Pacifiers - League City,TX

I suggest you tell her she is a big girl and can take her pacifiers to the store and use them to "buy" a toy of her choice. Tell her a day or two in advance so she is emotionally prepared. Then have her "pay" the cashier with them.

Don't buy any more and lose them one by one!! OOps
My boy was on the bottle til he bit a nipple in two. OOOPs it broke, no more bottle!!

Cut the tip a little every few days. I did this with my son and he eventually just gave it back to me because it was "broken". I was shocked that it was so easy to get rid of.

Good Luck!

Hi J.,

Let me share a response I sent another Mamasource mom:
Parent Coach J. B here with some thoughts for you and your husband.

THIS is a great opportunity for you and your husband to practice team parenting when dealing with your daughter. There is no right or wrong way to wean her off the pacifier. Sit down at a time when you are both open to a good talk and discuss the many suggestions you've received. Choose one that best appeals to both of you and do it. CELEBRATE the decision you've both reached - you'll be glad of this skill in the years ahead.

In our family, we limited the pacifier in stages to lessen any negative impact. We first restricted all pacifiers to the house and then later to the bedroom. At the same time, we lessened the use gradually to only before naps and bedtime and then to just bedtime. Allow several days for each stage to give your daughter time to adjust.

Eventually, we had each child give the pacifier to Santa (if near Christmas) or to some other person who could share it with a younger child who needed it (some people "give" it to the garbage man). When one of my children asked where it was after giving it up, we'd just remind him where we sent it.

While weaning, be sure your daughter has other ways to self comfort - perhaps with a special luvvee or a blanket. Mom and Dad need to be available for extra cuddles and kisses during this time, too - she may need them.

J., also realize your daughter may want the pacifier for awhile longer. She is using it to soothe herself and that is a good thing to be able to do. Many experts recommend gradully beginning the weaning at about 18 months of age and making sure she does learn other ways to comfort herself.

By the way, Dr. Alan Greene responded to a similar question on another site and cautioned AGAINST cutting the tip off a pacifier. He is concerned this could pose a choking hazard for the child.

Good luck!

Parent Coach J. B

We didn't stop until after 2. Teeth are fine. I don't see what the big issue is with the pressure of quiting early.

Bottom line, it saved us PLENTY of crying episodes and LOTS of going to bed effortlessly.

People seem to think there is a rule as to when to stop. Why? Who cares? If it soothes her, it soothes her. It's not like she will be going to elementary school with it.

My girl is 2 1/2, her dad threw the last 2 pacifiers away, there been plenty of nights where I wish I had an extra stashed somewhere.

You are going to get a lot of "old school" replies on this, bottom line, ask your pediatrician, I think your good to keep it.

My kids and I were on a trip with my parents when we lost my sons binky!! He was about 20 months and only used it at night. To take the edge off, we told him that the "binky fairy" had come to our house and left him a new toy in the drawer in our kitchen where the binkys had been before. It worked for him and for other people we suggested it to. Good luck!

We waited until after our son turned two for several reasons, but the method that worked for us, because he was old enough to understand, was we played into his compassion and asked him if he wanted to give them to Santa to pass out to babies who needed them. His initial response of course was no, but not long afterwards, he brought the idea back up. It was more of a question and I laid it out that it was his decision, and within a couple of months he'd decided he would do it. About two days before Christmas, I hid all of them and he didn't think to ask for them until a few days after Christmas. When I told him I had left them for Santa with the milk and cookies we had baked, he didn't get upset at all. He asked me about them for a few months, then it dropped off completely and now that he's almost four he's mentioned it one other time. We did something similar with some baby toys he had that we were donating. Worked like a charm! Best wishes with your daughter!

Many years ago a Dr. Lyndon Smith's idea to break the pacifier habit was to take a pair of scissors and cut a little off the tip of the pacifier and then the next day a little more and it would stop their habit within a few days. I didn't want to wait a few days so I cut the darn thing in half. My daughter came in saying her pacificer was broke and I just told her "Oh No I guess we have to throw it away" and explained there were no more. She cried a little but I told her she would need to throw it in the trash and I would let her do it. She looked at that darn thing for the longest time and then walked over and put it in the trash and we never heard another word about it nor did she ask for it. I think her making the decision that it was broke and throwing it in the trash by herself is what also made it work. She had the saddest look on her face and I thought I would cry but thank goodness it worked.
Good Luck to you.

