Taking the Pacifier Away - Fort Worth,TX

I have two kids and they were both different. With my son we told him we lost most of them, but with the last pacifier we cut the tip of the pacifier a little every day. Eventually he gave it up. With my daughter, we told her the pacifier was "shoooweee" and she threw it in the trash herself and never cried. It's different with every child, just try each technique out and one will work!

So hard. My little girl used hers to soothe herself to sleep and in the car. We took it away at one and she just cried herself to sleep for a couple of nights, but then she was fine. My sister in law took it away later and it was harder for her. She actually told her little boy that he was too big for them now and since my daughter was a baby, she told her son they needed to send them to us for her to use. We actually got a box in the mail of old pacis! It was hilarious. She said that he had a hard time falling asleep for a while, but that now he listens to music as he falls asleep and that soothes him like the pacifier used to. No matter what, you probably will have more crying for a little while, but overall you will be so glad that you don't have to keep up with the thing anymore.

On both of my boys I cut the part they suck on pretty short. If they still try to use it, I try cutting it shorter. They do not like it short, therefor they made the decision to quit. A few of my friends tried the same thing. Most it worked for, a few it didn't.
Good luck!
C.

I would take it away now...not wait until 3 like another mother said. My son's dentist told me his teeth were bucking out because of the paci, so we took it away that night. If you wait until she's 3, it'll be worse.

As for how to take it away, cut it. We cut a hole in it first...my son didn't care. We started actually cutting the tip off, & that did the trick. After about 4 nights, we ended up cutting off all of the nipple. That did the trick. My son held onto the mouth guard for a couple of nights for comfort.

We just went cold turkey with my daughter when she was 14 months and it was tough for about 2 nights, but then was fine. You really have to get them out of the house though so that they don't find one laying around and, more importantly, so that you aren't tempted to give in and give her one!

The one suggestion I have heard for older kids is to put a small hole in the end of it so that it doesn't feel the same when they suck on it. They will usually tell you it is broken and then you can say "uh oh, time to throw it away". I have heard of lots of kids throwing them in the garbage on their own and when you remind them that they're broken, they don't ask anymore.

Best of luck to you! Rest assured, no matter how you go about it, the trauma won't last more than a few days. ;-)

When my daughter turned 2 we told her that her pacifier was only for naptime and bedtime. Every time she screamed for "passy!" I said, "OK, but you have to go to bed." It took about a week and a few times messing her up with a weird nap time, but she got used to it and now only uses it in bed. Each morning, we said "Bye-Bye passy" and she tossed it back into the crib (it was important to her that she be the one to throw it back). I know that doesn't get rid of it entirely, but it works for us (and most people don't realize she still uses a pacifier). I've heard that they often give things up naturally by age 3, so we aren't going to worry about it until then. At that point, we'll probably talk about how we don't use passies after we turn 3 (for about a month) and then pass them along to one of the many babies we know. Hope it works!

Hi J.! I'm a 34 year old mother of four and lover of all babies and toddlers! My youngest had this very same problem and I swore I would never have a baby walking and talking with a binky hanging out of her mouth! Well that is exactly what I had become and it tormented me! When nothing else would work, this little trick did great! Snip the end of the pacifier with a pair of scissors. Not much just a snip, yes there will be a hole in the pacifier afterwards. Give that first snip a week, then snip a little more. In order for this to work, you MUST remove all the other pacifiers. She can't find one or you'll have to start over, she has to work with this one pacifier only. So, I would suggest cleaning house of all binkies but THE ONE. After a week of her just using THE ONE, snip the end of the pacifier. She'll take it out at first and look at it curiosly, then pop it back into her mouth. After another week, snip a little more and so on and so on. It only took my daughter 3 weeks and she threw her own pacifier away! What happens is that it looses the magical comforting feel it gives her and she will not want it anymore ;-)

Let me know your results
N. G.

Hello J.:

I know exactly what you are going through. My daughter is 3 years old and we just now got rid of the pacifiers. We put all of them in a zip lock bag and she took them to daycare and gave them to her teacher! She visually saw them gone, and she knows they do not allow them in school, so that did the trick. She did whimper some in the evening but I held my ground. She eventually gave up, remembering her teacher had them for good!

Another mom in the class let the child put the pacifiers in a the tummy of a "Build A Bear" Bear. So she has a bear with pacifiers in the tummy.

Just think of a creative way to pack them up, throw them away and tell the child they are growing up and getting big. You will know what's best for your child.

I was at witts end one day looking for those crazy pacifiers and thought I was in hog heaven when I found 8. Well when you can communicate and talk about it and you know your kid is understanding, its a good time, because I told Lauren look I found 8 and we counted them and she was excited as me then I told her that this is all we are getting and when the last one is gone there is no more sassy. Thats what she called them. Don't ask me I have no idea but I kinda liked her word for it. Anyway when we would loose one I'd let her know and when we were down to the last one I said no more sassy and she was kinda sad but she knew. She was like 2 1/2 and I really didnt care what anyone had to say about it. Her pedi said for me to use the orthodonic pacifier so I did and she has the most straight teeth especially for someone who never wore braces. Her pedi said that the ortho pacifiers could actually play apart in the teeth growing in straigh. Another thing my oldest is 20 my youngest 11 and looking back I barely remember and all those people who drag you down with insults and advise and they don't even remember any of it. I look back and I wish I could have known not to worry to much because when they get to school I think they all are potty trained can speak over 2000 words, noone shows up with a pacifier. So do yourself a favor and don't worry about what everyone else says its none of their business. The people who worry about how your doing something usually have a mess in their own backyard they should be consentrating on so just take your time and pick one of the responses to choose from. I'm glad though I waited till my daughter knew what I was talking about. One thing it helps with their development to get all their sucking in, so pacifiers are not a bad thing and if they pick up a thumb you can't throw it away. My youngest wouldnt take a pacifier he did the thumb thing and quit on his own at 6 months. He didn't like pacifiers so I had to give him bottles of water to get him to get enough sucking in. Anyway I promise when kindergarten hits there want be a child there thats not potty trained, noone will have a pacifier or bottle. So good luck with what you decide to do.

I have not attempted this yet, my son is 14 months and at this time I am using teething as an excuse to let him keep using it... however, I have a friend that said she cut the tip off of her sons pacifier and gave it to back to him. She said with the tip cut off he didn't like how it felt in his mouth anymore and lost interest in it. May be worth a try.

