you move. It's their comfort, why take that from them? I started this past weekend with my son. He will be 3 in January. I just felt he is old enough to understand me and I told him that we were giving his paci's to the babies at his daycare because he was to old now. He is still asking at nap time and bedtime but I remind him. Saturday night was not that bad, he is just whimpering. Last night he woke several times crying a little more but still just laid back down. He has been pretty agreeable and we will press on. Don't let other people dictate your actions, I mean naptime and bedtime are not that bad. Good luck.

Do what you think is best for her. You are her mom. Don't be pressured to do something you don't want to by others in the family.

I would tell your family to mind their own business. I don't think it's hurting her. I talked to our dentist and she agrees that they are fine. My DD turned 2 in June and we made her drop the binky during the day. Actually the rule is that if she wants it she needs to get in her bed. If she's upset she'll get her binky, go to her bed and suck away until she's happy again. I think it's nice that she can soothe herself when she needs to.

My oldest DD sucked her thumb and it's almost impossible to get her to stop. She's almost 6 and I still see her sucking it during the night sometimes. I think the binky is so much better. I don't like to see a 3 or 4 year old walking around in public with a pacifier, but I think a 2 year old having one for sleep is fine. They grow up so fast I really don't want to rush it.

Your dentist will tell you to take it away yesterday. It is hurting the structure of her teeth. you might not see it but it is happening. I will suggest that you just tough it out for 2 days and it will be over. I had the same struggle with my daughter. She could not sleep for 3 days and then it was over. you have to be strong for her.
Due to how hard it was with my daughter, we decided not to even introduce a paci to our son. that worked out fine.

At age 1, the paci went away at our house. It was not fun for mom for a few days, but that was short lived. My kiddos being teens now, I can look back and tell you that you are NOT traumatizing your child. Time to suck it up and say it's time that paci went away. You can do it. You can't let the crying effect you so intensely. You are the parent and you are in charge. Start that mind set now!! That's the way they communicate right now.... She will never remember this. You can do it, it's past time.

Give her some time to outgrow it. She will all on her own. And it doesn't really hurt anything for her to have it. Especially with an upcoming move I would let her keep it so she doesn't have two major life changes at once.

You are mom, you know what's best, so don't let anyone pressure you! Ok, that being said, both my kids were almost 3 before they gave up their paci, and I had mine the same way, only at nap & bed. My daughter was 20 months when my son was born and I was not going to try to take it from her, have a new baby and deal with all that. My hubby left for overseas when my son was about to turn two and was gone, so again, that was not the right time to take away his comfort item. But, when they were close to 3, we were able to talk about it and say "babies use pacis, not big kids". Both of mine were potty trained, so I used that angle too "big kids use the potty, you are a big kid, big kids don't have paci's". My daugther gave hers to my nephew that was born when she was almost 3 and my son mailed his to his daddy in Afghanistan to give to a baby that didn't have a paci. I've heard several ways to do it, so I'll offer advice on how to do it once you are ready, but if you are getting ready to move, I'd let her have it until she's settled in the new house.

ok, ways to get rid of it. For me, I knew my kids understood, so I wanted them to really understand what we were doing. We talked about if they left it next to their bed one night, there would be a present there in the morning. You can call it the paci fairy, or just say mom will get you a present if you give up your paci.

Another way is to secretly cut the tip of it little by little. Then it won't "work" and they'll probably want to give it up.

You can give it to another baby that they know has just been born. (Obviously the baby won't really use it, but you "give" it to them anyway).

You can also slowly loose them...that is actually what happened with my son. I would tell him to leave his paci in his bed, then he'd go get it and I'd say "you know that paci is supposed to be in your bed" and he'd throw it wherever he was...well, we lost a lot of them. One night I couldn't find any, so no paci that night. Unfortunately, I had put the ones I had found before in his top drawer and he found them so, that's when we mailed it.

Good luck!

First, I would wait until after the move.

When you decide to get rid of it (the younger, the easier), DON'T give in. If you give in once because she is crying for it, she will cry longer and louder when you try again because the last time you gave it back. Our twins were attached to theirs but only had them during naps and bedtime. When my niece was born, we told them that the new baby needed some "poppies" and we were going to give their poppies to her. They were happy to give them to the baby until bedtime came. They cried A LOT the first night and having two hysterical babies was overwhelming. Each day it got a little easier and they were fine within a week.

Good luck with the move and the paci thing.