Hi J.,
I am a stay at home mom with two kids.. 16 yrs. and 8 yrs.
When my daughter was about two yrs. we just stopped giving her her pacifier and figured we'd give it to her if she asked for it. She never did. My son, on the other hand, had to have three.. one for each hand and one in his mouth. When he was nearing three yrs. I began to panic a bit. A friend told me to cut off the end of the pacifier on one. When my son went to put it in his mouth, he was quite surprised. Since it was 'broke' we threw it away. Only two left. We waited a day or two and then did it to another one. Eventually all three were in the trash. It was a bit hard at bed time, but within a few days, he was doing just fine.
Hope this helps.
~J. B.

When i changed my daughter to a toddler bed, i stopped giving her the pacifier. She was already down to only having it when she went to sleep at that time.

I broke my first child of the pacifier at 1 year old cold turkey. She was very simple to break. My third child, who is very stubborn to this day, was not so easy. The day he turned 18 months, I decided that he wouldn't get a pacifier anymore. I tried the cold turkey thing, but my husband usually gave in, or he would get his big brother or big sister to help him get a pacifier. Sneaky huh? I finally cut the tips off of all of his pacifiers. He threw a fit. It was awful, but eventually worked. He would try so hard to suck on them broken, and I think I even went back and cut them all the way until he didn't want them anymore. Once he found one that was not cut, and he brought it to me. :)
I suggest doing it very soon though. Waiting until my son was 18 months was a bad idea, and his teeth paid for it. they are rounded at the front from the pacifier and if I didn't get him off of it until later, they would look worse. Good luck!

I would like to ad that i just read several of your responses and some mothers have said that there is no proof that pacifiers will mess up teeth. I completely disagree and am shocked that these mothers would believe such a thing. Every child is different, and an experienced mother would know this. I have 3 children. My oldest did not take a pacifier. My second was done with it at 1 yr old and was fine. My third was 18 months like I said, and his teeth DID suffer. They are rounded just a little bit. For the record, no one in my family has rounded teeth, they are all pretty straight, so I KNOW this was because of the pacifier. Also, you got some responses about asking your pediatrician. Good idea! I worked for 7 pediatricians for 5 years. All of them agreed that pacifiers were not the best way to soothe a baby, and you should break your child as soon as possible. In fact, my pediatrician agreed that I waited too long with my youngest son.
I hope this helps you!
Experienced mother of 3..ages 9, 4 and 3

J.,

We did the cold turkey thing at 2 1/2 when he reverted to wanting it all the time, instead of just at bedtime. We had imagined a much worse time than it actually turned out to be. Within 3 days, he wasn't even asking for it anymore.

We took our daughter's away too early (for her) at about that age. She started sucking 2 fingers, and kept that up, day and night for years, then at night until about age 9. We even had to get the orthodontist in on stopping her. So let her keep the pacifier until she stops on her own. Much easier to get rid of later than fingers.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with her having it if it's only when she goes to bed. If it gives her comfort going to sleep, what does it hurt? When it falls out of her mouth, remove it from the bed. Eventually, she's stop needing it. If she still wants it by 24 months, remove it cold turkey some night and tell her that the "Sleep Fairy" came for it.

there is nothing to show that sucking on a pacifier up until 2 yrs old does anything bad for a child's mouth. sucking a thumb DOES change the alignment of the teeth. plus, a 14 mo. old is still a baby in a lot of ways and needs that sucking, soothing sensation. if you DO take it away, i'd suggest replacing it with a blankie or stuffed animal that she picks out from the store...having a "comfort" item really helps kids be able to sleep on their own better. i'm personally really glad i let both my kids give up their pacifiers pretty much on their own. my 1st daughter only had it until about 9 months old and stopped using it herself. my 2nd daughter used hers up until about the beginning of august, so she was about 28 mo. old. we had cut her back to only using it at night and then were contemplating taking it away altogether, but then one night we couldn't find it and told her "oh well, you just have to sleep without it!" she fussed for a little while, but then went right to sleep, so we just didn't go searching for it LOL after the first couple nights she was just fine and when i did find it a few days later i just tossed it! her teeth are just fine, no jutting out from a pacifier, no speech delays (she is AHEAD of most kids actually). so i think we did the right thing!

Hi J.

I just did what you are trying to do, and it works for me, we had some crying moments at night but just 3 nights and that’s it! as somebody said on a respond, every kid is different, but one thing I believe is, first you have to take the pacifier from you or your husband, what we did was, we cut all the pacifiers and throw it away, we said bye bye, because it will be easy for you to run for one in the middle of the night and to keep her calm, so first ask yourself "are you ready to live without a pacifier?"

Good luck!

We took our daughter's paci away around 14 mths as well, it took about 3 days or so until she forgot about it. Much easier now than when they're old enough to fight back, are stronger willed, can talk, etc. The sooner the better... just make sure she has a "lovey", my daughter is attached to her bear but at least it's not a piece of plastic!

