Pacifier - Tampa,FL

Cutting the tips off really worked for us. I cut just a little the first week and then would cut a little bit more off each week (for about 3 weeks). I would also go in and pull it out of her mouth after she had fallen asleep at night. At the same time we'd told her that baby mermaids really needed her paci and she was going to have to give it to them soon. We talked about going to the beach to give it to them. But then one day it got lost in the bed (found it later under her pillow). She was a little upset but not too much and went along with the story that the baby mermaids must have come and taken it. I think that since I had cut the tips off and it had gotten to the point that she really couldn't keep it in her mouth, it wasn't too much of an issue anyway. She was a little over 2 when we did it.

My 1st daughter didn't take to the pacifer but my 2nd daughter...wow was she attached.My cousin..her kids are almost my age ,told me to bring to her attention all the little babies that need them. My daughter was about 2 yrs at the time.I would point babies from infants to about the age that they really start to get teeth. Now that she had most of her teeth that there were other babies that needed them more than she did. We put her pacifiers in an envelope and sent them to the hospital for all the new babies. Trying to reason with her that there was a shortage at the hospital was quite entertaining...but in a short while she was very happy to help the new borns...lol.. give it a try...it worked for me as funny as it sounds...M. C. single mom 0f 2 teenage girls whom I'm glad to say no more pacifiers or thumb suckers either...lol.........good luck

Hi J.,
We had a party and made a cake to celebrate. On the cake we put a candle in the middle and all of his pacifiers around it. First we read the book Bye Bye Pacifier, and then we gave him a gift. After he blew out the candle, he got to "kiss" each of his pacifiers goodbye (one last suck), and then he put each one in the trash. He asked for them for about a week afterward, but that was it! He was 2-1/2, so be patient.

We told our little one that the "paci-fairy" would come to take the pacifier when she was a big girl. She was warned for about a week and then it was gone one night! She was upset for a day or two but it was easier than we thought.
Good Luck
J.

With my daughter I just warned her that in two months we would be getting rid of the pacifier. I would keep telling her this, not daily, but enough so she understood. The last week before I took it away, I warned her everyday. She really was fine when I took it. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

I know this sounds cold but take it away throw them in the trash together. My daughter was hospitalized for some time and became very attached to binky. She couldn't sleep at night because her skin itched constantly. Like you had a heart and wanted to do it gradually. She bit off the end and choked on it,so of course she never had a binky again. She was over it in 2 days. Good luck, tough love starts early.lol

J.,

My daughter did this and it worked like a charm. We took him to build a bear and let him place his last pacifier inside the monkey (animal of his choice). He slept with Titi monkey (Titi name of his pacifier) everynight. The replacement worked great and she will probably do it with his baby brother when he is ready to get off the pacifier.

Come up with an event for getting rid of the paci. Maybe you know a baby that uses them. Have your son give the paci to the baby, because the baby needs it more than your son does. Maybe there is a "paci fairy" that comes at night and takes the paci away, but leaves something for big boys, in exchange (like a small toy or book). It can really be anything you come up with. But, by age two, now the child is aware of a comfort item being taken away. So you will need to involve the child in the process.
Good luck.

For one boy, we sent them up tied to a balloon for the babies in heaven. For boy number two, Darth Vader came and took them for the baby Jedi's. For baby 3 Batman came and cut the ends off of them because he was mad!! He wanted them for the baby bats. All were about 2 on the dot. It was MAYBE one night of crying and I would say, sorry XYZ took your pacifier. Go to sleep. Don't have any in the house so you don't risk yourself giving in!! I always thought it would be tough and it NEVER WAS!!! Good luck J.

Hi J.,

First be happy it is his pacifier and not his thumb! My second they tell me was born with his thumb in his mouth! So there was no stopping him and the problem is that you can't take the thumb away! He sucked his thumb until he was almost 12! Not in front of anyone at that age but when I woudl check on him after he was asleep he had his thumb in his mouth. Because of this he had to wear braceson his teeth!

My first did have the pacifier and I had no problem taking it away. Maybe I was very fortunate with him but I just put it away and we looked for it when he ask but lo and behold it was no where to be found. He did accept this just fine! I would offer him a toy or get him involved in something else when it couldn't be found and after a couple of days he didn't even ask for it anymore!

Good luck!

God Bless,
D.