We weaned my daughter off shortly after she started pre-school at three. She was only a nap and nighttime user and then went to just nighttime and then after she started school we told her if she could go without the pacifier for two weeks, she could have the Barbie guitar she had been asking for for months. I found it during a 75-90% off sale at Target and got it for a birthday present. We decided to use if for the paci weaning and it worked. After two weeks, she never asked for the paci again. Good luck!

cut the end of the paci off. my mother in law did that w/ her kids

I would ask her dentist what he/she thinks. Ours was insistent that we get rid of it by 1 1/2 to prevent costly and painful dental problems as her teeth grew. We slowly got rid of hers (cutting a tiny bit off the end every few days) until she just held it and hugged it for comfort- then she gave it up all together on her own. I hated taking away the comfort too, but I didn't want to hurt her beautiful smile either- and now looking back her pictures I hate seeing that big old paci blocking her cute face!

If you are moving I would highly suggest that you wait until you are settled into your new home and your child has gotten use to the new environment. A paci is just like a security blanket. Do not take away your child's security when so much else around her is changing. Sometimes parents make the wrong choices simply b/c they are pressured by other family members. Let her keep her paci especially until well after the move. I promise you she will get rid of it when she is ready, it's not like she is going to take it off to college with her and if that's the worst thing she ever did then you have nothing to worry about =D

Both of my girls did not get rid of their pacifiers until around age 2 1/2. I waited until I could tell they were old enough to understand what was happening and reason with them about it. So, I would wait a few more months and definitely until after you are settled in from your move.

The way we did it was to create a Passy Fairy Calendar that lasted for a month. The day we began the countdown, I took my child to Toys 'R Us and allowed her to pick out a new toy (with a little guidance from me, of course). I didn't buy it that day, but told her that Mommy and Daddy would let the Passy Fairy know what she wanted. Then, each night before bed we put a sticker on the calendar and counted the days until the Passy Fairy came. It worked perfectly both times! Not traumatic at all, and both girls were so proud of what the Passy Fairy left them!

I also heard about someone taking the pacifier to Build-A-Bear and letting it get stuffed inside the bear. That way, the child still had the pacifier but couldn't suck on it! If I had thought of that one, I probably would have done that instead.

Good luck!

R.,
As a preschool Director, Mom and Granny of two wonderfully precious granddaughters, I can tell you that I would ler her keep it. She will be going through a big change with moving. If she only has it at night, naps and maybe when she is ill, what's wrong with giving her the additional comfort. My oldest grandchild gave up her paci at around 26 months. The real concern with a paci is that it may impede speech development if it is in their mouth all of the time. That is not the case with you little girl. I don't know anyone who carried it to Kindergarten. Good Luck and rely on your instincts. Sounds to me like you are a great Mom.

The move will be stressful, so you can either do this right away, or after all is settled with the move. Have a "big girl party" get creative, throw them away, play music and cheer...tell her a day before the party that you are having one, seriously make the biggest dramatic stink ever! Get her a reward for throwing it away, like a new toy or something, she will cry maybe when its naptime or nighttime, but honestly, it won't last long, remind her that she is a big girl now when she cries and comfort her. She (and you) will get through it in just a couple days, DON'T have any more on hand so you don't give in-- you know whats best, remember that. Good luck, and have fun with it!

My first daughter had her paci until 17-18 months. I kind of had a deadline of two as well. However, we only limited it to sleeping time which helped with the transition. She stopped using it kind of naturally and it was earlier than I thought. I stopped giving it to her at nap time, but let her have it at night. We did that for a couple of months. Then one day I didn't off her the paci at night and she didn't ask for it so I didn't give it to her. She slept fine; put them in a plastic bag the next day and saved them for her little sister that was about to be born. She never looked back. Each child is different of course. You may try the nap thing first and ease her into the idea and see if that works. Good luck!

First, let me say, my daughter refused to take a pacifier, so I have ZERO experience with this.

That said, however, I TOTALLY agree with Robin. Tell your family to mind their own business. She's only 2 and only using it at nap and bedtime. No harm done.

My daughter was going to be 3 by the upcoming February and I also received all the comments. By December We decided she was getting too old, so we had a "goodbye paci cermony". We made a big deal about her putting the paci in the garbage, had party hats and cake! Since it was the holidays we also told her that Santa would leave her a special present for becoming a "big Girl" and that Santa needed all the paci's for the babies for Christmas so we were not allowed to buy anymore. It worked like a charm. She never once asked for it and was very proud of her doll that Santa gave her to take care of now she was big enough.