We did the 'binky fairy' thing when our daugher was over 3 yrs of age. we started only giving it to her at nighttime and for naps, then only at night. we talked about it for a few months before we actually did it. we told her that the binky fairy needed her binky for a little baby that needed it, and that she was such a big girl she didn't need it anymore. one night when she had spit out her binky, we took it and replaced it with gifts for her (similar to the tooth fairy, etc). It worked beautifully, because she was VERY attached to it. her dentist told me that as long as she dropped the binky before her permanent teeth came in, that it was no big deal, just fyi. it's better than thumb-sucking, you can't take their thumb away :). good luck. -jm

I feel your pain. When my daughter was that age, she loved her "binky" as well. I got tired of looking at my really tall 2 year old with one in her mouth!! I eventually decided to throw away all her binky's and tell her that they were all lost and they didn't make them anymore. Beleive it or not, she was ok with that explanantion and never asked for another one again. Not sure if this will work for you, but thought I would share. Good luck!!!

don't feel bad I am having the same problem. Taking the bottle was easy but the binky is being a problem. I have read in books to just let it happen and to not cut the ends or anything. But I am looking for advice to. Good Luck you will need it or if your daughter is like mine you will need ear plugs.

T.

if it's just one paci she wants then trying each night cutting the nipple off pretty soon when it's down to nothing she wont want it anymore.

Throwing them in the trash worked for my daughter and it took her 3(rough)days to adjust. I also used this with potty training. Keep it simple and follow through.

Hi J.,

So far I have three little ones and they were all different. Number one didn't even take the pacifire and my second had it until after he was 2. He needed it a little longer because he was a late teether and needed the extra support. I took the paci from my third baby after he turned one and he was fine with it. I agree that each child is different and it depends on what their needs are. Just remember that weening from the pacifire is easier than weening off the thumb.

J. - You might want to try weening her off of her pacifier. Tell her that is for night time only. She can have it when she goes night night. We live in Rockwall and cross the Lake Ray Hubbard bridge to drive into Dallas. One day, I rolled the window down and told my two year old to throw your pacie in the lake. She just looked and me and I said it again like it will be fun. She took it out of her mouth and threw it out the window. She looked back at me (like she couldn't believe she just did that). I started clapping and cheering and shouting Yeah! She started clapping, too. When she would start crying for her pacie, I would say its in the lake and she would start clapping (and I would too). Maybe that will help.

Our dentist recommended that we cut the tip of our daughter's pacifier to get her to stop taking it. She stated it would break the suction and she would not be interested. Although for us it was not successful.
Our daughter turned two in August and we were going through the same thing at bedtime (screaming for her blanket and pacifier) One day our daughter misplaced it and has yet to find it but has dealt with the fact that it is gone "Bye Bye" so that was how we were able to get her to stop.
Hopefully the cutting of the tip will help you out.
Good Luck.
K.

My daughter loved here Mimi that is what she called it. When I took it away she would cry and scream and even throw a fit. I was weak and kept giving it back. Even going to the store in the middle of the night to get one. She had it until she was 3 years old. I just kept telling her you are a big girl now and you don't need that Mimi. She would say it's my best friend Momma! Man.....I told her daily that she would have to get rid of it because she was way to big for it. She finlly brought it to me one day and said Momma I'm ready to give it away. I'm a big girl now. I was so glad! I did not want her to think I was cruel or selfish in taking it. I wanted her to take responsibility for it herself. She finally did and I'm glad because I truly thought I would be killing her spirit by taking it away. She is 12 years old now and a beuatiful young lady. She will still talk about it and she remembers me letting her do it in her time. Thanks and I wish you the best. I think that praying about it and seeking God's will is the best in every situation.

I hear you on that one everyone bugged me about the binky with my son. Personally I didn't see what the big deal was but after he turned two I just started asking him to give it to me and he did. When your daughter is ready she will give it up until then try just giving it to her at night time.

My daughter was about 15 months old when we took hers away. She was down to only in the crib at the time and we just took it cold turkey. Because of her age there wasn't any reasoning to do because she couldn't understand anyway. There were a couple of night of crying forever but it faded pretty quickly after that.

A friend of mine had their daughter give it to the trash man. I think they claimed it was broken and didn't work anymore.

I've also heard of leaving it out for the Easter Bunny so he can take it to the babies who really need it. If you want to wait a couple of more months you could use that option.

Good luck! I know it's hard!

I dealt with the same problem with my now 7 year old, she was almost 4 when she finally gave it up!!!! What finally worked was tying the pacifier to her bed with thread and telling her that if she wanted to use it she would have to go to her bed to partake.( FYI, it was tied to a bunk bed where strangulation was not an issue.) What kid really wants to got their bed when it is not bedtime? Eventually she broke it off, but then they all disappeared and I didn't get anymore. Good luck, it's hard, but she is still young. There is really no right or wrong way, what ever works for you!

well when i was tring to take the bottle away from my daughter i had to put something that looked gross to her or somthing that tasted nasty on the nipple its been 12 yrs since that happend i kind of remember my mom tellling me to put a little salsa n i think thats what it took to get her off of the bottle the reson people tell you to get her off of the pacifier its because its bad for her teeth i hope this helps always K.

J.
Don't loose hope or let any well-intentioned person get to you. Right around the time my son turned 3 we finally put our foot down and he just went cold turkey. We actually left it at a friends house that we had been at earlier in the day and we couldn't find the other one that we had. My son LOVED that thing and nothing else would make him feel better sometimes. Leading up to that we just made sure that he didn't have it at ALL during the day and he only got it when he was in bed. That night took him a little while to go to sleep and the nap the next day was a little rough but by bed the next night, when he asked, we just told him he was a big boy and he didn't need it anymore. (The other thing that helped was that he had a brand new little sister and he didn't want to be a baby like her). All in all my biggest advice is don't worry about it until you are ready to give it up, because if you aren't ready then neither is he.

Oh, I can totally relate! My daughter at 22 months was so attached to her binkies, that she would demand to wear outfits of the same color as her binky! Can you imagine. I thought if she could do that, she is way too old to still suck on it. So I took all of her favorite ones and cut the top halves off their bulbs. When my dear kid asked for her binky, I showed it to her and said that since she was already so big she sucked a hole in it. She kept repeating that her binky broke for about two hours, even asked her daddy to fix it :) Next day she forgot all about it, and has not mentioned it since. We are about to celebrate her 2nd birthday in 2 weeks, and after that we are going to get rid of her night time bottle!
Good luck!
O.

The easiest way to get rid of a binky is to start cutting the nipple. Start with the tip and every week cut a little more off, eventually she won't be able to keep it in her mouth anymore and you can just throw it away.
Good luck
EEvans

I had the same problem with the bottle. We went on vacation and I left all the bottles at the vacation spot on purpose. When we returned, I told her the bottles had stayed on vacation and now she needed to use a sippy cup, which worked really well. She was old enough to understand the concept of 'not here, on vacation' and didn't really fuzz at all. I don't know if this will work with a pacifier, but I sure hope so.
Good luck.

ignore what people are saying. My son had his binky until he was 3. He LOVED it. We told him you are getting too old for it. He traded it for a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos!
If it makes her happy and your life easier why give it up just because other people want her to.
good luck.
p.s.
I had one until I was 5 and I turned out pretty well.:)

I have two sons who both sucked on pacis. My youngest was more addicted than my older son. With both of them - we had very little trouble weeing them off the paci. We went cold turkey and they were both fine. We told them the "PACI FAIRY" was coming in a few days. Now that they were big boys (we did this soon after their 2nd birthday), the fairy needed to come take them to little babies that needed them. They both really got it and it worked!

