Toddler Pacifier Use - When to Wean?

My son was about 18 months and I put baby orajel on his before giving them to him. If it taste bad all the time he won't want it anymore and will accept something else as replacement.

My daughter was a binky baby too. Now is a good time to start weaning, but pacifier use doesn't become a problem for a while yet, so it's not something to be stressed about right now. Start by enforcing some simple rules, like only getting the pacifier for nap time and bedtime. Just hide them all away and only bring it out when he's going to sleep, then take it away when he gets up. I found it helpful to not just take it, but ask for it cheerfully. She learned to just hand it over, and she would get it back next time she went to bed. He may have a hard time with this at first, but will get used to it and not mind. Another rule we had was that the binky didn't leave the house. After a while, we were able to stop giving her the pacifier even when we put her to sleep. When she asked for it, we told her it was broken (we had cut off the bulb so that it was basically just the plastic backing. Do this carefully so that there won't be a choking risk). She transitioned to sleeping without it fairly easily, mostly because I think she was ready. She was a little over two at that time. My main advice is just to take it slowly, implementing small rules that will ease the transition.

My daughter, now 20, also loved her pacifier at age two. She had several of them and would pop one in her mouth and hold the others in her hands when she napped, slept at night or was feeling the "need." I received many comments from well meaning people that I should make her stop using it. That she was too old, etc. Several of these people said these comments directly to her. In between two and three she became more conscious of her habit (and people's comments) and began using it only at home, when she was in her room. Right around three years old we would talk about when SHE was ready to not have them anymore (the pros and cons). I began to eliminate one Pacifier from her collection at a time, she would notice the one missing and we would make a game to count the ones that were left. Finally there was only one left and one day that one was gone too (we kept them in a mason jar next to her bed). She took it amazingly well. I said it was gone like the others and she said "okay". Very rarely did she ask for it afterwards and when she did I would hold her and we would talk about how they were gone now.
I think learning this process was helpful for her to adjust to change in her life - since it is a constant - I feel the whole weanning was a gift in learning to let-go (gently).
Good Luck,
Nancy

My son, who is now three, was the same way. He LOVED his pacifier (dinky). We just took his away about two months ago, just after he turned three. The way I looked at it was that no one would think anything "bad" of him having any other type of lovey or comfort item. Just because it is a pacifier it has a bad stigma attached to it. We did make the rule that he only got it at nap time and bed time though, or if we were going for long rides in the car.
Doctors and dentists vary on when they say it will start damaging their teeth. My pediatrician and my very good friend who is a dentist both said that no permanent damage will be done until they get permanent teeth.
Here is what we did when we did finally take it away. For about a month I told him about the binky fairy that would come and take his binkies and leave behind a special prize. Then one night we bit the bullet and told him that it was the night to leave them. We put them on the counter, and I told him to say bye-bye to his binkies. He did, then went to bed. He asked for them several times, but never cried for them. I thought it was going to be a good week of pure hell for him and for us. But I think because we did wait so long, he was ok with them being taken. It did take him quite a bit longer to fall asleep and for the first few nights my husband or I would go in and lay down with him until he fell asleep.
Oh~ he was very excited when he got up that first morning and discovered a Spiderman costume where he had left his binkies.
As far as the age that you are going to take it away goes, you have to do what you feel is right for you and your little guy. Don't let society tell you that he is too old for it, you will know when he is getting closer to being ready. Like I said before, if it was any other comfort item, no one would even think twice about it. I have never heard of anyone taking away a beloved blanket or stuffed animal from a two year old.
Good luck to you!