That was the same age we took away the pacifier from our oldest (only child who actually liked the paci at my house) and just threw them all away and never looked back. Do it when you are feeling (relatively) well rested and ready to take what comes in good stride,but expect a day or two of fussing or whatever and then she will likely move on. The longer you wait the more drama she'll come up with.
Good luck! I think you are doing the right thing.

P. (SAHM with three boys)

I was a parent who was never going to give my child a pacifier. When my oldest of 4 was 2 weeks old (I only waited because that is what the books said to do)I was at the store getting a pacifier. I was giving my other 3 the pacifier in the hospital.
With that said, all but my 7 month old no longer use a pacifier.
Each child is different so do what you think will be best for your child.
For my oldest things go smoother when she believes they are on her terms. She just decided one day to throw it in the garbage instead of take a nap. At bedtime she asked for it and I just reminded her she threw it away. She was almost 3 when this happened. I also made a rule when she turned 18 months that she could only have it in bed.
My second child just looked too old to have a pacifier when he was just past 2. My husband was out of town for 3 months and I knew that if I didn't have the option of using it I wouldn't. So, I took him to Build-a-Bear and he put all of his binkies inside the bear.It was the end of naps and he was so mad at that stuffed animal. I don't think it was the best way for him but it worked.
For my 3rd child I just cut the nipples back. She was a little concerned that her binkies were broken but she was fine with it and accepted it. I was suriprised at how well it worked. She just carried around her broken binkies.

Cold turkey was miserable for my son but I didn't do so good at limiting it to bedtime use only before we went cold turkey.

best of luck.

I started taking my oldest to the dentist when she was 1 yr. old. By the time she was 6 months, she was using her paci only for bedtime. the first thing the dentist asked me was if she took a pacifier. He said he could see that she was, and, it shocked me because it was only at bedtime. So, that night, I didn't give it to her. I know everyone's experience is different, but, that was the only night she cried. I guess she was so little, that it was not really an addiction at that point, but, a comfort thing. I just rocked her to sleep still, and, she got over it. The next night, not even a wimper. Even if children do have a sucking reflex until 2, think of how many kids never take a binky or suck their thumb, they turn out just fine. I think the earlier you take it away, the easier it will be. My second daughter never would take one, as much as I wanted her to sometimes!!! She was a crier, and, never liked to be held! But, she never sucked her thumb either, and, I never remember any negative things happening to her due to a sucking reflex. I did nurse her until she was about a yr. old, but, even by then, she was on food also, so, nursing was a minimum. I don't even think we were doing night nursings still at a yr. old. I have always been real big at the last thing they have before they go to sleep is a good tooth / gum cleaning, with no food or drink after that unless it is water.

I think like many things every child responds differently to different things but cold turkey worked for us. I think you are doing the right thing taking it away now- it will be much easier than if you wait until she is a toddler. When we took my daughters away she did even talk yet to ask for it back so when she pointed to where it was ussually kept I just acted like I didn't understand what she wanted and quickly changed the subject. "I don't know what you want honey, come on lets go play" You may be surprised at how easy taking the pacifier away is.

My first born child used a pacifier, and when he was admitted to the hospital with double phenonia we did not have his pacifier, but by the 2nd day of being in the hospital he got over it. So, being away from home could be the answer and telling him you did not bring it, but make sure you throw away all the pacifiers at the house so when you return they are not there.
My daughters 2 yrs old sucked his thum and last week while at day care his finger was nearly cut off by a door, and had to have emgerency surgery and because his whole hand was wrapped up there was no way he could suck on it. And for some reason he did not try the other hand. Well, it has been 5 days now and sucking free.
I really like the ideas that some of the other moms had , by cutting the tip off...that is great..wish I had know that.

Good Luck, because it can be so hard to get them to brake such a habit.

Cold turkey, like quitting smoking becuase it is a hand/mouth fixation. Use the binky fairy excuse. Tell her the binky fairy needs her binky for other babies becuase she has grown out of it. Make a big deal about putting it in a special bag (let her put it in there) and "sending" it to the binky fairy by letting her put it in the mailbox. Obviously you would get it out later and put it in her keepsake box. CB

My sister just cut a hole at the end of the pacifiers that way her kids would get tired of holding them in with their hand. It broke them easily. Hope that helps.

We took our son's away around the same age. I think cold turkey is the best way. The older they get the harder it gets and at this age they forget they ever had one. First couple of nights will be rough, you can give her something else to snuggle with if you want but she'll be fine!

