Pacifier Issues - Manchester,NH

my daughter was on her pacifer till she was 2year old. I had her using it for only nap and bedtime, but then the time came when i had to give it up complety becasue it could have messed up the incoming of her teeth. The only way i could get it off of her was to tell her that she lost it and that it was no where around the house. Then we went looking for it together and when she realized she couldnt find it in the house she just gave it up.

Hi M.,

I was talking to my sister's mother-in-law about when it is time to give up the binky and she was telling me the way that someone that she knows got her baby to give it up. She said that they soaked all the kids binkys in lemon juice so that when they sucked on them it didnt taste good so they threw them down and didnt want them anymore. i havent gotten to the lose the binky stage yet but i thought that was a very interesting way to get a kid to stop wanting it.

i'll tell ya that my child just turned three and she only got rid of her pacifier about 5 months ago. like you she only used it for naptime and bedtime. i too was so worried that she would never lose it but suddenly we did not have it one night and yes, she cried a little longer, but she did fall asleep without it. it took a little more cuddling on my part but she's fine without it. i also started reading more stories to her at bedtime and that seemed to take the place of it. it takes a little more patience from your part but it just seems like substituting something for it does the trick.

My daughter loooooved her binkies. She was almost three when we got rid of them for good.

We used the Santa approach. Santa came in on Christmas Eve and picked them up. He gave them to all the good little boys and girls. Worked like a charm. When she found one recently she said Silly Easter Bunny - he forgot one. Good luck.

My dentist told me that any damage that was done to the teeth by a pacifier would undo itself if the pacifier was gone by the time the adult teeth come in. My daughter used hers almost all the time until we finally took it away when she was almost 6 (not what I would recommend, and we did it differently with child #2). If you have her only using it when she's going to sleep, I'd go for the peacful bedtime.
L.

M.,
This is not my idea. I took it from The Supernanny- one of my favorite shows. I saw this idea Monday night and immediately knew it would be my "Works for Me" for this week.

A little girl on the show was having a hard time giving up her pacifier. Supernanny helped the child put all of her "binkies" in a bag for the binky fairy. It seems the binky fairy needs pacifiers for little babies who don't have any. They hung the bag full of binkies on a tree outside. Overnight, the binky fairy came and collected the bag. The next morning, they found another bag in the tree- with a very special present.

The little girl was so excited! She had a new doll from the binky fairy.

I thought this was so clever and sweet! And I thought there was only a tooth fairy. ;>)

A. M.

The library is a great source for children's paci books. My son loved his paci too! He would hide them with his toys, etc. Finally, we put them under his pillow for the paci fairy...she would leave tickets for fun things. Trip to Chucky Cheese or something as simple as deciding what we had for dinner or a trip to the local pool. Hope this helps.

What my family always did was have the "pacifer fairy" come and leave a special present in exchange for all he pacifiers. Especially since you have a 6 year old who is probably loosing teeth this should be a fun idea for your little one...
Best of luck
A.

M.,
My son had his binker until he was 29 months old. He has no ill effects from it, and is totally normal. He loved that thing, like you he only had it at nap and night time. But after he fell asleep I took it out of his mouth. Then he started to get alot of ear infections and the doctor said that might be one of the problems. SO I had to figure out a way to get rid of it. So one morning I woke up and threw them all in the trash so I would not be tempted to give it back and I told him that we had to give the binky to my best friends new baby. It worked, he did not even cry the first night, and to this day he will tell everyone that he gave his binky to baby Logan. So try telling her you have to give it to another baby. Good Luck!!

I am a mother of a four year old, I found that by cutting of the nipple and giving it back to her that way she began to loose interest all on her own. She became frustrated that there was nothing there and one day just tossed it in the garbage all by herself. I didn't take it away completely just piece by piece. Hope that helps.

I am doing the same thing with my daughter. She will scream if I take it and I tell her this is for night, night. She has finally caught on. You will know if it is time to take her off of it. As long as she does not take it all day long I do not think it will mess-up her teeth. It also really helps when they are sick!!! It also helps them when they wake-up in the middle of the night which makes it easier for you to sleep and be a happy Mother in the morning.

I had the same issue with my son. He loved his pacifier. By around 20 months he only had it at bedtimes and the car and then we stopped giving it to him in the car. I wanted him off it by 2. I tried taking it from him just at naptime. He cried which i knew he would do and i was prepared to wait him out....after 20 mins he had cried so fiercly that he actually threw up....i calmed him down thinking that would end it, but he kept on crying til he seemed like he was hyperventalating. I gave him the pacifier. I asked my docter and he said that at 2 it was fine and that he just wasnt ready to give it up. When my second was born(almost two years behind him) i was worried because i didnt want them fighting over pacifiers(which is why i was trying to wean him off by two), but she didnt want anything to do with them.
I did every so often remind him that he was getting to be a big boy and soon he wouldnt need his sucker. Six months later he about gave it up on his own overnight.

good luck!
S.

If your child is really attached to it let her keep it. There is a slight incresed risk of ear infection with pacifier use. If she doesn't have a problem with ear infections just let her keep using the pacifier. She'll give it up when she's ready.

Hi M.,
I don't know if your 6 year old has lost any teeth or if the "Tooth Fairy" visits. We once broke a child away from his pacifier using the "Binky Fairy". One night we convinced the child to place the pacifier under the pillow and it was relaced with a small stuffed animal. Your children may not be quite old enough.
G.

hi M. -
Im not so sure if this will be of help BUT I thought Id share. My oldest who is now 14 loved her "binky". Id say she was older then your daughter when it was time to get her to stop... we let her keep it on the pillow of her bed in her bedroom & told her for nap and sleeping only. She was good about it..but there were times that she'd run into her room have a quick *slurp* *slurp* on binky and run back out to the TV or playing. It was pretty close to Christmas time when this all started and we told her that when Christmas time approached we were gonna wrap them up and give them to Santa to give to other children who could use them.
I hope this info is of some assist. @ that time, I fig'd anything might work & "WOO HOO" it did!!!
Good luck! smiles...
p.s. I have 3 other children of whom 1 other used a "binky" and it was for a short time only... so each child need for it is definately different.

Hi M.,
I took my daughter's pacifier away at 28 months old. I told her it broke but I felt she needed more of a closure on it. So I cut it and showed it to her and she put it in her mouth and took it right back out again and bought the story.

My son loves his "binky". He is 14 months old. I plan on letting him have it up until 2 years old. You may do more damage if you take it away before she is ready. It is satisfying an oral motor need (sucking) as well as a emotional (comfort). I am an OT and see kids far older with pacifiers. My sister in law started putting a couple holes with a needle when she wanted her kids to start off it. It worked for her.

My boyfriend's sister had this same issue and her doctor recommended cutting the nipple part a little bit every week but you have to be careful to cut the pacifier clean so baby can swallow pieces. This menthod worked great for her and it only took a couple of weeks and then her son didn't want to use it anymore.

M.,
We had that problem with our 20 month old. A friend had a baby and I told my son he had to give all his binkies to the new baby.(Of course,I just threw them out.) He stopped right then,cold turkey and never asked again.
A friend did the "binky fairy". She would give something special for each binky left under the pillow at night.

Hi M., my name is R.. Your daughter is 21 months old. If she is only using at sleepy times I would think that is okay. It just soothes her. My daughter used hers until she was 2 1/2. She is now 14 years old and I don't really think it affected her. If people say something, who cares. I have never seen someone go to school with a binky in their mouth. I wouldn't worry about it.