I would suggest NOT getting rid of it. I had quite the drama over the binky with my third. I wrote about it Here:
http://www.burbmom.net/pacifier-drama-episode-i/
with part two here: http://www.burbmom.net/pacifier-drama-episode-ii/
and again here:http://www.burbmom.net/pacifier-addiction/

but you see it all worked out. he decided to give it up and never went back and it sure made it easier on us to not be ripping it out of his dear precious mouth.

Good luck!

I'm is sure you've heard this before, but every child is different. I started giving my daughter her paci only at naptime and night too. She was 18 months then. I realized that she was just using it as a chewing toy because she was teething. One day I simply told her, once you bite through this one, no more paci. And she bit through it of course, I showed her the hole and walked her to the trash can and let her through it away. Surpisingly that's all it took. The first night she was a little whiny but I just rubbed her back and said it was ok. Out of sight out of mind pretty much. Yes she puts everything else in her mouth but at least it's not the paci.....I guess. Don't rush her and don't let anyone pressure you. I had to learn that. You're the one who will have to take care of an unhappy baby not your family. It will happen.

I had a nurse tell me to cut a little bit of the tip off each week until it is all gone. This way you don't look like the bad guy and they think it id gone. I had concerns about it when my son was born. He used the soothies. Good luck.

I would let her keep it until you move and she is settled. Then I would start cutting it down. Put a whole in the tip and cut it down a sliver once a week. This is what we did when our daughter was 2. After a month or so, it was so short she didn't want it anymore and threw it in the trash herself. If you have more than one paci, you have to cut them all down at the same time or you will give in to the fussing.

She's not even two yet. I dislike it when people tell me what to do (uninvited, I mean) with my own child. I agree that during stressful times, it's just not the time. She may love the new home, but it's still a big change. I think when my son was a little past 2, we changed the paci to a bedtime only thing (unless he was sick or his ear was bothering him, because it relieved pressure there). He is now almost 3 and we've been making a big deal about his upcoming birthday, how he's going to be a big boy AND a big brother, how exciting his birthday is going to be, and how since he's gonna be a big boy, he'll have to get rid of his paci, so he can be big enough to see the dinosaur show and have the party. His eyes got wide, but we didn't push hard; it was just an idea we were trying out. Then, the paci got lost! He asked for it a couple nights in a row, but we just said "Oh baby, remember how we said you're a big boy now and almost 3?" (that's ALL) and he said "OK" and that was that. No crying or anything (VERY shocked).....he was ready! I believe that's how it should be. Incidentally, we took him last week to his first dentist visit and she said his teeth are perfect (again, he's been using it for nearly a year as a bedtime only thing). I do not care about people thinking "oh he's this age, he should magically be at this point mentally". Encourage your children, but don't push them too hard just because of an impending birthday.

I haven't read any of the other responces so I hope I am not repeating anyone's advice:). My opinion, as much as that is worth to you, lol:
Let her be for a bit. You said you're moving next month and I know from experience that will be stressful enough on the little one. Wait till you feel it is a good time for you and your family.

I do reccommend getting rid of it before 2 1/2 if you want her to continue napping without it, but if you're fine with her having it until she's done with naps that is your decision and no one elses.

I took my oldest daughter's away at 3 and she stopped napping, my friend took her only's away righth before 3 and she has stopped napping, I took my 2 1/2 year old's away right around 2 and 3 months or so and she still naps great:). I had a pacifier until I was five (and I have pictures of myself with it during waking hours all through that time) and my teeth are perfectly straight. I also never had braces or a retainer or anything. By then I was done with naps anyway, my mom says.

R.,

First let me say, I think your instincts are right on! Right before a move is NOT the time to take away your daughter's method of self soothing. She is going to need the comfort and familiarity during something like a move when everything else is changing. And really, that is no one's business but you and your husband's.

With that aside, this is my "theory". I have 4 daughters and this seems to have proven true with all of them. There is a window of opportunity for giving up the binky sometime before 1 year of age. If they go past that age, it is TOUGH for the next 2 years because they are just NOT at an age where they can reason. But around 3 years of age, they can really begin to understand cause and effect. That is when I have been the most successful without a lot of trauma. And what has worked for us is this......

