Pacifier - Grafton,WI

Hi A.,

When my daughter was a little over a year old I limited the pacifier to her bed. When she was about 2 1/2 years old we got rid of it completely. After about a week of asking for it and crying about it. We actually threw it away because it had a hole in it. So when she asked for it I reminded her how she helped to throw it away. Then we snuggled for a while until she calmed down.

I thought it was a painful process for me. I hated seeing my baby unhappy but I knew it was best in the long run.

A. B.

A.,

If you are on day 3 without the pacifier stick with it. The first few days are the hardest. Once he realizes he's not going to get the pacifier he will quit waking up and will learn to comfort himself back to sleep. Hang in there, sometimes I think it's tougher on the parents than it really is on the kids. Good Luck!

I don't recall how old my son was, but I do remember that when he asked for it I would tell him that it was for bedtime only. If he wanted it, he would have to go to bed. If he didn't want to go to sleep, he couldn't have it. Weaning him off instead of 'cold turkey' worked for us... but if he has gone without for this long, I wouldn't "cave in". So far so good... he's gone this long. Maybe a favorite stuffed animal instead?? Stay strong. We know what you're going through. You're not alone.
Good Luck,
~SR

Keep up the good work! He may never ask again after today. 3 days seems like a pivotal time for beginning to break habits!

Hi A.,

You're doing great, don't give in now!

Here's a a couple other ideas:

If he really wants it and isn't getting over it take one pacifier with you and go a Build a Bear store. Let him pick out and help build a bear and instead of putting a heart in put the pacifier in. Name the bear whatever he calls the pacifier and when a asks for a pacifier he can have the bear as his comfort item instead.

Also have someone else come and take the pacifiers (a friend, relative, "Nuk Fairy") and give them to new babies. Have the "fairy" leave a big boy present for him. If he wants his pacifier back he has to give the present back, not likey.

Good Luck!

Hi A. -

My sister had the same problem with her daughter at 3 1/2 years. Their idea worked like a charm - they told her that nuks were for babies and that there were babies in the hospital who needed them...then brought her to the pediatric wing of our local hospital and she gave them to the nurses. They kept one emergency nuk at home but never needed it! Good luck!

I just recently took my almost 3yr old off his binky. He asked for it a few times the first week then again about a week after I took it from him. I told him that the Binky Fairy came and took them and gave them to little babies that didn't have any, because he was a big boy and didn't need them anymore. It's been about 3 weeks now and he hasn't asked for it at all. You could try the binky fairy thing and maybe give him a prize or a dollar just like the tooth fairy does. That might work. Good luck.

Hi A.,
You are doing great, don't give in now. My oldest son needed 3 days to get over the nuk need. I cut all the nuks we had and at bedtime gave him one, he told me it was broke, so I gave him another, until he had gone thru all the nuks we had, they were all broke, so he held one in his hand for 3 nights and never asked for one again.
Now, my second son is almost 3 1/2 and refuses to accept broken, he was sucking on it anyway. I will have to read thru your responses, hopefully one will help me too!
Don't give into your son, it seems to me he is over the "hump". You are on your way to a nuk free zone!

I know this is about 2 months early but it might help. My brother had a pacifier and would not give it up. My Mom racked her brain for months and finally hit on the idea of having him give the pacifer to Santa Claus to give to other little children. It worked!! My brother never asked for it again.
I think she told him a story about little children who lived far away and their Mommies couldn't get pacifers because they didn't have enough money and he was a big boy now, around 3 1/2, and he should give his pacifer to Santa to give to one of those little babies.
You might give it a try or come up with a story like that then it is his decision and makes him feel good that he did something nice for someone else.

Just keep doing what you are doing! I did cold turkey with my daughter at 18 mo. which was probably a little easier of an age, but he can do it and so can you. This may be a good time for him to pick a new lovey that he can use for comfort instead of the pacifier such as a stuffed animal or a blanket or special toy. Although I think he is too old for the pacifier young children still need some sort of comfort object to get around in this big ol' world!! Good Luck, it shouldn't take too much longer to get him used to not having it.

Don't give in, you're doing great!

Sometime between 7 and 8 months my son lost all his pacifiers (they always stayed in his crib) and he doesn't seem to care. I think they're under his crib - he doesn't want them so I haven't looked.

That's the good. On the bad side, he loves to suck his thumb. That's even harder to break as they get older - you can't take away their thumbs! :-)

I know it's hard, but stick to your guns. It's bad for their teeth and jaw at this age to be sucking on pacifiers, so keep in mind that this is good for the long term. You're doing it because you love him, not to be mean.

Hi A.,

We took away my son's pacifier at 6 months. From 4-6 months, he was only using it at nap time and at bedtme. At 6 months, we went cold-turkey.

Since he was only looking for them at bedtime, he did cry the first few nights, maybe 3 or 4. But oh, it was wonderful after that. No waking up because his binky fell out of his mouth at 3 am, or having him drop the binky in a public place and then have to search around for it and sanitize it.

Stick to your guns, and good luck.

Sounds like you are doing a good job...stick to your guns..he is probably just a few more days away from being done with it...maybe start a sticker chart and have him get a sticker for each day he goes without it...let him pick a reward and you decide how many days he has to go for the reward...maybe pick 4 small rewards each week and one big one at the end of the month.

I would also hide or throw away the nuks so he can not stumble upon them.

Distraction! Just don't give in! You are not doing him any favors when you let him have it back. Just get rid of all of them so you aren't tempted. Maybe bring him to the toy or book store and let him pick out a new toy/book because he's 'such a big boy now and doesn't need a pacifier'. It recently worked for my 2 3/4 year old.

We broke our son of his pacifier right after his second birthday...Throw all of them away...That is the best advice I have...tell your son that he has gotten too big for it. The first week is tough, but hang in there. After 2 weeks our son had gotten over the loss. Good luck!

One thing I had heard of doing, if you think it would work better is to cut the end of the pacifier off so that they suck air...then it is not enjoyable to them, but you haven't taken it away. May be worth a try.

We had my 2 year old DD physically throw her "nuppy" away. That way she knew it was gone. She asked for it for the first 2-3 nights after we got rid of it and it was heartbreaking (more on me than on her though)!!! I simply told her "you threw your nuppy in the garbage." She was completely fine with that answer and didn't really cry for it. It's been a few months now and she still asks for it on occasion. She'll say "nuppy?" and I say "what happened to your nuppy?", she says "nuppy in garbage" and that's the end of that.

We went cold turkey when our son was 2 years old....it took about 4 days before he acted like he never had one. Our third has one and our son doesn't even look at his like he wants it and this was only June when we took him off. Hang in there, he'll get over it. Try using something else to comfort like a blanket or favorite toy. Good luck!

Oh, the memories!!! My first daughter was 3 when we got rid of it. My brother-in-law stopped over one day, told her she was too old for a nuk (she was 3) and took it with him when he left. She was none too happy for a couple of days, but it didn't seem to bother her as much as it did for my second daughter (also 3 years old.) Oh my! She was a clever one! She had nuks stashed in places all over the house. I'd take it away, cut it, throw it in the garbage, whatever, and sure enough, she'd come out with one in her mouth! To this day I don't know where she kept them!! Sneaky little thing! Once she ran out of her "stash" though, it was rough. It took about 4 or 5 days, but she eventually got over it.
Keep it up...you've gotten this far. You don't want to give in or you'll have to start all over again. I have read before that having the child participate in the "getting rid of the nuk ceremony" helps. Have him cut the nipple off, or throw it in the garbage himself. Tell him the "pacifier fairy" needs it for another little baby. Whatever it takes! Make him feel like a "big boy". Good luck!