Pacifier--Age When Child Gives It Up

My son loved his and was hard to break but was done completely around 14 months (from a year to then it was at nap or bedtime only). But to hear my sister tell it, he was over 2 or 3. He was big for his age and I think she forgets that he was that big at 12 months.

My daughter barely took hers and weaned herself by 8 months.

I know a woman whose youngest daughter had her pacifier after her 4th birthday. Even with it in, you couldn't understand her speech because she always had it in and it afffected her speech horribly. Even when she didn't ask for it, her mom would pop it in her mouth. I hated to see it. I don't know when she stopped because I wasn't around her after that last sighting just after the 4th birthday.

The only child I have ever known to GIVE UP a pacifier, is my son. He just quit using it around 6 months old.

Every OTHER child I have ever known who used a paci did not "give it up". It was taken from them. The age at which it was taken varies dramatically from family to family. My daughter traded hers for some toys on her 2nd birthday, at our urging of course. My nieces were made to get rid of theirs when they were 3. I'm sure there are kids who have them longer than that, but I hate seeing it.

A friends kid right now is just over 2 and they don't seem to have any inclination to take it away anytime soon.

Pacifiers aren't the only culprit...I personally sucked my thumb until I was 12 (embarrassing! lol) so I made sure my kids took the paci so I could take it away! Took theirs away at 22 months and 8 months.

My cousin still used it when she came home from kindergarten every afternoon.. It was ridiculous..

You would think she would have learned her lesson, then her own youngest would not give one up either.. The child went to kindergarten and could not last even 2 hours.. the school had them come and pick her up.. she popped that thing in her mouth on the way home..

They held her back the entire school year.. They are weird.. You can imagine they have all had shall we say, interesting lives..

I was 4. Still remember how much I loved that thing & the last day I had it.

One of my sons had his until well after he was 4, during quiet time. My 2.5 yr old still has his for sleeping.

I creatively took them away from my kids.

My oldest daughters broke (cut the tip off) at around 18 months.

My youngest daughter lost hers in a store at around 22 months.

I once saw a 7 yr old with it. It was a girl in my daughters class and I could not believe it.

My oldest sucked her thumb and I vowed not to have another thumb sucker as I still catch her sucking her thumb every once in a while in her sleep. The youngest did take a paci and we took it away at 13 months, but now she bites on her blankie instead. Not sure which is worse, but she only gets blankie at bed time.

I, personally, haven't known any to just give it up but I assume they do eventually. I took it away from our kids who used one. Our last one had a pacifier the longest and she was 3 and I had her throw it away herself in the trash compactor and when she cried for it I reminded her she threw it away and that was the end of it. Our little twin grandsons are just 4 years old this month and they come over to our house and ask to see their 'binky's' that I had here for them and they look at them like they are precious jewels or something. It's very cute. I guess I'd have to say personally 3 years is the oldest I've seen.

I have known kids who use one at home even in kindergarten. The oldest one had older parents who knew that if this child needed to suck they would rather he suck on something appropriate for his mouth and not his finger or thumb.

Normally kids give it up on their own some time during their pre-school years of ages 2-4. But if they still need it or depend on it then I'd let them continue as long as they needed it.

My daughter at 3.5yo or so. But by then, the tip had "broken" off (with a pair of scissors), and she mostly would just hold it when in bed. It was more like a lovey at that point.

I'm sure there are kids with delays who would benefit from having a paci for a longer period of time.

I know a few kids who gave them up at 4 or 5... personally I don't care for letting them have it that long, but all of these kids are older now and no damage was done. My sister was actually advised be her dentist that it was ok for my niece to keep her paci until age 5 - she was advised that a paci would do much less damage orthodontically than thumb sucking.

I made my DD give hers up at 2.5 (30 months). They got "lost" in the dishwasher... after a few days of tears at bedtime she never looked back.
Good luck.

I've seen some kids using them at 4 or 5 years of age, and I've also seen kids drinking out of bottles at that age. I'm sure in some cases the children had developmental delays.

My daughter was 6 months old when she stopped taking one ,
My son was just over a year, we cut the tip of his off and he just stopped using them.