I began, one every few days, to "snip" a hole in the end of her binkys. When she would put it in her mouth, she would suck for a second then pull it out and say "it's broken". So I would tell her "uh oh! I guess you need to throw that one away." and she would. Finally we would get down to the last binky. I made sure I told her that it was the last binky she had when I gave it to her. Then after a few days....."snip". We made a bid deal about it, "oh no!" etc. then had her throw it away. We even let her say bye bye to it. Then we waited. That night when she asked for binky, I just reminded her that it was broken and she had thrown it away. She said "oh yeah", sniffled a few times and that was it. Now if I had tried that when she was 2 it NEVER would have worked.

Good luck to you! And don't let family members make you feel bad about decisions you are making for your family! You are a good mom and they just need to deal with it! :o)

Hope this helps!
S.

Just my 2 cents...
We also had lots of pressure from family (aka, my mother) to get rid of the bink. We did it when it was right for us, at about 2 1/2. Would I have loved to have gotten rid of it earlier? Sure. But he had a series of colds & ear infections right after his second birthday (when I had planned on ditching the bink). The pacifier really soothed him during this time, so I didn't think it was the right time. I did what I thought was best for my boy; God did put ME in charge, after all. ;) (right, me & hubby, I know!)

I can guess that moving might cause a 2-year-old stress, even if it's a fun, positive move. It's still change, which is scary at that age, from what I understand. So your desire to hold off may be a good thought.

No matter when you do it, there will be some time of crying and unhappiness. For us, it was about a week of him not really sleeping as well as normal, but the crying about it only lasted two nights.

Oh, and I did talk to our dentist about whether the bink was hurting my son at 2-2 1/2. He didn't say "oh, pacifiers are great" or anything, but he did say that the pacifiers we use these days aren't really all that harmful. And they are SO MUCH better than sucking on fingers/thumbs. He said that as long as Will didn't come in for a checkup in grade school with a bink, that we would probably be just fine. And the fact that I was asking about it indicated that I probably wasn't the kind of parent who would let that happen. :)

So, I say talk to your husband, make a plan and set a goal (binky fairy, giving them all to a new baby who needs them, etc.), and then do what you think is right. Good luck & God bless!

My pediatric dentist told me that my children should not have their pacifiers after they were two or it might mess up their teeth/bite.

If I were you, I would wait a couple of weeks or even three weeks after the move and then pull the plug.

With my son, we just "lost" them all and he got over it fairly quickly (less than a week).
With my daughter, I knew that trick would not work. For her, I gathered up all her binkis and put them in a little gift box. We went to the hospital and looked at all the new babies in the nursery. I told her she wasn't a baby anymore and she agreed. Then I tapped on the glass and a lovely nurse opened the door to talk to me. I told her that my daughter was no longer a baby and that she no longer needed her binkis. I asked her if she would please give the binikis to the babies for us. She took the box and opened it and was very nice. She thanked my daughter for being such a nice, grown up girl and sharing. When my daughter realized what was going on, she was NOT happy. She cried all the way home and fussed at the babies for a couple of days after, but got over it in about a week.

No matter when you do it, it will probably be a rough week that follows. Good luck.

We got rid of my dd's paci two months before she turned 3. She had a baby brother when she was 2 1/2. I agree with you that she will need the security during the move. When we did get rid of it and b/c she was old enough, we were able to mail them to the paci fairy with a letter stating what she would like in return. The paci fairy sent her some puzzles and that was the end of it. She asked about it on two different nights but nothing more. Hope this helps.

I hate them too and at Day Care it is impossible when a ton of kids all have them. I would wait til you move then I would give her a date like my one customer did on Halloween night we are going to break the paci. Then she would know what was coming and anticipate it. That night take scissors and destoy it. When this gal did it for her 3 yr old she came to my Day Care sucking or trying to suck ont he stub but then gave it to me and said throw this away. That was the end of that. God Bless and love that little one. I believe in my heart we have children because teaching them teaches us. God protect you and her Paci is easier to get rid of then a thumb. G. W

Let her adjust to the move first. Too much change all at once in a toddler's life is never good. Pleasing family members who don't have to deal with an upset child is not worth traumatizing your daughter.

Let her keep the paci as long as she and you want. Tell your family to mind their own business!

I had a similar problem. My little one turned three in June, from his second birthday on I heard my mother asking when he was going to be a big boy and stop using pacifers. We made a move from NM to TX when he was 2 1/2 and daddy started heavy travel for work. I also only let him have it for naps and night. I just ignored her and let him have it. I myself waited until I was confortable that he could handle it. And waited for his first dentist appointment. Then I made the dentist the bad guy and had him tell my son that he couldn't use a pacifer anymore. That day we rounded up all the pacifers, cut them up, and took them to Build-a-bear to make his "pacifer teddy". It was a rough couple of nights, but he did adapt very quickly, I think two nights max. He never asks for it, and his brand new cousin came to visit and we didn't even have a problem then, with her pacifiers.

