Weaning 13 Month Old from Pacifier

At 13 months old, you have no problem. If the only time he is using it is at bedtime and naptime, let it be for now. He will start giving it up by himself. he probably doesn't even suck on it much as he is going to sleep.

Let him have it!! Wouldn't it be nice to be so easily soothed when YOU are anxious? Why do people feel the need to take these things away from babies?

My youngest was a binky addict. She had that thing in her mouth 24/7. When she was 2 the dentist told us we had better take it away ASAP since it was affecting her teeth. What we did was to cut the tip off the binky, but kept giving it to her when she asked for it. She'd put it in her mouth, get a puzzled look, and tell me, "It's broken!" After a few days she stopped asking for it. No tears, no fuss!

But given that your son is only 1 year and only uses it for sleeping, why take it away at this point? It's hard to be a toddler, and using a binky IS actually self-soothing. He is able to soothe himself without your help, with the aid of his binky. In the grand scheme of things, he'll probably give it up on his own in the next few months. If he doesn't, then cut the tips off his binkies.

He's only w3 months old. I wouldn't worry about the pacifier too much. My oldest was almost 3 before he gave it up. If your concerned about him walking around with just limit it to the bed. We told our son that if he wanted his pacifier he had to go to his bed. So he would and he'd eventually get bored and come and play. Playing w/out a pacifier was better than sitting on his bed with one. If anyone tries to give you their opinion about him having a pacifier (because people do and are usually rude) just smile and tell them it is really none of their business but thank you for the concern:).

Hi - we got the pacifier away from our granddaughter (who was 3 years old, so this might not work for a younger child) by preparing her several months before her birthday that 3 year olds don't have pacifiers any more and that on her birthday, the pacifier fairy would come to get hers and give them to a baby who needed them. She put them all under her pillow the night before her birthday and in the morning, the pacifier fairy had brought her a doll! She hasn't asked for it again and has been sleeping fine without it.

We did it cold turkey at about 18 months. We took my daughter to the dentist. We had the dentist tell her she was a big girl and she didn't need anymore pacifiers. She went home and threw them all in the garbage because the dentist told her to. She loves going to the dentist now. I think she thinks of it as something big girls do.

Hi A.,

I just weaned my 2.5 year old son off his pacifier by accident actually. We were headed out of town for the day and in hast I forgot the pacifier. Well, when he asked for it, I told him I forgot it (honest answer). He was fine and used his other soother, his blankie.

I knew he'd ask for it at bedtime, so I tried some advice I received here by cutting the tip off the pacifier, which is supposed to change the sucking feel and the child is supposed to spit it out and reject it. Well, I tried that, but it didn't phase him, so I let him suck on it that night until I could go to plan B. Well, oddly, that night he threw up one time and I could not connect it to anything like the flu or something he ate and no one else got sick in the house. I looked at the pacifier and I think there must have been some old built up gunk in there from the repeated washing of it. **Note I would only use the cutting of the tip on a NEW pacifier!!!**

So, I ended up showing him the cut off tip of the pacifier the next morning and told him that the dishwasher must have broken it (another piece of advice from here too) and he seemed to go with that response. He had asked for a pacifier every once in awhile over the following 3 weeks when he was in desperate need of soothing, but he just got his blankie instead. He hasn't used a pacifier since!

Another strategy is to read books on the topic in preparation. We found one at the library, sorry can't recall the name though. It pretty much ended with tying the pacifiers to balloons and letting them go. Another option is to have your child wrap them up in a pretty box and say that you will give them as a gift to another baby who needs them. I hope this helps and best of luck to you! Kim

Just go cold turkey. Gather them all up and let him see them and say they are going by by. He will cry probably for a couple of days and then he will forget about it. I did it with both my sons when they tunred one. Worked like a charm.

when it was time to say bye-bye to our suckerpasser i got some great advice. start cutting a little bit off the tip of the sucker part of the pacifier. each day cut it a little shorter. after a few days it will not be nearly as fun to suck. at some point you will both decide that the pacifier is "broken". have him throw it in the trash can (preferably one that is not in your house so there is no temptation to go "digging") when he asks for it, remind him about how it was broken and it's now trash. a big-boy reward should be offered as a compensation. good luck!

My baby girl did not take a pacifier, but I did wean her from nursing at night at for naps when she was 14 1/2 months old. I ended up having to just cut her off "cold turkey." I sort of used the cry it out method, but not entirely. I cannot really stand to let her cry. What I did was rub her back and tell her I loved her when she would cry, so I knew she was really ok, just a little upset with me. It only took us three days to wean. I know every baby is different, but it might work for the pacifier.

Hi A.,
As long as you are using an orthodontic pacifier I wouldn't be concerned about weaning your baby just yet. Studies have shown that the use of pacifiers actually reduce the risk of SIDS. You can visit Kaiser Permanente's website at http://www.kp.org and enter 'pacifier' in the search and it will bring up an article regarding SIDS and pacifier use.

I would let him have the pacifier for a bit longer. In a few months the Pediatrition will start encouraging you to have him give up bottles. I think that is a hard enough transition and you will be happy to have the pacifier at those times to make giving up the bottle easier.

My son is eighteen months and we have just started taking away the bottle and he is not so upset because he has the pacifier.