I remember when my son was a toddler, he sucked his thumb.Everyone was telling me it was awful, I needed to stop him and so on and so forth.I asked his doctor, and he told that as long as he was happy, healthy and bothering no one but uptight people, let him be. He would wean himself, with helpful hints here and there.And he did.Finally around 3-4 he only did it when scared, or when going to sleep.By five he was completely done with it.
I feel if your son is happy and healthy, don't worry about what others say.Give him loving and helpful nudges and hints along the way to leave his shisher behind him.I think when you freak them out about stopping, it makes them confused and anxious about what is going on. Listening to you in the letter I'm sure he has loving and caring parents,so the shisher will go on the by and by. Rest easy :-)

My son was about 28 months he finally got off of his "boochie" as we called it. My son was very attached to his, we didn't dare go anywhere without one or two for that matter just in case. I just decided when he turned two that whatever pacifiers he had left were the last of them. I told him that he was a big boy and when they wore out or he lost them (in a store etc.) that he wasn't going to get any new ones. I was very concerned because at the time I was expecting a baby and didn't know how he would handle having a new baby in the house and weaning off his boochie. Luckily for me he started chewing on them and they started getting holes in them, making them lose the suction. He would bring them to me when they got a hole and tell me they were broken. I would then have him throw them in the garbage and say goodbye to them. When the day came that the last boochie broke I was terrified that we were in for many sleepless nights and tearfull days. Suprisingly he only asked for it once and when I reminded him that it broke and he had to throw it away, he was fine and never asked for it again.
The funny thing is that before he started chewing the holes in his boochies I had planned on cutting small holes in them (they hate sucking on them when that suction is gone). I have had a couple friends who used this method to wean their kids and had great success with it. I just got lucky and he did the work for me.

i have to respond as i have just gone thru this with my son.
studies show that pacifiers do not inhibit speech or mess the shape of the mouth. My oldest boy never used one and my youngest couldnt live without it for a long time. taking it away from him was more of a punishment for me. I had heard that a child will learn that it is socially unacceptable on thier own and will wean themselbves when they feel ready. My son was well aware that it was not acceptable in several settings, at his dads, my parents and in public, but with me and at our home he wanted it, so instead of fighting him any more and him gbeing upset i would just remind him how he was a big boy and big boys didnt need pacifiers, he only used it at home from prolly 2 years old and would pull it out of his mouth as soon as he saw someone who would notice and say something other than myself. He carried on for about a year, i never bought anymore after the 2nd year and he knew i wasnt going to when he lost his last one they were gone, however one day we were sitting at the house and he just decided on his own to throw the one in his mouth in the trash, he called everyone in the family that had told him he didnt need it he was a big boy and has thrown them away ev ery time he finds one. It is his accomplishment and he is very happy with himself and proud of himself too. we had a little party to celebrarte witht he first one and he is completely pacifier free. he did it on his own with encouragement from us. H will be four in april.this was about 8 months ago. he is far advanced in his speech, counts to 12 and can spell his name. dont stress yourself about it, he is learning that it is not acceptable just like behaviors he is secure enough with you at home to have it and i would take that as a good sign. Good luck.

Why worry? My 2 year old still has her pacifiers. They are a comfort object. I watched a Dr. Phil a couple of years ago where a mom was worried because her little girl carried around several at a time. (My dd does this) He basically said this is an age when comfort objects help the kids out. It is normal. You have instincts for yourself and your child. I would suggest not letting social pressures determine for you what is best for your child. I have a friend who takes my dd's from her and says you don't need that. I put it back and say but you can have it if you want it. Right now I don't think it is an issue for her. Before her daddy left for Iraq she wasn't using it as much. She weaned herself from the breast just after turning 1. I just feel she will move on when she is ready. I ask her to talk without it and most of the time during the day she gives it up on her own, just has to have it in the car, or unfamiliar settings. I think sometimes as mom's we worry too much about the "right" time or the "right" thing. My question is what determines when "right" is. I hope it is each of us as mom's and not what another mom thinks is right. Each child is different, trust yourself to know what is best for yours.

YOur son and mine seem alike. Mine loved his nuker. However, I was pretty reluctant about having him give up the one thing he really seemed to love but he started to bite it and chew holes in them and when he started doing that I had no choice but to make them go away. I just started saying to him "sorry baby it's broke", and had him throw them away. I started out by only letting him have them at night to sleep at home though. During the day he'd be fine unless he saw one that I left out. So.. I'd say anytime after he turns two is the "right" time but don't try and force it upon him too quickly.