I have 2 children I weened from the pacifier at about 2. The reason wasnt out of peer pressure but for my childrens own health it is not good for there teeth and I knew the longer I waited the harder it would be. (the harder it will be on you as the mom) Besides do you remember anything from when you were 2? Quick suggestion my daughter loved activities so I always said " if you want to be a big girl and finger paint you have to put up your binki" "if you want to go swimming tomorrow you have to give me your binki" It was always her choice but if she didn't give it up she didn't get to do the activity. Then I always cheered her giving up the binki. On the third day we threw them away for an ice cream cone and a ride on a mery go round. Good Luck!!

I can actually remember my paci being taken away. It was very traumatic for me. I didn't want my daughter to have one, but the nurses at the hospital gave her one (they actually hid it from me at the hospital but I caught her with one - talk about a pissed off new mom!) We decided to let her have one and when she turned 2 I took it away. She had a bunch, so everyday I would throw one away until we were down to only 1. I never told her it was me I just got rid of them when I would find them. We cut her down to only bedtime, and no paci at nap. Going without it during the day and naptime really helped reasoning with her when we finally took away the last one because she was a big girl and I told her that she didn't need it anymore and she believed me! When we took away the last paci I had a talk with her about how she doesn't need it anymore because they are for babies and she's a big girl. If I found any more I always made sure to throw them away so that I couldn't cave in and give her one. The first 3 nights were bad but she got over it. For about a month she would ask for a paci but was ok with not having one.

One piece of advice once it's gone....

AVOID THE PACIFIER AISLE AT WAL-MART OR WHEREVER YOU SHOP!!!!! Kids are smart and will try to convince you to buy a new one. My daughter knew that they came from W-M so I avoided that aisle and I told her that the store ran out of Paci's.

Here's what made me mad. My ML went to a wedding in Mexico and the party favors were stuff you would find at a RAVE. She brought back a pretend paci that lights up and flashes different colors and gave it to my daughter after almost a year of no paci and it went strait into her mouth. I threw it away in front of my ML and had a few harsh words for her about how hard we worked to get rid of paci's and how she ruined everything. It was a weak moment on my part, but I think sometimes they need to hear what you honestly think to respect you as a mother. (But I think that's a whole other topic)

My son was 3yrs old when I finally figured out a way for him to get rid of the binky. Each day, I would cut just a little of the nipple off and give it to him. When I got down to the very end of the nipple, I handed it to him to put in his mouth and he handed it back. He screamed for another binky so I gave him another with a little bit of the nipple cut off. I did this for about a week and he finally gave up. He never took a binky after that...With my other son, he was about 2 1/2yrs and I saw this on supernanny and it worked for us as well. We explained to our son that there is a binky fairy that needs some binkys for other kids. If he puts all of his binkys in the bucket for the fairy and leaves it on the porch for her to pick up....then she will also leave him a present for giving up his binkys. The binky fairy left my son a one dollar bill and a cool new toy. I hope those two ideas help ya out...Good Luck!

ah, this brings back memories of when my daughter's pacifier was hanging on her shirt...it was her 3rd arm. we tried everything and she just got so angry and would bang her head on the wall for days and didnt sleep for 5 days!!! But in the end...here's what worked:

Snip off a tiny bit of the tip of the pacifier so there is a hole in it. (make sure she doesnt see you do this) then when she asks for it give it to her..she will suck on it, then take it out and tell you something like, "it's broken"..then be like, "OMG it's broken??!!! I guess you will have to put it in the trash. Then she will ask for another and it will also be cut off...then you will be like, "OMG this one is also broken???!!! Until she has put all the pacifiers in the trash. the key is to make her make the decision to put them in the trash and for her to put them in the trash, not you. when you are all out of paci's she will be sad, and you can act sad for her....when she asks for them you can say, "I'm so sorry baby...remember when they were all broken and you put them in the trash? She may go to the trash and try to suck on them again, but she will not like it with a hole in it.

Hope that helps!

Here is my advice - take them and throw them away. Don't look back...don't keep an "emergency" pacifier. Just tell her that she is a big girl now and it is time to give her paci to a new baby. You can box them up and pretend to mail them to the new baby or if you know someone who has a small baby you can actually "give" them to the baby. Some things are just best done cold turkey. We did my sons that way and he never even cared. I didn't realize how easy it would be!

My daughter loved her binky, too. I let the binkies stay around a bit longer I'm afraid...She was 4 (her teeth are fine :) )So when the time really came to say goodbye I started telling her about the Binky Fairy. I explained that the Binky Fairy is teh tooth Fairy's cousin and she collects binkies that children have outgrown and gets them to other babies who need them. Miraculously she believed it and was into it. After a few more days of hype she decided to give it a shot. So at night she would out her binky under her pillow and in the morning it was gone and she had a little present! A My Little Pony, some stickers...small things really. It was fun for everyone. I would go in at night, make the swap and put some fairy dust on her nose and in her hair, too. But I think the main reason it was successful (presents aside) was because she was involved in the process. She decided to let them go and was really OK with it. I didn't freak out about her having them "too long" so there was no mommy angst for her to pick up on or manipulate and we did it together. Good luck to you! Let me know how it works out for you.
xoxo
Jenn

Hi J.-

My son is almost 2 1/2 and we are going through the same thing. So far I am "weening" him off of it slowly. I told him the new rule is that he can only have his pacifier when he goes to bed at night. But when he needs to sooth himself I do let him have his lovey which is a travel pillow he carries around. So far it's working well and I just have to force myself to be consistent and not give in. Good luck!

I have 2 granddaughters who used pacifiers. At 2 we only allowed them to have the pacifier only in their beds. Then gradually we eliminated nap time use and then bedtime as well. Offering diversions at sleepy time, such as story time, will help. At 3 one of the girls still has a blanky but neither needs the pacifier.

Personally, I don't think u should rush your daughter or make her do something just b/c other people think she (and u) should. You are her mother, not THEM, so the others should not have any control over what U think is best for her! I agree w/ some of the others that 2 is not THAT old to still have a pacifier, as long as she is only using it when she goes to sleep. However, if u still think she should go w/out, then cut her down to just having the pacifier at bedtime and not naptime. Then cut her from bedtime to not at all so she finally doesn't need it to go to sleep any more. She should still be just fine w/ only her blanky or a baby doll, etc to comfort her at night. The key here is to not give in and once u take it away for good, that's it! You say she screams when she doesn't have it, so make sure that u stick to your guns, otherwise her screaming and then getting her bink back will only teach her that throwing a fit gets her what she wants and then you'll have a whole other problem when she wants ice cream, or a toy at the store... Good luck!