First, don't be afraid to do this. I will tell you the first day/night or perhaps even the first 2-3 may be hard but after that it will be smooth sailing and you'll all be glad for the change. We took my son's pacifier away at the same time - 2 years old. We also changed him over from bottle to cup about 6 months later. About 3 months before he turned two we only allowed him to have the pacifier at night and naps. Then one day we told him they were lost. Now this had happened before... one of the reasons we decided to get rid of the pacifier in fact - because we'd turn our lives upside down looking for the darned things (and yes we had multiple just in case but then they'd all be lost!)... Anyway, we all "looked" for them. My son lost interest in looking after a bit. That night he asked again and we repeated that it was lost. He was upset and we told him if he could find it, he could have it. We all "looked" one last time and I told him we'd look again in the morning but it was bed time. He laid down and cried a little but eventually fell asleep. It was a bit of a restless night because he used to wake up and put it back in his mouth but when he awoke, I'd just go in and rub his back or rock him and he'd fall back asleep. I'd never stay long though - the key is to get them to get themselves back to sleep themselves. My son started rubbing his head to get him back to sleep, my daughter used to rub a tag on her blanket... If he was crying but rubbing his head, I wouldn't even go in. After a couple of days he stopped looking and asking for his pacifier. Funny thing though... a month later we were to take a 3 hour flight. Suddenly I panicked and went a bought a pacifier. I worried about him not having it on the plane and what if he started crying on the plane from ear pressure etc... To make a long story short, I didn't give it to him until we got on the plane. He wasn't crying but I thought if he had it on take off maybe his ears wouldn't get clogged up from pressure. He took it, looked at it, and gave it back to me! I even tried to put it in his mouth but he didn't want it! Like I said, it may be hard for a day or two, but in the end it will be worth it. And although I saw someone write that it doesn't affect their teeth until they are older, it does affect them, much as a thumb does and the older they get, the less accepting they are of 'it's lost' or the 'paci-fairy' and then where are you??? Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

My sister packed up all of her sons pacifiers in a plastic bag, went to the zoo, and left them for the baby flamingos. She told her son the flamingos would cry and be sad if they didn't have pacifiers. He bought it.

Take your son to Toys R' Us and have him "trade-in" his pacifier for a toy. He can pick out whatever toy he wants, but he has to leave the pacifier on the shelf. At night, when he asks for it, you remind him that he traded it in for the toy and left the pacifier on the shelf and then you show him the toy. This way he makes the choice to get rid of the pacifier, not you, and he will remember it later. My best friend did this with her daughter, except it was "trading-in" her bottle. It worked!

My daughter just stopped using hers. She's his age. It was kind of by accident. There were a few days we were out of the house and I forgot it. So when she asked for it, I told her I didn't have it and that it was home. She fussed a little but was ok. then one night I tried to put her to bed without it. She did well until she got more sleepy and she asked for it and I told her we were all done with them. That she's a big girl and she doesn't need it. Again she fussed some and i just kept reminding her that they're all gone and she took it well. It was only a few days and she stopped asking. But maybe you could try to hide it from him during the day and then see how he does at night. If he insists at night, maybe you could let him have it for a little while then ask for it back. I find that if I explain things in their terms, they really understand and they respond better. I hope that it works out for you!

Hi! When we were ready to be done with the pacifiers we made it a rule that they stay in bed, so they were ok to use during nap & bedtime, but they had to stay in the bed otherwise. Eventually, after my sons would fall asleep the paci would fall out of their mouths & we'd relocate it to the dresser out of reach. They stopped relying on it quite so much & 1 day it just went MIA. Good luck!

take the pacifier throw it in the garbage and tell him "NO MORE" but make sure u throw everyone that u have for him away.

A friend, whose daughter is 2 1/2, just took her pacifier away. What she ended up doing was breaking it-cutting the tip off-and telling her daughter that it was broken. At her age they are all about broken, so it worked very well for her. But her reason for taking her daughters away was a teeth problem.

If your son still uses his a lot, then you might want to wait a bit. Unless there is a reason that he needs to stop using it now. I know of several kidlets who still use them for sleeping and are over three-but that is the only time they use them.

Good luck!

It has been my experience that when you take them away too early, most kids will find their way to sucking their finger. This is much harder to stop because your finger is readily available and is much harder on the teeth. My mother took mine away and I ended up sucking my finger until I was in eighth grade! Not that all kids will do that, but the more they told me no, the more I did it. I have two children who both loved pacifiers, and I started eliminating them during the day and only giving them at nap and bed times. Then when they were ready (at 3 and 4 years old) they both threw theirs away in the garbage can on their own and never asked for it again. Keep in mind that some kids need it longer than others, it is a security, and if you take it away, they will replace it with something.

Hello,
Unfortunately, my daughter had hers untill she was almost 4. We had tried many times to get rid of it. She started chewing though them, so we finally said that there were no more. It was a very rough few days, she cried through most of the first night, we had to replace it with something new. We got her a new stuffed animal and told her every night that if she went to bed well she could have a treat the next day. (a lollypop or a small piece of candy. We only offered this for about a week. After the week was over she was fine, and there was no more issue or discussions about it. I hope this helps,
S.

Hi,

What I did worked well. I got a small box and told my son there were little babies that needed his binkies. I told him he'd be a really big boy if he gave them his binkies so they could stop crying and be happy. So walked around the house together and put them all in the box. I told him to say bye-bye to his buddies/binkies and I left the house for a few minutes with the box to "take them to the babies." That way he could have closure and realize they wouldn't be available anymore. Of course I told him how proud I was of him and got him a little gift. Thanks for the question cause I forgot about that. He's 14 now so I'll have to share that story tonight.

