Pacifier Issues

he does this because he sees that it upsets you when he bangs his head and he can have his paci back. maybe try holding him and rocking him while he begins to fall asleep, this will show him that you are feeling his pain, but will keep him from hurting himself. i think it is past time to take the paci away, and maybe this will help you both get through it.

by the way i am a mother of 2, they are 14 and 15 now. i breast feed for about 6 months. both lost pacis at 6 months and lost bottles at 1year. it was a time i set that i felt they were old enough to let go. it was not very hard because they were very young. i do know you are past that point now, but they seem to move on a lot quicker the younger they are. i read some of the responses other mothers sent and they were very good. i do not think you should wait, if he is having a time with it right now it will only get harder the older he gets. because he is still very young, it should not take more than one or two nights without it before he gets over it. good luck

I took my sons pacifier away at 12 1/2 months. We started taking it away during the day when he turned one. He threw the biggest fits and would bang his head on the floor and everything... He could only have it for naps and bed time. He eventually got over it... when he did throw tantrums I put him in his play pen (so he wouldnt hurt himself) or showed him something else to distract him. After 2 weeks of this (and the doctor saying to really limit the use further becuase he hasnt said anything other than Mama and Dada)we took it away completely. He does cry for about 5 minutes when we lay him down for a nap or bedtime... he just pickes up one of his crib toys (usually a soft book) and occupies himself until he falls asleep.

i did ask the pediatrician about him smacking his head into the floor.. she pretty much said that he would stop that himself once he realized that it hurt and it wasnt getting his pacifier back to him. One word of advice if you decide to stick it out ... dont pick him up as consolation... then he will always want to be held in exchange for him not getting his pacifier (mine started this and I had to put a stop to it real quick).

Also, is it just a comfort thing or is he using it because of teething? My son was mainly just chewing on it - he had gotten to where if he saw a pacifier he would automatically put it in his mouth, even if he wasnt crying and didnt need soothing. If its more for comfort, maybe introduce a favorite animal or toy, my son has a blanket as his favorite nap thing. if its for teething you can try alternative items ... like uncooked carrots or celery or frozen waffles and pancakes to chew on.

Good Luck!

Hi,J.. When we were ready to get rid of the pacifier we did it in a very dramatic way. My daughter was about the same age as your son. From her perspective there was no turning back. We tied it to some helium balloons, (get at least three, because with less it'll just drag across the parking lot) and we let it go. Watched it disappear. It was a ceremony. It worked, might work for you.

Both of my boys used the pacifier when they were little. When my oldeset was two I asked the dentist about whether I should allow him to continue to use it or take it away from him. He told me that by age two it is just a habit for them and that we should start taking it away before it caused problems with his teeth. So I would let your son have it till he turns two and then started to get rid of it.

My son is three now and I took his away around 18 mo-2 years. I think the American Pediatric Association recommends taking it away around 2 so that it doesn't cause problems with his teeth but I think honestly as long as he knows its only for in his crib you could let it go a little longer. But in order to get him to lose the pacifier I had to make it his choice and he had to see it go (so he knew it was gone). I collected with his help all of his pacifiers in a ziploc bag and then we took them to the store. He picked a nice toy and bought it with his pacifiers. The first night was rough but I had to remind him remember we gave them to the lady at the store.

Some people prefer a more strict method but letting him see you through it away and then later telling him remember that pacies are all gone.

Either way I think he might be to young to try this technique but I was surprised at how well he took it. The first two nights were kind of tough but after that it seemed to be no problem.

Hello J.!

Both of my boys were paci users. I originally called it sucky but when my oldest started talking it came out "buddy" and buddy it stayed. Anyhow, my oldest son used his buddy till he was 3 1/2!!! We had gotten to a point where he knew that he was not getting any more buddies and then when they were gone they were gone for good. And it was starting to affect his teeth, they had the typical pacifier curve. He was down to his last one which never left his bed. He only used it for nap time and bed time and when he woke up he would put it on his pillow. One morning we were all snuggling in bed (his baby brother had been born by this time) and he got up to go potty. In between trying to hold his shirt up, hold on to his Teddy and make sure him aim was right he started yawning. His buddy fell out and he tried with all his might to catch it but it fell in the potty. It was devastating. I was torn between saddness for him and relief that it was finally gone. It took about 2 or 3 weeks for him to fully "recover". It's been almost 2 years and the buddy is nothing more than a distant memory. His brother, who is 22 months now, was a little easier to break of the habit. He loved his buddy so much and used it all the time. When he was about 17 months old he got a cold and he couldn't breath out of his nose. I noticed that he would take his buddy when he laid down but he spit it out in order to fall asleep. I took my opportunity and never looked back. Oh and by the way, my older son's teeth finished coming in all the way within a few months after he stopped using his buddy.

Sooo... I guess that doesn't help answer your question! Sorry about that. Good luck in whatever happens!

K. - stay at home mom of 2 boys, 5 and 22 months.

i know that my daughter gave hers up when she was ready which was about 9 months but my son is now 10 months and still has his.. im in the same boat as you J.

Is there a reason you're thinking of taking it away? If it's only for sleep, what's the harm in letting him keep it? I'm asking because I want to know, not because I'm trying to be smart. :)

I say wait until he's older. He'll probably give it up on his own when he's ready, but you know your son better than anyone.