My daughter turned two at the end of August, and she still has her's. We only have it at bed time, and I had decided that once I had her in a big girl bed, then I would take it away...slowly. With my older daughter, we just told her that they were all gone and that I could not get anymore at the store....she was really hooked. We did OK with her, she transitioned pretty well. I would slowly start giving it to her less and less. Then you can tell her that since she is a big girl that you think you should give it to a new baby that needs a pacifier. You could wrap it in a box, and she can help color it or something. You never know what will work. There is no right answer as far as I am concerned.

Hey J....
Don't feel bad! Lots of kids have a binky past 2! What I did with mine (at around 2 and a half) was talk about getting rid of it for a few weeks with her. This way, it wasn't a total shock. We talked about the binky 'fairy' that would come and take them all away. I told her the 'fairy' would be coming soon but I didn't know when. Then, a few weeks later, she came! During the night...all her binkies were gone and she was left with some really neat toys! (about $10 worth). She whined for a few days but we just told her we didn't have any and then, one night, not an issue anymore. I hope this helps.

First of all, some children have a much stronger need to suckle than others...in my personal opinion it is better to spend money on orthodontics down the road than therapy. My daughter was one of the "suckle monsters". She had her paci until she was in her late threes. I tried many different tactics throughout that year...hiding it, bargaining with her, talking about "big kids" and what I learned was nothing worked until she was ready. One day she just handed it over. I know it does not work this way for everyone. One tactic that worked for a friend of mine was to barely snip the end of the paci...it changes the sensation for them and becomes less appealing...supposedly you snip a little more off at a time. My sister has two daughters, both used pacies...the older daughter lost interest very early and gave it up o n her own (before two) and the younger daughter clung to it until she was four and they had to make "deals". Ultimately the best answer I can give you is do what feels right for you and your child. Good Luck!

C. Kraatz

J.

she will let you know when she is ready to get rid of her paci..my son was almost 3 when he got rid of his..He kept biting a hole in it and one we were walking into home depot and i had just given him a new one and i told him if you bite a hole in it then we are gonna throw it away and he bit a whole in it and i had him throw it away and it has been gone ever since...

P.S. It was his best friend and he is now almost 7 and doing great..your daughter will be fine and she will let you know when it is time..dont let people give you a hard time

Let her keep them for sleepy time only and WHO CARES what anyone else says. Do what you need to do for you and your daughter. Mine will be two in two weeks and as long as you give her the orthodontic friendly ones, there is nothing wrong with this.

Hi, J.!

Folks always have unsolicited advice about pacifiers, don't they?!?!

My now 4 year old son was incredibly attached to his paci, and used it throughout the day. On the advice of our family psychologist and our pediatric dentist (really!), we waited until he was about to turn 3 to introduce the concept of the "Nu-Nu Fairy" (he called the paci a nu nu). The psychologist told us that, before the age of 3, young children don't really have the resoning skills to understand why an adult is taking something special away from them, even if it is explained to them many times. The dentist told us that, despite what folks think, there is no real damage to a child's permanent teeth if pacifier use is discontinued up to the age of about 4 (thumb sucking is a different, and more serious, matter).

About a month before our son's 3rd birthday, we began to tell him stories about the Nu Nu Fairy, who comes to get children's nu nu's to give them to all the little tiny babies who are being born and who *really* need them much more. In return for his nu nu's, the Nu Nu Fairy leaves one very special present for the new Big Boy. Our son requested that his big boy present be a pair of kid's metal-shanked fire boots he saw at Target. The night before his birthdy, we gathered up all his nu nu's in a bag, wrote down the gift request on a special piece of paper and put both next to his bed. Overnight, the Nu Nu Fairy came, took the nu nu's (forever!) and left the boots.

The transition was relatively smooth, although he did insist on sleeping with his boots for about a week while he wrestled with "nu nu nostalgia"! I really thought his withdrawl was going to be MUCH harder given his level of attachment, but this method truly worked wonders.

Good luck!

LisaB

A friend of mine gathered all the pacifiers of her daughter around this age and put them in a baggie. Took them to the nursery at the hospital with her daughter. The nursery employees were great! They said that the babies need these and they would make sure they all got one. My friends daughter never asked again for a paci and thinks she has helped all the new babies that come into the world. (I am sure the employees thru the bags away).

J. I used to get the same kind of responses from people about my daughter and her thumb. She is 25 now though and did eventually get it up. I think in time they decide to. I think if you push them that sometimes makes it worse.

HI There :) This worked like a charm for my friend's 2 yr old. Her daughter didn't like to use the ones that had holes in them so she would pick them up & then promptly throw them on the floor b/c there was no suction. So we cut the tips off of all of her binkies.... she picked one up, threw it down, we handed her another one, she threw it down.....her interest in them wore off really quick, almost overnight. It was amazing - try it. Good luck & take care!
~M.~

My daughter is 19 months and I am starting to wean her off the passy. She picked up the habit when she was a year so I dont think it will be hard to get rid of it.

I only give her the passy at nap time and bed time now. I plan to not give it to her for one nap, then not at all for nap and then see if she will go to bed with out it. I have also considered the Binky Fairy (same concept of the tooth fairy). Put one binky under the pillow each night and they will wake up to a gift left by the binky fairy.

I also considered talking to her and telling her she is a big girl now and it is time to donate her passy's to babies who need them. Then put them in a box and wrap it and take it to the daycare she used to go to so she can hand it to them and then give her a reward.

Other people have said to tie them to a balloon and set it free.

My dentist told me that if we turn them into her that she gets $10 and a certificate saying she is a big girl and doesnt need passys anymore.

These are just a few ideas that I am considering...good luck!

We had the same problem with my son. We went on a trip to my in-laws (where I thought I'd get support in getting rid of it but instead got told to give it to him 24-7) but as soon as we got home I told him that pacifiers got lost on trip home. Take a trip to the zoo and have a friend or someone trusted make them all go away except a few and then go ahead and make them slowly go ahead and disappear. My son was off his within a week. Good luck because it's not easy. However, if you are ready you can do it.
K. L

Wish we could help. We just went cold turkey with our son 5 days ago and nap time has suddenly disappeared 4 of 5 days. He is so tired by night time however that his lack of a "ba ba" hasn't been a problem.

With my youngest son, we made to where he could only have it when napping or at night. When he hit age 2, He watched me throw it away. He seemed to be fine with it. My younger son uses one and my older son doesn't try to suck on it.
I have had friends that would hide the pacifiers. Eventually they forget about it.

The way we got my sons's Binky out of public view was we made a new "rule". The new rule was that the Binky could only be used in the bed. If he wanted it he had to sit in the bed to suck it (and he could have it at night and nap times). The first couple of days he would ask to get in bed to suck on the Binky but after that he just used it at bedtime and naptimes.