My Dr. said it is fine for him to still have the pacifier and that it can not really effect their teeth until they are 4 yrs. She mentioned that parents are so eager to do everything right with their kids that they tend to rush toddlers to give up things to quickly.

Hope this helps,
N.

I took my daughters pacifier away at 12 months by cutting the tip off with scissors. She put it in her mouth and of course hated it...she whined a little and then just held it to fall asleep. She did that for about a week, but it seems that just holding the pacifier was enough comfort for her. However, she then discovered she had fingers and now she sucks her tiny finger. I can't cut off her finger....ughhhh....she sucks her finger at night and w/ naps....and I have no idea how I will get that to stop....I tried band aids on her finger and then she just would switch fingers....quite resilient, I guess!!! Anyway, like other moms have said you will find the best way for your and your son!

Hi A.!

Well, this is a topic that will always have very different opinions. I guess if you're going to take it away, it's better now, then when he's older and "misses it" more. My sister successfully took my nephews' pacifiers away before the age of one, and had them weined from a bottle by 1 and a half. It was a "focus" and she accomplished it :o) I, on the other hand, am a SAHM, and was a little more patient with my kids' needs and securities, so things lasted a little longer because I knew my boys "needed" their pacifier or their bottle, or whatever.

You'll have to see how it goes and make another decision from there. If he succeeds within the first week, then he was ready. However, if reacts like my youngest did, then a pacifier might be a part of his life a little longer and you'll have to decide when is the best time at a later date.

There is no wrong answer for things like this. You, as his mother, will be able to "feel" what is right, and in turn, what feels wrong. Listen to your heart, and you will always be able to make the better decision for you both. Because of your son's age, this is just the beginning of "questioning" yourself whether it's time to do "this, that, or the other". Just be in tune to your son, and identify his needs and securities, and everything else should be eaiser to decide :o)

Good luck :o)

Hi A.,
When you find a method that works, let me know for my 22 month old! Best of luck.... The earlier the better!

I agree with cold turkey, but I would wait for the right time. My daughter seemed like she wasn't that into it anymore at 9 mos, so I just gathered them up and hid them away and it wasn't a big deal. She asked for them, but didn't fuss much about it. My son really loved his more so I let him have it more. I did start insisting that he only get his pacis for naps and bedtime (you've already done that). Then when he was about 14 mos old he seemed like he got really into his stuffed animals for cuddling for sleep so I decided to try to go without the paci and it was fine. I tried the nap time first, then just kept it up. It's really important to make sure that you've gathered up all the paci's and hid them away so there are no reminders or chances of them accidently finding one.

We took the binkie from our daughter at 1. She too used if only when sleeping. I found a nice blanket, with a stuffed animal head, tail and paws, from Gund. It is very soft and a cross between and small blanket and a stuffed animal. We stated on Friday so we would have the weekend to get through the worst part. We did the regular bedtime routine and then just gave her the new lovey and put her in the crib. She cried for about 40 min and then fell asleep. She woke up after an hour, cried about 15 min and went back to sleep. She woke once more and fell back asleep after about 10 min. After that night it went pretty easily. For the next few days it would take her around 15 min to get to sleep at nap and bedtime. After about 5 days she was totally fine. I am glad we did it early with her. With our son we let him continue to have it for sleeping until he was 3. It was harder on him when we finally took it, and now almost a year later he will still sometimes ask about it. So, I think doing it now is definitely better. Get him something to replace the binkie and give it at least a week. The key is consistency, you have to stick with it.
Good luck!

I know how you feel. I actually used the pacifier for my daughter until she was just over 2--only for naps and bedtime in the later months. Anyway... I just "bit the bullet", so to speak. Here's what I did:
I picked a week when we didn't have much going on.
I made sure she wasn't sick or anything.
We purchased a stuffed animal that she really wanted and I told her that once her "paci's" were gone, she would receive this gift.
We went home, cut up all the pacifiers, and gave her the stuffed toy.
I told her she was such a "big girl"!
Then we proceeded to try naps and nighttime without the pacifiers. I never went back.
The first 2 nights and 3 naps were rough getting to sleep. One time at night I let her "cry it out" (it took about 20 minutes.)
After that, she went to sleep with no problems at all.

I hope this helps!

S. J.

Hi A.
I am a mom of a 6.5 year old boy and a 2.5 year old girl. I took their pacifiers away both at 18 months. With my first I thought about "weaning" him off of it but realized there's really just no easy way. I had cut them both back to using it only when sleeping or just in the car about a month before I completely took it away. We did talk about it too so that they kind of knew what was about to happen. For both of them it was for a lack of better terms "cold turkey" and let me tell you it was just one hard night and each night after that got easier and easier. I'd say it was about three or four days of them asking for it but it was definately not the hardest thing I'd dealt with. I also think that if you do it by or before 18 months old it's definately easier than waiting until they're older, they forget very quickly at a younger age.
Good Luck!
R.

If the child is only using it as designed for naps and bed--there is no reason to wean yet. It causes no damage to the teeth and does not effect speech as the child is only sleeping.

I went cold turkey with my daughter's pacifier when she was 10 or 11 months old. The first night was difficult but by the third night she was fine.