Pacifiers - McKinney, TX

I wouldn't force it yet. If he is only using it for naps and bedtime you have already won the hardest battle. But for sleeping he is using for comfort to go sleep. Trust me a good thing. I would wait till at least a year. My daughter just lost hers in the house. As we started losing the multitude of pacifiers she quit noticing she wanted them. When she found them later she gave it a final suck then threw it in the trash herself. She knew she didn't need it and it was her decision to toss it. Again this was between 18-24 months.

D. for your child to only need it during the times that you said is really great. So many children use it for periods outside of that. Be patient as right now it is a calming tool for him and probably is also helping him with the need to gnaw on things as he teeths. I know that many will suggest snipping the pacifier or "giving" it away to some imaginary thing/person. Remember your child is only 10 months and will not understand what it is you are trying to do. You just need to continue to monitor the pacifier and if the child does not seek it than don't give it. So many times as parents we give things to our children as an automatic response without them asking. Just use patience and monitor.

Either give the pacifiers to the Easter bunny (or similar) for her "kids," or snip off the end of the pacifier so there is a hole - your child won't like it then (since they can't develop suction) and will give it up over time. Hope this helps!
J. Eric Hibbs, DDS

My advice is DON'T. If he is using a paci, then he needs it. Babies need to suck, and it is comforting to them. So many people think they need to force their babies off, not so! It won't harm him in any way. Most kids do give it up before they get to Kindergarten... if it gets to that point, then worry. But at 10 months, let him be a baby!

My oldest daugter never took a paci, but she sucked her thumb. In an ultrasound, you can see her sucking on it in the womb! She did that until she was 3. My youngest never sucked her thumb but loved the paci. She gave it up when she was close to 4. We never forced it but encouraged it. Now they use teddy bears for comfort.

Good luck.

I agree that 10 months seems slightly young to try to force him to give up his paci, especially since he is just using it when it's time to sleep. My son will be 1 in two weeks, and he also just takes one at nap- and bedtime, and I am not planning on trying to wean him for several more months.

One thing I have heard of doing, though, is giving it to them as they fall asleep, and then once they are deeply asleep, going in and taking it out of the crib (I know with Jack, it falls out of his mouth after he falls asleep, though he will find it and put it back in throughout the night). If you take it out, then hopefully he will start to learn to go back to sleep without it and eventually not need it anymore.

Good luck!

My son is a little over 2 and he still has his pacifier. He uses it all the time!!! I try to keep it hidden when he's playing or just doesn't realize he doesn't have it. I have tried talking to him and telling him it was nasty, but it doesn't seem to be sinking in. If I were you I'd try to take it away from him before it becomes habit like my kid.

Also whoever it was said not to take it away from them, because they will give it up before they go to Kindergarten anyway, well my son's teeth are starting to turn. While it's just a little, I wouldn't advise anyone to let them keep it until the child decides to just drop it. Try to get it away from him before he even realizes it's missing.

You have done the right thing in cutting the pacifier down to just naps and bedtime. It makes it easier on the transition. Our pediatrician suggested cutting off the end of the pacifier, just a little snip. Our daughter stuck it in her mouth, pulled it out and looked at it and put it back in and kept sucking. A week later, we cut another little snip off and continued to do so every week as she gradually got used to it being shorter and shorter. One day, while in her bed going down for a nap, she threw it out of the bed and and went to sleep. She was about 14-15 months old. The whole process took about 6 weeks but was very smooth. That night (after throwing it away), she asked for it and we told her it was broken. That was the end.

Hi D.. Seriously, we just put them all away. If it got tooooo unbearable at night we would give it to them long enough to fall asleep, then pull it out and put it up. It is rough only usually 2-3 days. If you can stand it, then you can break him from it :) It's hard, but you can do it! Be sure, once you decide to do it, to go through the house and find any missing pacifiers. You don't want him finding them. Good luck to you.

J. Pierce
Steel My Heart Independent Consultant
http://J..yoursmh.com

My advice is to be SURE you want to get rid of them. May daughter (14 months) just went through a HORRIBLE round of teething and thank god for the pacy- none of us would have had a minutes peace.Once you take it away, you can't give it back (well, you can, but that seems a bit conusing don't you think?). I plan to get rid of our daughters sometime within the next 6 months, but our whole family would have suffered greatly if we hadn't had them last week!

I wouldn't worry about it too much. My oldest LOVED her pacifiers (she called them suckers) and had one until she was 3. I know that sounds crazy, but it was her "security blanket." The rule was if she lost it it was gone. W e did not replace it. Eventually she lost them and it was no big deal. I would pressure your son to quit using one. Keep it a bed time only thing. He is not going to use one forever. He will give it up. I promise.

Hi D.,
Well I have a 21 month old that uses a paci for nap and bedtime. He is my 2nd and I'm just not a worried about it as I was with my 1st. It came down to either he was going to suck his thumb or a paci. I choose a paci. You can take a away a paci but not a finger! I called a couple of pedi dentist and they didn't think it was a big deal until they are 4 or 5 years old. Upon doing some research, I found that most kids will wean themselves off by 3. Also if you are only using it a bedtime, you already ahead of the game.
C.

If he is only 10 months and is only using when going to sleep, this is a blessing. It would be easier if you wait until he does not "need" to suck. This action strengthens the oral muscles to allow him to talk and know how much food is in his mouth so he does not "stuff" food (my son stuffs; it's not a good thing).

When you take the bottle away, the desire to suck is still there and he will need that. When you take the sippy cup away, it is the same thing. Don't be too hasty. It could cause other unwanted sucking (hands, shirt, etc.).

Whoever told doctors to tell us to take things away from our kids on a strict schedule did NOT have kids.

Enjoy being a mom. You know more about the kid than anyone.

P. <><

try to get him a special blanket with a trim around it like satin so he can feel that instead of sucking on a binky!
Worked for my kids!
Hope it helps!

I just saw this on SupperNanny. She told the child that the "Pacy fairy" goes to big girls and boys and leaves them a special envelope and asks the big girls and boys to give her their pacifiers. After they put them in the envelope (which is decorated and very fairy godmother looking and addressed to Panelope the Fairy). They seal the envelope and place it in the post box for the Penelope the Fairy to come and get. The next morning they will have a "thank you gift" from the Pacy Fairy. When the boy went to check the mail box.. there were fairy feathers and glitter in the box and around the box. Inside was another special envelope addressed to the little boy. Inside were plastic animals. I am sure you could use what ever you son likes to play with.

I thought this way worked great because it was the child's idea and there was no stress.

Worked much better than the way we did it. We cut the end of the paci off so that they were "broken".

Hi D., My name is A.. I have a 2 year old son. We got him off his paci at about 11 1/2 months old. He also wanted it only when he took naps and to sleep for the night. What we did is cut the tip off of it. We asked around and one lady told us this worked both of her children. You cut a tiny bit off of every paci each week. The first cut I just took the tip where it pointed. Some were more than others. It only took that one time for my son and he got mad for a minute or two and then did not want it after that. To me this is the best way because you are not the bad guy the paci is.
A.-Godley, TX

Hi D., my son was a little older when we had him get rid of his (I believe he was closer to 2). Some very close friends of ours had a baby and we packaged them up from him to the baby. The whole idea was he wasn't the "baby" anymore and the new baby NEEDED them. He loved doing it and didn't ask for them anymore! Of course we prepared the new Mom for what we were doing so she wouldn't think we were REALLY giving them to the baby and she played along!
Good luck - that's great that he is only using it for naps and bedtime at this young age, the transition should be smoother now!
K.