Our pediatrician is who recommended this way.

Around 18 months, we started letting Natalie only have her passy at bedtime and naptime. She'd try to sneak it, but we were very consistent about making her put in back in her bed. At 2 1/2 (which was just a couple of months ago), we had her round up all the passy's and give them to her baby cousin. Her cousin gave her some princess dress up clothes in return. She still asks occassionally, but we just remind her that Taya has all her passies, and that's the end of it!

I am a mother of 4 and all of them took pacifiers. However, two is getting too old for one. I have seen it mess up kid's teeth when their parents let them have it too long. With one kid I had a cat and it kept getting a hold of it and chewing the nipple off. So I gave him the last one and told him there was no more when that one disappeared. I know how unbearable kids can be when they are unhappy but this is probably a case of tough love. Just throw them away so no matter what, you can't give in and give it to her and bear with her for about a week and she will probably forget all about it. Perhaps take her to the store to chose a new blanky and explain that she is a big girl now and you are going to let her choose a new blanky for not using a pacifier anymore. Then there is the old trick my brother used on his son, dip it in jalapeno juice before giving it to him. It worked with his, not mine.

First of all, put ONE back for backup. Start with only letting her have it at nap time and bed time for a week. Then after that take one and cut the tip of it, just snip it a little. If she takes it like that, every couple of day snip a little more until there is nothing left. Tell her that is what happens when Big Girls don't need there passy's anymore. If she won't take it like that let her throw it away and tell her she has become a big girl. It took the one week of nap and bed times then one snip and 30 minutes later the passy went in the trash and my son was done with them at 27 months old. Truly it was hilarious for my hubby and I to watch him try to figure out what was wrong with it and throw it across the room then run to the kitchen to get another one. He knew where they were and I had cut the tips of all of them already. One went in the trash right away and he got another one with a cut tip. That is when he started throwing it across the living room. He slept without it the first night and only cried for about 30 minutes. The next day nap time was rough, but when daddy got home him and daddy threw the rest away and he never wanted one again.

Good Luck!!!!

There are plenty of responses on this subject, so I'm sure you have a good idea of what may work best for your child and your family. But my daughter does things in her own time. If it is the right time, and I suggest something (like leaving her paci in the bed to be used only for naps and bedtime), it works with great ease. She just goes with it. If, on the other hand, I push her and the time is not right, everything is a battle. My daughter is only 19 months old, but I have learned to take my cues from her (with guidance, of course). I will watch her to figure out when to take the paci away permenantly. In the meantime, I could not care less what other people (ie - family, friends, mother-in-law) say regarding this, or any other issue.

I got rid of my sons pacifier when he was about 14 mos. old. We got rid of the bottles first then did the pacifier. I cut them and told him they were broken. He still tried to suck on it, so I completely cut the sucking part off and when he realized he couldn't put it in his mouth he threw it away. Night time was rough for the first couple of days, but after about the 3rd day he didn't miss it. It was more of a crutch for me than it was for him. He's now talking and sometimes I wish I still had one to plug him. :)
I totally agree with the cold turkey thing. Just tell her they are all gone and she'll be mad and scream and throw a fit, especially if she's anything like my son who will be 2 in a week. But eventually she'll get over it.
Good Luck!

That was very difficult. It is too easy to allow them to have that comfort when they appear miserable. I let my children (both of them) trade their pacifier for something else (a toy or a privledge). They have to understand that when they trade it is permanent. I took my kiddos to Toys R Us and they picked something they felt was worth the value of their pacifier. I would make sure that the blankie is kept close. Once traded, get rid of all pacifiers and do not give back in. Just remind them that they traded their paci for another item. Good luck.

I have a 10 month old that loves his binky at naps and at night as well. I have tried to get advice from people on how to take it away. My friend told me this weekend that her mom made a small hole in her the binky and she stopped wanting it. She was five so it was time and it seemed to work. I think I am going to try it who knows it might work.

I think 2 is still so young, she's still a baby. Let her have her pacifier and blanky anytime when she naps or is in the car. When nap is over, leave it in the crib and when you get out of the csr, leave it there.
I will say again, 2 is very young. She won't go to pre-school with it.
They all turn out fine
J.

That sounds like my daughter, she turned 2 in October. we are not worrying about taking hers away just yet because we're expecting another baby in May and don't know how she will react (and if she doesn't have her own she'll likely steal the babies. hahaha).

I have heard of taking the child to build a bear, and sealing the pacifier inside a bear (when they stuff it) so they have it close always. Which sounds like a cute idea, but If a child is that addicted to the pacifier they would probably just ask for it out/try to get it out again!!

And a friend of mine said they limited it to car, nap & bed use first. At least that way when people butt in you can say you are weaning her from it slowly/you are working on it/you have it under control, thanks.

Sorry I don't have any good ideas, maybe in the summer/fall when we work on this (we plan on going to nap/bedtime only).

J.,
She will give up when she is ready. Don't make her grow up to fast. They have to do that already. Try telling her that the new babies at the hospital need her pacifer. Most nurses there will gladly play along and take it from her.

Then don't take it away. Round up every last one you can find and dig for the rest then cut the very tip end off of each one. When she asks let her have it. If she doesn't like that one then give her another. In the mean time tell her that this is all you have and she can have them. Each week if she is taking them cut, then cut a little more until she has nothing to hang on to. My son now 17 years old took me 5 mins. to break. He didn't like that his tongue went into the hole. (on all his pacifiers) By all means don't be weak and hold one back or go by more. If she wins this battle then she will win every battle in the future. The crying WILL cease in time. Just give her what she wants, just give it to her YOUR way.

My son is 17 months and we are already getting those comments. We took it away at daycare and he still naps, so he obviously doesn't need it - it's was just the easy decision for the teachers to use when he cries. I keep one in the car and we right now only use it at night if he does not fall asleep easily. We realize it's actually more for us than it is for him because we would just give it to him to keep him from crying when he was fussy. When I take it out in the morning when he wakes up he cries at first, but then shortly after he has forgotten about it, I just have to redirect his attention to something else. We slowly phased it out instead of cold turkey and that has seemed to work well.

Last year when my daughter was 2 and had her "binky", I took all the ones she didn't have and threw them away. Her last one she lost and didn't care if she found it or not. 6 months later, I found it and threw it away. I don't know if your daughter will be wise about you throwing them away or not. Try and do it while she isn't looking and cover the thrown away "binkies". Good luck!

Hi, J.,

All three of my kids were very attached to their pacifiers, and it was a challenge with each one. For my youngest, after trying to go "cold turkey" and meeting so much resistance, her babysitter suggested that we cut off the tip of the pacifier, making it less desirable. That worked great for her--she sucked on it a bit after we "trimmed" it but then showed no interest. (I had even waited until she turned 3.)