12 months no later than 18 months!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Elizabeth,
I have wondered the very same thing about my daughter, who is 17 months old. She had been a binky baby since 3 days old. There are so many other things to be concerned about. I have done some research and there are really no problems with them having them. My daughter really only has hers for naptime and bedtime and whenever I don't want anything else in her mouth. I have a great friend who was sharing with me because I was all stressed out about the binky, the bottle and the diapers. Who makes up all these exact dates for every child to hit the next so called milestone. She reminded me something, what ever happened to just encouraging moms! We do such a great job raising our children and then we feel pushed and pressed to follow these guidlines. She aske me a great question. Have you ever seen a kindergartener with a binky? I said, no. Exactly! It will happen without tormenting them out of it. Just enjoy your time with him and let go of the small stuff.
T.

My mother raised 7, yes count them 7, children. There were a couple of toughies in there where giving up blankets or pacifiers, etc. was a problem. She came up with an ingenious plan. She had them help her to clean them and box them up and put them away. She then, smartly, praised them like crazy for being a "Big Kid". Little if anything was ever said from my siblings once they had been given the chance to say goodbye to their beloved items.

My son was very attached to his blankets...he had three that were impossible to pry away when he was young. When he was about two years old, I had a talk with him about being a "Big Kid". He wanted to be a big kid, and I explained that being a big kid meant he needed to sleep with out "Blankies". He could see the logic in this..Daddy didn't have a blankie, and neither did mommy. So he helped me wash the blankets, and put them in the dryer. I taught him to fold them and we put them in a box with some other things that needed to be put away. I then praised him for being a "Big Boy"! He was so brave! Naptime came, he was a little put out...big tears welled up in his eyes. He wanted to be a big boy so bad, but he missed his "blankies". I told him to try really hard to sleep without them. He agreed. I laid him in bed and told him how proud I was of him and that I thought he was making the right choice. He fell asleep and slept soundly. When he woke up he came running in to me so excited! " I did it, mom!" He was so proud of himself. It was infectious! We had another pep talk before bedtime that night, but it hasn't been an issue since!

Hope it works as well for you.

I work with infants and toddlers for a living. I have learned that after the age of 1 year a child should be weaned off. A speech therapist told me that they no longer need that sucking. Not in every case, but it some having a pacifier too long can cause speech problems in the future. I know it is a hard to take a habit or comfort item away from a child. To make it easier to wean, taking it away during day time hours first may be the easiest, especially since he doesn't use it at daycare. Then you can try to work on breaking during the sleeping hours. Good Luck to you.

I took the pacifier from my daughter at about this same age. She only had it at night and nap time.
We had a good friend that was expecting. We told my daughter that the baby needed a binki and could she give him hers. She agreed. She was more than happy to give it to him. It wasn't until we were leaving without it that she changed her mind and asked for it. We just told her it was his now and that was that. We had a rough couple of nights for her going to sleep, but once she was out, she was fine. We also bought her a reward for being a big girl and giving it to the baby.
I hear having a binki too long is bad for their teeth. I felt at 2 my daughter was old enough to have it gone. My advice is, if you get rid of it, don't give it back. You will be tempted, but you need to be strong.
I have also heard of the binki fairy. You give her the binki's she leaves a present. Like the tooth fairy. For my daughter I choose the baby, because I felt she needed a more hands on approach, she needed to give it away and get rid of it.
Good luck

About age 2, when my little guy was napping or had fallen asleep for the night, I would check on him. When his binky had fallen out of his mouth I would put it in his drawer out of site. When he would wake up, we would go have breakfast or a snack. If he asked for his binky, I would tell him we will find it later, but for now lets have breakfast (or a snack). After we ate, I would get him involved in an activity or game. If he asked for it again during or after the activity, I would make a game of it and say Mmm, let's find your binky. We of course would find it, but if he got distracted on the way, I wouldn't push it. Eventually, the only time he got his binky was for naps and at church (because with it in his mouth, he sat very quietly on my lap). At church, he would only get it if he sat quietly on my lap, eventually he didn't want to sit on my lap, he wanted to sit on Daddy's lap or next to me, then I would take the binky out of his mouth and he could leave my lap. The whole process took about 1 month. Church was actually the final place he was allowed to have it, or that he asked for it. And one day, he pulled it out of his mouth (about 18 months old) gave it to me and that was that, he never asked for it again. He discovered it was more of a pain to have it in his mouth, because I wouldn't let him talk with it in his mouth either and he was a chatter box!