So I would wait until you were ready and felt that she was ready to make the change.

I have been wondering this too. Talk to your pediatrician, but I would definately wait until after the moove. I am planning to wait until my son gets his 2 year molars and after our new baby is born - so sometime after his 2nd b-day. Remember - everyone likes to give advice (especially family), so do what you think is best for your family. Every child is different, and you are his mom.

first of all, why is she sucking on a paci at the age of 2? That is really bad for her teeth. Just take it away cold turkey. If she needs comfort, just make sure she has a favorite blanket or stuffed animal. She will be fine. She is much too old for a paci.

Tell your family to butt out. Wait until you are settled after your move, then wean her from it. It's not like she's using it all the time.

I saw an episode of Super Nanny's tip to take the pacifier away from a toddler. The boy was 3 & took it at night to go to sleep. She made a special envelope, told the boy to put the pacis in the envelope to send them to the little babies that needed them, then they let the boy put it in the mailbox. She told him there would be a special gift in the mailbox the next morning. They made it seem like the child's idea. At first he was hesitant, but he followed through. In the morning, they had filled the mailbox with confetti & a special gift for the boy. They said he didn't have any issues or ask for it again after that.

Another idea a friend did with her 2 1/2 year old- she cut the nipple off the paci. Her daughter carried the handles around for a few days, but hasn't asked for them since then. She was really attached.

Personally, I would wait until after your move & everything settles down. I don't like the cry it out or cold turkey method myself.

I would wait until a month *after* you move. 2 more months of paci use won't be a big deal, but it may help reduce her stress. When I had my second child, the pediatrician recommended not during any other major changes for a month before or a month after, and would think the same logic would apply to a move. Good luck!

Send them all to the "Paci Fairy"!

When you daughter is turning Two make a HUGE production about how it is time to send all the Pacies to the Paci Fairy. Take a big brown envelope and address it to the Paci Fairy and place all of the pacifiers inside it and go with her to place it outside the front door that night before bedtime. After she goes to bed replace it with a highly decorated envelope full of little toys that she would enjoy. It also helps to sprinkle "Fairy dust" and "fairy feathers" around it. Tell her that when a little girl or boy turns two the Paci Fairy come to look for pacifiers and if you give them to her she always leaves a present to say "Thank You."

hi
i just had to say that i too struggle with when to get rid of it...no one is preasuring me however, i feel like the time is soon!!! :) We too are moving VERY soon. I tried to make a transistion with a blankie and take paci away, that didn't work for me and now he has to have BOTH! I just wanted you to know you are not alone and i look forward to reading the responses you get!!!
S.

I had this dilemma with both children and then I read somewhere that if you get rid of it too soon (before they are 4), they can/will move to thumb sucking. We waited until they were older and also allowed them to only have it at nap and bed time and it worked well for us. Do what is right for your family. Good luck!

Do it when SHE'S ready, not when the rest of the family is ready! My daughter, at 18, still talks about how traumatic it was when I hid her small raggedy "comfort" pillow that she went to bed with every night. That thing was so ugly! But she evidently wasn't ready to give it up! I now think - what the heck? why was it important for her to not have the ugly little pillow? such a small thing when you consider all of life!

At this age, you can probably limit its use to "private" times and areas: naptime/bed/bedtime/being in her bedroom, etc. If she needs the comfort, she probably needs relief from all the stimulus in her life, too!

Hope all goes well!

my big kid get rid of the paci at 1 year we just went cold turkey with him he cry for about 2 night but he is good and my little twins get rid at 7 months just one day they don't want it

just tell you daughter say good bye to paci and put it in the trash can and tell the trash man have the paci she will not sleep well in about 3 night but she will get over it.

good luck !!!!:)

Hey R.!

My daughter was also 2 when we decided to go ahead and wean her off of it. But we had a week long trip at the same time, so decided to wait until we were home. We started by taking it away at nap time, and then gradually bed time too. It's now been 3 months and she hasn't used it in 2.5 months! Your daughter will be fine if you want to wait until after you are settled into your new home. You know what's best for your baby and if family members start applying pressure, simply remind them that you are her mother and are well aware of the situation and have it in hand. You are going to go at a pace that is comfortable for both of you. Good luck and take care!