For my two boys, we basically set a date when the pacis would be gone (I think we said they could "trade them in" for a new toy), and they cried about it only the first day and then did fine. It ended up being easier than I expected.

Good luck!

-C.

Do you want to get rid of it, or is everyon else telling you to?

If you want her to keep it, then let her keep it for her nap and bedtime. You can start slowly by limiting it to those two times. When she is closer to 3, you can have the paci fairy come and exchange her paci for a toy.

J.,
A friend of mine who has been a Nanny for several years and raised four boys said the best method for separating a child from her pacifier is to cut a hole in all the pacifiers. She tells the child they are broken and lets the child choose if she still wants to use the pacifier now that she cant' suck on it. It has worked for her for years. Good luck!

T.

The best and quickest way is to take it away cold turkey. It will be a long 2 or 3 days and very little sleep but she'll forget about it after 3 days or so.
Also, throw them away or 'give' them to a new baby you know. She could help give them away because pacis are for babies and she is a big girl now. You really want them OUT of your house because you'll have moments of weakness when you just want to sleep or have her stop crying. Get them out of the house :-)

I understand exactly what you are going through! I have had to go to the 24 hr Walgreen's at 2am before. The way I got my baby to give up the binky was not easy. First I had to decide to get my mind right for the fight! Another mother told me to take it for 3 days and after 3 days she would be Ok without it. That is what I did and it worked! Of course the two previous nights were tough on both of us but the 3rd night was fine. Good luck.....

We just went through it with my 15 month old, so might be a little diffrent. I just threw them all away one day and showed her what I was doing. We had two rough weeks of her wanting to sleep with us, and then she snapped out of it. I know all kids arnt the same but they can't scream forever, as hard as it is to watch your kid go through we are so glad we did it. I kindof beieve that I am raising her and what I says goes so if I say it is time for the binky to go then she needs to learn it is time for it do go and I am not going to teater back and forth and give her mixed ideas.

Wish I could help but all four of my boys refused the pacifier. I worked as a child care coordinator for a few years and had moms with this situation. One trick that worked for one mom was that as the child put it down, she picked it up. When the little girl asked for it, she would have to hunt for it. (like where did I put that) She made it kind of a game but at the end of the search she usually had a distracting treat. I dont know if she cried at home, but she didnt cry at the nursery.
Good Luck,
M.

We just got rid of my 2 1/2 year old daughters paci....we told her that it was a special holiday (like christmas) and that the "Paci Fairy" was coming. SHe gathered up all her pacis and left them on the table. We explained that she would come when she was sleeping and leave her a present. We told her the fairy would take her pacis to babies who need them. I bought her some fairy stuff (TInkerbell outfit and fairy doll) and when she woke up she found it! She has not asked for it once since that day. Most importantly we talked about for about a week before we did it. Also, my daughter has blankie too and we emphasized how she could keep that forever!

When my daughter turned 2 we told her that from now on she could only have her pluggie (pacifier) when she was sleeping (in bed or in the car since we take lots of car trips) after awhile (1-2 months) she was used to this. As she started getting closer to 3 we started talking about saying good-bye to her plugg. She was not happy and we didn't talk about it all the time, but at least once a week we brought it up. About a month before her 3rd BDay we walked into a Build-a-Bear shop. (Someone else gave me this idea) I said very offhanded how cool wouldn't it be great to say good-bye to your pluggie and put it into a stuffed animal, that way it is always with you? She loved to ideas, partly because we had never done the Build-a-bear thing before. On her third BDay we took her to the one in Downtown Grapevine (TX Bear Factory I think) She took her plug (I threw the rest away by then so we were down to 1) I cleaned the plug in hot water and with Mommy and Daddy and baby brother all there she picked out a new stuffed animal, washed her, brushed her, stuffed her, named her (Pluggie, or course) and she loved it. Only that night did she look at us and ask Where is my pluggie? I reminded her it was inside Pluggies she laughed and that was the end of that. I don't know if it will work that great with every child, but it was very effective with her. She is now 5 and still has Pluggie dog, and has not onced asked for her plug to suck on.
Good Luck!

My sister's Dr. told her to cut the tip of the pacifier off or down the middle just a bit and the child is then suppose to not like the feel of it in their mouth, therfore it is thier choice not to use it. It did work my sister. She said she would do one at a time until they were all discarded. If you try it I hope it works.

Our dentist in Tyler gave us some great advice. We go to Dr. John Carter and he told us not to worry about it until they were 3 or 4 years old. When our kids went in for thier first dental appointment with him, he talked to them about giving up their pacifier before their next appointment. I would remind them of his request as we were weaning off the pacifier, which they were only taking at night time. Prior to their dental appointment, I would take them to my cleaning appointments (one at a time) so that they could see that there was nothing to be afraid of. They would sit in my lap and watch the hygenist clean my teeth. My kids now have great teeth and they love their dentist.

Hi J.,
My son is about the same age. I was told that if he doesn't use it all the time and not when talking then it is okay for sleep times. We made some rules like only at nap and night time and he can't talk with it in so he takes it out to talk to us.

He loves his lambie and his "py-py" and if the dr says no dental affects then we are going to not be so quick to to take it away.

We also just had a new baby so that influences our decision not to impose another change right away.

I wouldn't worry too much about what people say. Do what you think is best for your child and what the drs say.

L.

My DS turned two in Sept. as well(4th) and it was time for his beloved "taci" to go because he was talking with it in his mouth all the time or he would pop it out of his mouth to ask for something and then pop it right back in. First of all we began weening him by leaving it in the bed whenever he got up so he could only have it if he was in the bed. Then we began to tell him that soon we were going to have to give it up-he was a big boy now. Anyways, just last week we were traveling and he had one of them in the car because I'm a sucker and we had been out of town for a week, and he dropped it so I gave him the 2nd one and he threw it somewhere in the car and that was it for me, I said "sorry, your taci's are all gone-you're a big boy now, you don't have them anymore." He was a little whiney the first night but after that he was alright. He may ask for them but we just remind him that he's a big boy now and then distract him in some way. I know it's hard but I believe that it's harder on us than it is on them to tell you the truth. Good Luck.

She will let the pacifier and blanky when she feels secure enough to do so. Give her some time and lots of love.

K.

We also cut the tip and my daughter would hold it and would not put it in her mouth. After two nights with her holding it...I threw it away and told her that we throw broken things away. I did empathize with her and tell her it was "sooo sad" that her pacy broke....it worked great.

Hi J.,

What I did with my daughter (though she was not quite a year old yet)I started cutting back on when I let her use the pacifier...only at naptime and at bedtime. When she through a temper tantrum to have the pacifier I wouldn't give it to her - after a few times she must have forgotten about it. Of course they are going to cry and throw a fit at first, but in the end it will be worth it.

take it away and when she realizes her crying is not getting her anywhere she will stop. sometimes doing the right thing is the hardest thing to do. the longer she has it the harder it is going to be to take it away.