So you have many ideas to choose from. Good luck and have fun along the way!

Time to wean now, with dental issues, a huge dependency on it it is a great time to do it now. I would try different things until one works. I know for the three year old I watched his motivation was just being a big boy, his parents got him a big boy bed (it was a firetruck bed) and his parents told him he had to trade in his pacifiers to get to sleep in it. It was done.
Then there is the supernanny method of gathering them up putting them in an envelope and mailing them to other babies and have the pacifier fairy give him a big boy toy in exchange.
Then there is cutting the tips off to get him to stop himself.
My friend worried so much about it, the pacifier had caused damage to her sons overbite, the roof of his mouth, inhibited his speech and she was so worried about weaning her son, it isn't about weaning it is about just doing it. If they see them they will want them, if you break the habit now it will be a lot better.
Setting up the date as 2 for his pacifiers to be gone is great, a milestone for him to achieve and he knows ahead of time it is going to happen. Celebrate him being a big boy!!

Us parents become more dependent on these soothers, thumb sucking and pacifiers, bottles as it helps our kids sleep hence we sleep better, but if you just do it, don't cave and get him over the hump in the long run everyone will be better off and it is harder on us parents typically, hee hee...

Sooner is better than later. Although some doctors and dentists say it is all right for a child to have a pacifier until age 4. I would start by not giving it to him during the day when he is awake. Naptime and bedtime are probably fine for a while. Make sure you talk with him about it and give him a deadline. 2 or 3 days is good. Everyday tell him that in 2 days, he can only have his "shisher" at nap and bedtime. Not when he is playing. Remind him often and count down the days together. Then put them in a box where he can see but not reach them, so he knows they are not gone for good yet. Then let him pick the one he wants at bedtime. My daughter is 19 months and has hers only at nap and bedtimes, or if she's sick I'll let her have it when she's up, but otherwise only in bed. And she's okay with that. My son, I took his away completely at 18 months and that went fine. Make sure that when you do take it away for good that you replace it with something else. A blanket or teddy bear and talk about how this new item will help him when he sleeps. Or you could get him a new toy as a reward for giving up his pacifer. Although some kids are really attached and you might have to give it up cold turkey. That's really hard to do, tho, and be prepared for lots of crying and sleepless nights. I don't really recommend that method. But I wouldn't worry too much right now. He might even give it up on his own as he gets older.

Our 21 month old daughter has used one since birth. Our daycare provider has weaned her off of it during the day for nap so now she only uses it at bedtime. I've heard that poking a hole in it works to wean but havn't tried it myself. I've decided that since she's so attached, that we will allow her to have it only at bedtime until 2 years old. I honestly think that we feel worse about denying them the pacifier than they actually feel about not having it. Good luck!

Hello Elizabeth! This might sound silly, but I swear it works. Give your son a set date, by his birthday, for example, to mentally prepare him for giving up his pacifier. Keep reminding him several times each day that on his birthday, he's going to be a big boy and he won't need his shisher anymore. Then on your set date sit him down and have him watch you cut the handle off. You can give him the handle (and throw the rest away), then when he realizes there's nothing there to put in his mouth, he'll become uninterested. It might take a couple of days for him to finally forget about it and get over it, but usually 3 days is the magic number:) ps...a friend of mine tried this and it worked great (he was more bewildered than upset), but gave her son a sippy cup with a soft spout right aferward and he started carrying the sippy around in his mouth like a pacifier (all day and all night). Good luck to you!