Hi J.-

My son just turned 2 and it was the same time (a month before) that we got rid of the paci (or "bappy" as he called them). I had always sworn that this kid was going to head off to college with his bappy in his mouth and that it would be unbelievably hard to break him of the habit.

DH and I picked a Friday night to start (so we'd have the weekend to deal with it, and not during the work week!). I got a little gift bag and told him that he was a big boy now and that it was time to send all of his bappies to the babies that need them. Because only babies use bappies. We sat down together and decorated this gift bag -- stickers, crayons, etc. We wrote "To: The Babies, From: JM" on it. I scattered his bappies around the living room and we had a fun little "hunt" for them. He gathered them all and put them in the bag. We then said it was time to put them in the mail box...the mailman was going to come and get them to deliver to the babies. So, we walked out together and he put the bag in the mail.

The next day (miraculously!) the babies sent a "thank you gift" to him in the mail (small toy)...so he got to retrieve that from the mail box. I think they may have even sent him something the next day too, but that was it.

He MUCH TO OUR SURPRISE didn't have as hard a time as we swore to the ends of the earth that he would. He would ask for it, but we just kept saying..."what did we do with the bappies?"...and he would respond, "mailed, babies...mailman came"...so that was about it. He's been sleeping better ever since we got rid of the paci...and it feels SOOOOO good to be free of that thing!

Good luck! Once you resign yourself to giving it up, it just takes persistence and consistency. Don't give in and give it to him when things get tough, after you've taken it away. You'll just un-do all the work you started and it will show him that he can get what he wants if he just fusses long or hard enough!

K.

Hi there! I know how you feel, my daughter is 18 months and she is addicted to her pacifier. I mentioned it to our pediatrician last week at her 18 month appt and she told me that pacifiers really aren't much of a problem for children until they turn about 3yrs old- even then it may depend. Right now- even at two years old they aren't going to reason with you about getting rid of it. It's comforting to them. I've heard of people snipping part of it with scissors so it "doesn't work" work anymore. But I don't know if its worth all the screaming at bed time. You might just try to get him to not use it much during the day and just keep it for night and then over time you could start to wean him off it- by rubbing his back instead to get him to sleep. I also heard about going to build a bear and putting the pacifier inside the bear- and he can still keep the bear close. But honestly, he'll stop using it when he's good and ready or he's old enough to rationalize that he's a big boy now.... good luck!!!!

I experienced the same thing with my son. It was about 2 weeks before his 2nd birthday and I really wanted him to be done with his "passy" by his birthday but the "cold turkey" approach wasn't working. So I took all his pacifiers and just snipped off the end of the tip with scissors and then placed them back. When he went to put it in his mouth, he pulled it back out with a shocked look on his face but then put it back in. I kept telling him they were broken. Every few days, I would snip off a bit more until there was nothing left but the plastic part and then finally he came up to me and said, "Mommy, passys all broken" and threw them in the garbage and never asked for them again!! Give it a try!!Good luck!

Dear J.,
Don't say a thing about the pacifier directly. Just get that mouth busy doing other things. Talk to him - lots of questions. Get him busy singing. And while you shouldn't tell him 'get rid of that pacifier' you can ask him to take it out to repeat an answer to your question or to sing more clearly.

If you can 'forget' the pacifier when you go on favorite (but low-stress) outings, that will help too. Basically, don't make an issue of giving something up, but provide lots of replacement activities for the hands and mouth.

And he won't go to kindergarten with a pacifier no matter what you do or don't do. He may be a pencil chewer (I hope not, but as my grandmother would say 'that's a small thing'), but I guarantee the paci will go soon no matter what you do. So please don't stress.

E.

I would suggest to first set some limits on the time that you give it to him. Once he is using it only at bed time, it's not such a big deal.

My sons are very close in age and both used a pacifier. When the youngest was about 20 months and the older one was 2&1/2, we decided that the pacifiers needed to go, but we wanted to do it very gradually. I was a thumb sucker and I didn't want them to pick up that habbit. First, I got rid of all but 1 for each and I told them that we would never buy any more pacifiers because they were such big boys. The next day we explained that if their paci broke, it would go "bye bye in the garbage" and we wouldn't buy anymore. Then we made a rule that pacifiers could only be used while the boys were in their bed and we started keeping them out of reach. If they asked for their paci, they could have it, as long as they went into their bed while they were using it. They both wanted it several times the first day, but only for 5 mins (or less) at a time. Both of them asked for it less and less over the next week and we never took them with us anywhere. When the week was over, they were only using them at nap time and bed time. One morning, I snuck in and cut the tip off of 1 paci before my older son woke up. He got up, announced that his paci "got broken" and asked if I could fix it. When he was sure that it couldn't be fixed, he threw it away. By nap time, the younger one's paci "got broken, too" and we had a talk about how pacis don't last forever because big boys don't need them anymore. They both napped fine without them. That night, they had a harder time falling asleep, but there were no fits or meltdowns. Neither of them ever sucked their thumb, but my oldest used to suck/chew the ears on a stuffed toy when he was afraid to sleep (around age 4 & 5). It was just a phase and I am so glad that he wasn't a thumb sucker!