My husband and I went through the same thing. People were telling us to get rid of the pacifier, that it was time to potty train, etc. My MIL pushed to potty train my daughter so much, (I was staying with her because my husband was gone at the time) that my daughter would actually get constipated. She wasn't ready. Three days after my husband got home and we were in our own home, she did well with potty training.
As far as the pacifier, I think my daughter was about 3 when we transitioned that out. She didn't sleep as well throughout then night, but other than that, she did okay. No screaming or hissy fits, no messed up teeth or speech problems.
So, to wrap this all up, I honestly think it is up to you and your child and not everyone else. You and your daughter will know when it is time.

What has worked for us with our 2 children is we "sent" them in the mail to new baby cousins that were luckely born around the time we were ready to get rid of the binky. Our kids were so excited to share them with a new baby they knew. I actually sent them some new binky's that were the same color and style so when our kids saw the cousins they were using there "old" binky's and they were so proud. I have also heard of people taking them to a local hospitols maternity ward and giving them to the new baby's there.
Best of luck

A friend of mine told her children that if they put their pacifiers in a bag and hung it outside on a tree, that night the "Passy Fairy" would come and take their pacifiers to give to another child in the world who needs one...then in the bag the fairy placed a new special toy for the child to celebrate being a big girl/big boy....I thought it was a cute idea and it worked!

Take her to Build A Bear. Explain to her that now she's older- she can have a bear- but put the paci in the bear- before they sew it up- so it will always be close to her.

In my experience, it's better to wait until closer to 3 to take the paci away (or give them up by 1 year old before they really get attached to them and can't talk much yet). We tried to get rid of our daughter's paci at age two and it was the worst experience for her and us and it wasn't getting better after three weeks. It was terribly emotional as my daughter was very attached to hers. She was only allowed to have it at naptime and bedtime and when she was awake it was put away on the shelf. So, at two years, my cold turkey method backfired and I gave it back to her. I decided that she wasn't ready and that a gradual weaning method would work better for her. So, at about two and a half, I started talking to her about being a big girl and when her third birthday came, we would give up the paci. I first took it away at naptime about two months before her third birthday, so she would only get it at night. She looked forward to that but understood. Then, I kept talking about getting rid of it all together on her third birthday. To my surprise, right around her third birthday, she woke up one morning and told me she didn't need it and she threw it away in the trash herself! She only asked for it a few times after that, but it has gone pretty well. I don't know if it was because SHE threw it away or that she just understood more at three years than at two years old.

By the way, since I didn't allow her to have it all the time(except for when she was a tiny baby), her teeth are beautiful...no damage was done at all. Plus, we always used the orthodontic kind. She talks very well for a 3 year old, and started talking when she was about 6-7 months old! So, no problems with language and paci use either. Your daughter's teeth will be fine!

Hope this helps! Good luck.

N.

Hey J.,
This is so hard. My daughter absolutely LOVED her paci. I was so worried about getting rid of it. We went on a trip to Las Vegas. As we were landing at our home airport, she dropped it in the floor. Instead of picking it up, we just left it and told her it was lost. When she would ask about it we told her we left it on the airplane. She was 22 months and understood completely that it was there. She is soon to be three and still mentions her paci, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. We had maybe two nights where she asked for it, but she never cried or begged for it. I hope you find something that works! Good Luck!!

Hi J.,

My son was addicted to his pacifier too but when he turned 2, I decided it was TIME. I have been a nanny for several years and have weaned many children off the paci quickly, but it was hard on me to wean my son off it. (You know how it is.) We just did it one step at a time. At first I told him he could have it outside of the house, but inside it was only for the bed. It had to stay in the bed, no matter what. Then we limited it outside the house to just in the car. For a couple of months he had it only in bed or in the car. Finally, I took away the one in the car and then one night I said to say goodbye to the paci and it only took a couple of rocky nights (no bad behavior allowed-he had to stay in bed; I didn't want to begin a new bad habit) but by the time he was two and a half the paci was a distant memory and I wished I had done it sooner!

This is going to be tougher on you than on your kiddo. Just hang in there. I promise if you are consistant and firm, it will go quickly. The worst thing to do is give in to get her to stop whining. And while you are working on getting rid of it, just ignore all those "helpful" people who make comments about your kid using a paci. Who cares what they think!

My son had his pacifier until he was three years old, so don't fret---it's different for every child. Our son had just gone through a move to another state and welcomed a new baby brother two months later. We felt he needed whatever comfort he could get. Upon visiting the dentist, he informed us the binky would later affect his permanant front teeth and we needed to rid ourselves with it. We went cold turkey that night. We sent it to the North Pole so the baby reindeer could have them. We wrote a note to Santa and "he wrote us a thank you card back, promising an extra gift at Christmas". Your timing is a little different, so maybe a package can arrive from the North Pole (on your fireplace with a few loose lava rock would be an extra special touch). Our son asked for his binky for maybe two more nights, then went on just fine. Don't let anyone "rush" you into something you know your child isn't ready for.

With my now 7 year old... I just let her be... she only used it for bedtime and didnt see any problem with that. At 3 the day of her birthday she got a pair of scissors and cut it on her own.. that was her way of letting go.
My now 3 year old though was hard.. when she turned 2 I started off by taking it away during the day.. eventually she got used to not having it.. the first 2-3 nights were tough and I would lay in bed with her til she fell asleep but I think it's just patience with your daughter and it will happen!!! I hope my stories help..Good luck

HI J.,
I had the same problem when my son was about two. What I finally did was cut the tip of the pacifier off. He then gave it up himself because it just wasn't the same and of course because he was a big boy, lol.

I was worried that cutting it would be harmful, but it wasn't and it worked out great.

Good luck!

We cut a little hole in the end. Our daughter ended up throwing it away, because she didn't like it anymore.

Good Luck!

After reading all the other responses I may have been a little harsh. My son never took a pacifier and when my daughter came along she was hooked. She was 2 in July and I started limiting her (suck time) to bedtime and car only. She always managed to find an extra one around the house. I would catch her with it all the time. I also tried the cutting the end off method but she cried and was very angry. It just wasn't working. Then, in August we took a trip to Arizona. The first day there we drove to the Grand Canyon about 2 hours away. Well, as luck would have it we forgot to bring her pacifier. She cried the whole way!!! We decided that since we had just opened a can of worms (by accident) we should stick to it. We told her that a mama bear had taken it from our cabin for her baby cubs. Every time she wanted to cry...I would tell her that she was calling that mama bear. She never cried again. When we returned home she told everyone that the bears in Arizona had her paci. Just breaking away from our routine did the trick.

One idea I've heard is to start with snipping the end off of the rubber part of the pacifier, and keep cutting off a little more each day until there's either nothing left, or your daughter doesn't want it anymore.