I never had a problem with the pacifier with my two kids. When they were about 1 year they both got a really bad cold and couldn't breath through their nose so they couldn't use their pacifier and I never gave it back. My friend however, had this problem with her first son and what she did was one day she cut the end off of one of his pacifiers, and then the next day she cut the end off of another. She did this every day until they were all gone. He thought that his little cousin broke them. When he asked for another one she said they were all gone and that was the end of that. I think when they don't have something that they thought they needed, they catch on pretty quick that they don't need it. But if you use it at nap time that might be another problem. My daughter would have a soft tipped sippy cup before she went down for a nap. I saw that she started using it like a pacifier and sucked on it even when there wasn't any juice in it. So I took it away and that was the end of nap time. She was only 18 months. Now she's 3. I don't know where she gets all her energy, but she seems to be fine without a nap. I hope you figure out what to do. I know that if they have thier pacifiers for the long they will start to develope and overbite.
Hope this helps.
K. E.

you want to be careful when wanting to wing your boy from the binky. If he's not ready he could go for the thumb and it's harder to break that habit then the binky. He should of been taken off the binky when he cut his first tooth. But now that he's older you might have to wait for him to break himself. When a child get's connected to an object it can be painful to let go.
Just take it slow and he'll let go of it before you know it.

I am 60 years old and raised 5! I was told years ago that kids have an oral NEED and if it is satisfied when they are little they dont have the need for smoking or (heaven help! my kids Dad chewed Copenhagen! ...which is like a need for sucking) so........I breast fed them untill THEY were done and let them have a paci as long as they wanted...when one had bad teeth and had gone to a bottle I did have to give her only water (if she needed the sucking bad enough, and she did, she still had her bottle.) I say fooey on old the old foogies that will say "what is that child doing with a plug in its mouth at THAT age"...and have more concern with them learning to sooth themselves at an early age! I note you said that was the only "favorite"....
I also note that my 28month old Grandson still loves his bottle and has taken up with a "must have" teddy and BOTH arnt out of his hands for more than a brief time so you are getting off pretty good!!
He lost his big sister a year ago and then when Grandma moved and he didnt see me so often I think it seemed he took up the teddy so he knew there was something he could "count" on.
Oh, by the way, only 3 out of the 5 smoke and only their Dad (not me) smoked so....

I weaned my son from his binky when was 2 1/2. I had weaned him from breastfeeding at 2 and let him have the comfort of the binky for a while to ease the transition. When he started asking for his motorcycle binky we figured it was getting too old to have one if he could say motorcycle binky! We started by limiting use to only naptime and bedtime a few months before and was very strict about that. I also knew he REALLY wanted a Wiggles guitar from Target. Then we told him that we could go get the guitar when he was ready to be a big boy and throw away his binkies we could go get that guitar. Worked like a charm! Of course later on I fished one out to save in my memory box!

My first was about as old as yours when we decided to wean her. We were having twins in a few months and I didn't want her trying to "share" their pacifiers. She had TONS of them lying around the house and we just quietly put one away every once in a while so she couldn't just find them lying around and pick it up. For the last few, we had her give her passies to the "Passie Fairy" since she was becoming a "big girl" and the Passie Fairy would take hers to the little babies who don't have any passies so they could be happy. This actually worked VERY well for her. After that, she would sneak the boys' pacifiers once in a while and put them in her mouth when we weren't looking, but she always got time out for that, and after a few months, she was no longer interested in it. Being a boy, your son might enjoy giving his pacifier to the "Shisher Super Hero" or something instead of a fairy. Anyway. That's what we did. I haven't done it with our twins yet, but we're about to try something. They'll be 2 in June. Good luck.

My son was 13 months when he took to a "binky" he found it in his toy box, it wasn't a big deal to me, and I never really did anything to break the habit, when he started talking I would just pop it out of his mouth and say "no binky while talking" then he would just do it if he had it in his mouth, it was around 3 that I started to enforce it only for naps and bed, if we went somewhere and forgot it I would just tell him he left it at home and he would have to wait till we got back. I believe he was 3 or 4 when he finally just quit using it altogather, I think by not making it a issue it far easier on him and me, I must admit, and our dentist was fine with it so long as he wasn't walking around with it in his mouth 24/7. It really is up to you, just don't let anyone pressure you into it.

I made my kids take it out to talk. "what? I can't understand you with the binky in your mouth. Take it out and ask me again."

we were more concerned with speech development than teeth development.