We recently got rid of my daughter's beloved 'pacis' at age 2. You might want to talk to your pediatrician. When I spoke to mine, she indicated that children have a sucking reflex that is active until about 2 years of age and that she could even resort to sucking her thumb if I took it away before then. She only took it at 'sleepy times'...nap, night and other times when we were out past night time and she was tired! :)

The transition went SO smoothly because she was old enough to understand. We started talking to her about giving the pacis to the 'paci fairy' so that they could be given to crying babies. One day, I decided it was time because she is a 'big girl', so when she was going down for her nap, we had talked it up and I said, "Let's give your pacis to the Paci Fairy". She helped me wrap them up in wrapping paper, tape them up and hang them in the tree where I had tied ribbons. I told her the paci fairy might come while she took her nap. When she awoke to find the pacis gone and CANDY hanging from the tree, she was very excited (she still talks about this 4 months later). I told her that the paci fairy had given her pacis to crying babies. I even went so far to say..."Listen...do you hear any babies crying?". She chimed in and said, "I'm a big girl". She went for it hook, line & sinker.

She does now sometimes suck on her fingers when she gets really tired, but all in all...no problems!
:)

Good Luck!

When my daughter was about 17 months old, my husband and I started only giving the pacifier to her at naptimes and bedtimes, but never while she was awake. We tried here and there to do bedtime without the pacifier, mainly when she was really, really tired. (Naps were always the toughest, since she didn't want to go to bed during the day.) We also started always giving her this one little stuffed dog that she liked, everytime we put her to bed. We wanted her to start getting used to having that dog everytime she had her naps or went to bed so when there was no pacifier, it wouldn't seem like so much was missing. Anyway, we did that for a month or two, then went cold-turkey, but with distractions. The first paci-free night, we started using her crib aquarium again and it worked really well to distract her as we left the room each time. (Plus, she had her new, comforting stuffed dog.) She started to forget about the paci pretty easily and after a week (with maybe one or two times of bad crying while in bed during that time) she was done with it. We've been paci-free for about 2 months now!

I personally let my kids have a pacifier until age 2, but only when they are sleeping/laying down. It usually falls out and if that is the extent of the use, it won't cause any harm. By then they were old enough that they could go to sleep without it if I "misplaced" it. I also showed them how when it got ripped or anything that we had to throw it away. You can also use the age thing, 2 year olds can't use pacifiers, etc. You can do it now with the same ideas. It is just a matter of no giving in once you tell her she can't have it anymore. But, try without saying anything about it, she might not even notice. Be cool and casual, but don't give in once it's settled. It will take a few days for cold turkey, but it will happen.

Hi, J.!

We just cut the tip of the pacifier nipple off a little bit and when our daughter asked for it, we gave it to her, and when she tried it out, she gave it back to us and said it was broken. She never asked for it again!

Enjoy every second with your daughter!
S.
SAHM of 7 (2 to 14)

I read on a beanpast blog that they tied the pacis to a ribbon and put them on a tree and let the paci fari take them and give them to babies that needed them...at least that what I think they did. Get creative and let her have a doll or something else in the time of comfort. Good luck hope this helped.

We weaned our son at about 15 months or so. Every other day I would cut a little bit more off of the nipple. (I hid the back ups) By the end of the week, he said it was broken and he threw it in the trash himself.

Now, it wasn't completely easy sailing. He did have a little more trouble falling asleep with out it. But by the weeks end, he wasn't asking for it either. I think it helped that he threw it away.

One other note, he only got to have the paci in his crib. We weren't a paci all the time, all places family.

HTH. good luck.

We took our daughters aay cold turkey. When she was about 8 months we only let her have it when she was going to sleep so when we did finally go cold turkey it wasn't as hard. I mean don't get me wring, she did cry but I didn't give in. She was about 14 months when we took it away also. At night I would carry her around or lay with her and talk or sing just so she would get her mind off of it. It didn't take many nights she didn't even cry for it anymore.

Hi J., I would say go cold turkey. It will be easier than you think. My son was about the same age and we didn't think we would ever get it away from him. He lost it at Target one day and that was it. He never asked for it again. Hope it helps and good luck!

We allowed our son to go till he was about three, but ONLY at night. After he was sleeping, I'd go in and take it out. He needed them to nap. But, one weekend, my mom took him and told him that I did not pack it. He did fine. When he got home I came so close to giving in when he asked and I just told him I don't know where it went. He did fine. However, napping went out the window unless we were coming home from grocery shopping or something during the day and he'd fall asleep in the car. I tried a few of the slower tactics before and none worked. Like the rest say... cold turkey!

Yep. Cold turkey. Sooner the better. She'll forget she even had one if you give her a few days.

You might take her pacifier and every week, cut a little off of the end. Eventually it will be so short that it is more work for her to keep it in her mouth than the comfort she receives from it.