Personally, I'm a believer in going "cold turkey", which is what I did with both of my kids (although they were only 6-9 months at the time). Your daughter will get over the trauma of losing the pacifier quicker than you think, and you can take comfort in knowing that she won't remember this experience when she's older. :)

What we're trying to do here is that we hide the pacifiers during the day, and don't let him have it. He usually forgets about it for the most part. At night, IF he asks for it, he can have it but ONLY for sleep time and ONLY if he stays in bed. I have allowed him to have one during a few naptimes, with the same restrictions. The minute he gets up, it gets taken back away. We have told him clearly that it is only for sleep time. I'm hoping that gradually he will realize he doesn't need it even then. But at the very least he doesn't use it during the day and isn't being "seen" with it anymore.

HI-
In school my class did a little research on this, while many people say its ok if you use the orthodontically pacifiers, the fact is still that the longer you wait the harder it is... It is easiest to rid yourself of the pacifier if you do at a younger age... When a child is making a transition in their life, ie- when a newborn starts to roll over, take away the pacifier- they will hardly notice because they are so busy exploring everything that they can now see and reach, This concept is true for older children as well- a little harder to distract them (and at this stage the pacifier is more for the parent than the child-no crying=happier mom) I suggest adding another transition to your childs life, whether it is potty trainging, new bed time routine, new daily routine, don't change the times for nap or bed time in your routine but change the events in the routine... ex normal schedule is movie, snack, outside, inside playtime while making lunch, lunch, story time, nap...ect... change the activities-- inside play time, snack, walk/scavenger hunt, movie, lunch, music/story time, nap... Don't go overboard with change however the confusion actually helps delete an unwanted habit for a child by occupying their mind with other details... hope this helps!

my daughter took her daughters away at that age. What she did was talk about it for awhile. They went to build-a-bear and put the pacifier in one of the stuffed animal and she was a part of it all the way thru. now she is four almost 5 and still wants her blanket sometimes. But she did great with the pacifier in the animal. I thought it was a great idea and it worked for her good luck.

My son is two and still has his paci. He only uses it for night time. If your daughter is doing it more than that, try to only giving it to her during those times. Eventually she won't want it anymore.

Everyone messes with me about me giving my son his paci, but it is not hurting anything. It is a soothing method for them.

I do intend on phasing it out around 2 1/2 or 3. I have heard that if you cut the tip of the paci, it doesn't allow the proper suction. Once you can reason with her, tell her it is broken and big girls don't need it anymore.

That is my advise, hope it works for you. Although, don't sweat the small stuff.

We had the same problem when our son was 2. A friend suggested we cut the tip off of it and then give it to him. We did that and it worked like a charm. He didn't like it anymore and we didn't have any problems. He does however have a blankie that he still sleeps with. Just make sure you have taken all of the pacifiers and hidden them so she doesn't find a good one.

Hi J..

I had the same issue with my daughter and here is what worked for us. I started to talk to her about what a big girl she was becoming and how things start to change as you become a big girl. One of the things that would happen would be that your "passy" starts to taste bad. I gave examples of "big girls" she knew including myself that did not use a passy. I would bring it up occasionally and then later and gradually the passy started to taste bad. At first we used vinegar and while she was surprised and we praised her saying "see you are becoming a big girl" vinegar dissapates quickly and she would suck through it. What we moved onto was pickled VERY mild jalapeno juice. No it was not cruel as it was not hot at all just tasted bad. She was sad to be letting it go but in her mind she was becoming a big girl. It did not take long for her to grab her blanky and say "I don't need my passy cause I am a big girl now."

Best of luck!

This was really hard for me to do, we took the paci away from our daughter when she was 18 months old. she loved having it, but it was time. it really wasn't as bad as I thought that it would be. we just explained to her that she was a big girl and that she didn't need it anymore. the first few days were rough, because she would cry for a little while before going to sleep, but after a few days everything was fine. you can do it! good luck! :-)

This is just my opinion - but let her give it up when she's ready. My oldest son had a binky, and I let him give it up when he was ready. He is more at ease with himself and more self-assured. Of course there were plenty of people who said I needed to take it away from him. But I couldn't see what good that would do - why take away something that comforts him? Keep reassuring her that she's good and safe - she'll drop the binky when she doesn't need it anymore. And when others put their 2 cents in - tell them the same. It worked for me.

I have a dentist friend who said that it is fine as long as it is the slanted kind for them to have until 3. I took my daughters away at 3. I told her one night that the next night she could not have paci any more that she was too big. The next night I enforced no paci. She cried and cried until she cried herself to sleep. The next night was a smaller cry. the third night was a charm and we have been paci free since.
Good luck

Hi J., I was told by a grandmother to cut the tip off the pacifer, then the next day cut a little more and so on. Until the pacifer disappears and you say you sucked it gone they believe you and you throw it away together. I did it with disbelief and it worked my child said I guess I got to big for it and I agreed. We never discussed it again. ofcourse, you get rid of all pacifers except for the one. B.

Hi there...2 of my 3 used pacifiers. Our first was a thumb sucker which is a much harder habit to break. When both of our sons were around 2 years 3 months..we did a cold turkey approach to their pacifier use. We started talking about around a month ahead of time and planned to do it on the start of a 3 day weekend (Labor Day for us). We told them that it was time to say bye bye to their binky...they could keep their lovies like blankets, bears. etc.

Both were upset and looking for their binkies for the 1st two days...but it seriously was a non issue by day 3 or 4. We knew it was going to be hard and they were going to have some trouble going to sleep...but gave lots of hugs and cuddles.

Oh..I should also say that for the month leading up we only allowed them to use the pacifier at naptime and bedtime...and would talk to them that soon it will be time to bye bye....

Our third is only 2 1/2 so it has been only 3 months since we did this and he never asks for it and has several lovies he uses for comfort when he is upset.

I would just tell someone that you are not hurting your child by doing this...be loving and supportive, but they will NOT quit on their own..the younger you take it away, the easier it is and the faster it is a distant memory for them.

Good luck on whatever you decide!

My daughter is nine now but we did hers "cold turkey" when she was 12 months old. I think we had two rough nights and then it was completely forgotten about. My twin boys are 2 1/2 and only one took the pacifier. I had to do his cold turkey too but at 4 months because he was waking me up 10 - 12 times a night to look for it and get it back in his mouth. Getting woken up every 30 minutes was killing me (not literally, but you know what I mean), he had one rough night and the second night was great and have been pacifier free ever since. I personally think it's better to get it over with fast, I didn't feel like I scarred my kids by doing it that way. Neither of them even remember having a pacy habit. Best wishes.

I took my daughter to the local pond or lake and let her give it to the ducks! I told her she was a big girl and the ducks needed her pacifier. She tossed it in to the water and it was gone. Be sure and get rid of all of them at home before you do this. When she cried or ask for it I told her she gave it to the ducks and it was gone. Give her the blanky and offer a stuff animal to sleep with!
Good luck!