I'd let them have it til breakfast, and then put it in a bowl on the fridge until naptime. I never had to resort to punching holes in it or cutting off the tip. I just told him he didn't need it anymore one day. It helped that he had a little sister. "Binkies are for babies like your sister. You're a big boy. You don't need baby stuff like your sister."

I don't know what happened to my previous message, I'm not sure if it sent or not- sorry if it did before I completed my message- but I started shaving the slightest bit off the tip of my daughter's pacifier around her 3rd B-day. (Our dentist had said it should be gone by age 3)
The night we actually broke through, punctured it, and didn't work, she really cried (and then my husband went into the bathroom and cried too). But she kept sleeping with it even when there was nothing more to grab with her teeth! She'd place it on her pillow, then lay on it. Eventually she let me put it in her box of things that I told her we'd keep forever. WHen she'd ask about it I'd say "It's there in your box that we keep forever" and she was OK w/ that. It wasn't thrown away, but she couldn't have it either. Good luck- it's hard to take something away from them that seems to bring them such comfort, but we don't want to do permanent damage to their teeth either.

It is a good idea to get rid of them now. It all depends on how you think he will do best. If he likes stories the "Fairy Pacifier" might be a good way to go. You tell a story how the fairy pacifier takes the pacifier and delivers them to other little children. Then you tied the pacifier to a balloon and let them go up to the sky to give to the fairy. If you think he is still to young to understand this, try the your a big boy approach. Kids love being told they are BIG. Reward him by doing things only big boys can do and be sure to say "Big boys don't use pacifiers". Lastly you can start cutting a whole in it every day, getting bigger each day until it is all gone. Good Luck

My son was the exact same way! He loved his binky, but had no special blanket or anything. My husband hated that I wanted to get rid of the binky about the time he was 2! I work at a dental office though, and didn't want him having it after 2 (really after 1 year it is all habit, nature doesn't need them to suck). Boys tend to be very easy going, and at a nice young age is the best bet to break a habit (older kids have more trouble) and it's not a trama they remember! I actually did the 'wean' thing, no cold turkey. First it was only having it at nap and bedtime for like a week. If he wanted it, I would try and keep him occupied until he forgot. Then it was not at nap, then not at bedtime. He would be upset some, but I was amazed at how quickly he did it, and never has wanted it again. I do think he has used his sippy cup as a subsitute, he has a drink before nap and bed, so maybe try that too, it is a sucking to get the drink out. Stay strong, and remember he doesn't need it anymore, it's just becoming a habit that can lead to braces and head gear in the future.

It is a good idea to get him off the pacifier now. My son was approaching 2 when we took it away. The only thing that worked was to completely get rid of them. If they are around he will want one and its easy to revert back to it. The best thing to do, and what worked for us, was to replace it with something else. Like you stated its more a security thing than anything else. In our case we replaced it with a small car pillow he loved, with my nephew he used a small blanket. My son is now 3 almost 4 and doesn't really need anything anymore to help sleep. Try giving both items to him for a while, then explain to him that he is getting to be a "big boy" now and doesn't need the pacifier anymore. Let him help you toss them out so he understands it all the way through. He might ask for it for a couple of weeks then he will forget it ever existed, especially if you replace it with something else. Hope this helps :)

Hi Elizabeth -

I personally haven't had this problem with binkis but my son is very attached to his blanket. We have talked with him and told him he can sleep with it and keep it in his bed only. He can't bring it to the play room or watch TV with it - only when he naps or sleeps at night. This has helped him become a little less attached to it but it is there when he needs it most. It also helps to have this item when we aren't at home. This may work with a binki. You could set some new boundaries for when you are home - only use it at nap time and bedtime.

I saw a mom with mulitples on TV who had a great idea about getting rid of binkis all at once.

She prepped the kids for a couple weeks that they were going "get" to gift their binkis to a favorite little cousin who was really needing them. She talked to each child about it and asked them if they thought that was a good idea to help this cousin. She really stressed that he needed them and that they could help him.

The day came and they each gathered all their binkis and put them in a box. The cousin came over the house (a tiny baby) and the kids gifted the box to their aunt for their cousin. They were all so excited to help.

If they ever asked about the binkis their mom would remind them that it was helping their cousin.

I love this approach. It teaches the kids sacrifice and service at a young age. They didn't exactly understand every part of what they were doing but they felt good that they could help someone else.

I would also suggest teaching your little one another way to cope with stress and security. Maybe teach him to sing when he wishes he had his binki - that is something that no one would mind he get attached to.

Good luck and let us know how things turn out.

Hi Elizabeth - now is a great time to wean from the pacifier. My son LOVED his binky and his blanky and they went with him everywhere. Both have since fallen by the wayside.

We took advantage of the fact that we lost a few of them. (Where do they go, anyway!?!) When he was down to his last one, we lovingly warned him of the fact that that when this one wore out or got lost, that meant that binkies were "all gone".

For a long time, he hung on to that binky like it was glued to him. He knew exactly where that thing was at all times. I was pretty impressed! The day happened though and we just had to tell him that "binky was all gone" He cried a little for a few days and we comforted him. It was a little humorous because we realized he had a binky-habit just like a smoker who craved a cigarette after a meal. He would go to bed and ask for binky and blanky and we'd have to remind him that binky was "all done". He started sucking his thumb a little more but that never really took hold nor did we scold him for it. He was just learning to cope with life after-binky.

Even funnier was when he was 3 and he found one of his old binkies. It was one of those tiny newborn ones. He was SO excited! I told him that we were all done with binkies a long time ago and through pursed lips he said, "please momma, just once?"

My friend started by clipping off the tips to her daughter's pacifiers slowly working her way down until they were just nubs and her daughter lost interest in them.

Hope that helps you!

Hi,
My two boys also loved their binkies! We just did the cold turkey technique with our first son around 15 months and it was a horrible week of him screaming..... I wouldn't recommend this! But with our second, someone told us to cut the nipple in half down the middle. This makes the binky loose its suction and he threw it away on his own after 1 day. No crying, no fits, an few nights of him re-learning to sooth himself without it but overall a much better experience that with our first. I think he was about 18 months. I hope this helps!

Hi Elizabeth.
We have a 9 month old, but our doctor has advised pacifier and bottles should be stopped at one year, so I would think your little guy would be OK now without it.

I don't know if there is a "right" age, but we weaned our son of his just after his second birthday when we realized he was trying to talk with it in his mouth (not good). We told him what we were going to do and then we only allowed him to use it at nap time and bedtime. And then we took it away at naps and then bedtime. He cried for about 30 minutes at bedtime for 3 days.

I've heard lots of different ways to have them give them up: pay for a new toy with them, give them to the Binky Fairy who takes them to new babies who need them and leaves a gift in return, etc. I'm sure you'll get lots of great suggestions.

When to wean? Whenever you want. However, I wanted to pass along a great trick that my friend used (as suggested by her pediatrician). Basically, you trim back the paci by a hair once every 2-3 days until it becomes nothing but a nub(don't let them see you do this). The child very painlessly and voluntarily gives it up w/out a fight because it's just not worth it to them to try to keep it in their mouth. No crying, no trauma, no blaming Mama in the middle of the night because they can't find their binkie. My friend had no problems with her daughter and they didn't have any sleeping problems either. Good luck!

I haven't hit this point yet, but my sister has, repeatedly. her recommendation is two options. This may seems kind of harsh, but it works. Tell him he is a big boy now, 2 years old! And have hin watch you put it in the trash. Kids know that when stuff goes in the trash it doesn't come back out.
OR
You can have him pick out a toy or something and "pay" for it with his pacifier.

We were told by our doctor that the sooner you do it the better b/c their long term memory isn't in place. The longer you wait, the harder it'll be. We got my son off of it at 18 months. Everything I read and heard from our doctor told us that they just don't NEED it...they need to learn to self soothe and it's bad for their teeth. SO, knowing that about the memory, that really spurred me into getting rid of it. I think it's harder on the parents than it is on the kids. :) I thought it would be harder than it actually was. My son only got it at nap or bed time and we weaned off nap time first and then off bed time. Then we had the talk with him that he doesn't need it anymore, he's a big boy and had him throw them in the garbage. so he saw that they were truly gone. there is no going back if you throw them away and don't go buy more b/c that will just make it harder and they think they can throw a tantrum to get what they want. so...i hope that helps. my son only cried twice for the pacifier and i just reminded him that we threw them away and he is a big boy. he was fine after that. hope that helps.

I was in the same situation. A friend told me to start cutting the tip of the pacifier- a little each day. I started doing that with one pacifier at a time. The first day, my daughter would not have a problem with it, but the second time I cut each one, she would look at it like it was broken and spit it out. I'd ask her if it was broken and if she thought we should throw it away. She said yes. I was reluctant to give up the last pacifier, but it broke on its own. She threw it away. For the next couple of days she asked about it, and I reminded her that it was broken and we put it in the garbage. After that, she was fine. Weaning her was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be!

I love the pacifier because it is much easier to wean than the thumb. You just throw it away and take out the trash. I say get rid of it. I don't think it's cute in kids over 12 months old. We threw our girls binkies out when they were 11 months old and never regretted it for a minute. The kid struggles for about 3 days as he/she learns how to sleep without it and you learn to think creatively with distractions in public places and then it's history. Short and sweet. I swear its the parents that need it not the kids. Just pick a week when you can give him and you time to adjust and do it. Don't make it a big traumatic thing by cutting it off, just make it disappear into the trash on trash day.

I had a daughter who was exactly the same - no other attachments, loved her binky, helped her sleep, had it since birth. I know the research has shown no permanent damage from binky use as long as you give it up before permanent teeth come in, but I will just tell you one little thing we ran into. It's not a huge deal, and I'm not even sure I'm absolutely convinced the dentist is right, but....The first time I took my daughter in to the dentist (she was a pediatric dentist), she was 2 and had just given up the binky during the day, but still used it at night. The first thing the dentist asked was if she had a binky or thumb-sucking habit. She said that it had caused a cross-bite and that we should try to get completely rid of the binky as soon as we could. She says she sees the cross-bite thing all the time. So take it with a grain of salt, it is just one dentist's opinion, but I thought I would share it with you.

I did read in a parenting magazine once that you should try to wean off of daytime use by 2 yrs old and nighttime use by 4 years old. They had all kinds of reasoning that made sense to me at the time, but I couldn't remember it now to save my life.

Both times I decided to wean off the binky thing (once for daytime & once for nighttime) I thought I would try it & if it didn't go well, I would wait & try again later. To my surprise, they both went well - not without resistance, but it was not the nightmare I was expecting. So maybe try what I did & see how it goes. You never know. It may work, it may not - but it's probably worth a try.

When my daughter was just shy of 2 yrs, we decided to wean off of daytime. I just told her that big girls don't use binkies during the day and that the binkies had to stay in her crib. She asked for her binky a few times the first couple of days. I would tell her again that they were in her crib, but we weren't going to get them out and then I would distract her with playing with her or with a toy or something.

She gave up her nighttime binkies when she turned 3. Leading up to the 3rd birthday, we told her that part of turning 3 was growing up & giving up her binky. On her birthday, she threw away the last of the binkies herself. The first night was really hard getting her to sleep. She cried and I hugged her and told her it would be okay. I told her stories & gave her "something to think about" while she fell asleep. I left, but told her I would come back & check on her. She cried for awhile & I would go back every 15 minutes or so and go through the routine again. She finally fell asleep. The next night was quite a bit easier and by the 3rd night, she went right to sleep and hasn't looked back.

My friend had the "binky fairy" come one night & leave her daughter a present. That worked really well for her.

Good luck! And don't worry - they all give it up eventually!

Hi Elizabeth,

Do not worry about the "right age" to wean him off a pacifier. It is different for each child. My grandson had his till he was 3, and he is just fine!! If you are concerned and want him off it, though, maybe you should start letting him have it at home only at naptime and bedtime. Wean him off it slowly and explain your new schedule to him thoroughly. To me, a 2 year old is still a baby. If he doesn't respond well to the weaning right now, don't worry about it. Give him some more time to grow up.