getting rid of the pacifier

at what age did you do this and do you have any tricks?

I cut off the tip and DS is great during the day without it...takes it and decides he doesnt like it so he continues happily without it. But naptime and bedtime is the complete opposite and he screams his head off so i give him a pacifier. IMO he is still young so i dont mind that he uses it, but the Dr was saying dental problems etc and the earlier to get them off of it the better.

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

It was well after 3 years old when she was ready to give it up.
Before then it wasn't happening.
When she was ready, it was a breeze.

FYI- she has no dental issues at all from it- she's 5 now and her teeth are perfect
Any movement on her teeth went back to normal in a few months.

Message edited 9/21/2015 10:36:19 AM.

getting rid of the pacifier

DD was almost 2 when we got rid of it. We had taken her to the dentist and she pointed out that her top teeth were pushing out a little bit and suggested we get rid of it sooner than later. We went cold turkey, just told DD we lost it. We'd pretend to look for it and then she would just give up. The first couple of days were surprisingly easy. But then the following week was really tough, crying, not sleeping. I would say it was prob a week to 2 wks before she stopped asking about it.

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

right around one I started to limit the pacifier only during nap time and be time. For DD this was stuck with for DS it hasn't been a 100% fully enforced though now it has.
my dr. said liming to nap and bed time was fine just not having it all the time

As for full taking it away for DD it happened a few months after she was 2. she naturally started to stop using it. she would only use it till she fell asleep and didn't need it for the rest of the night unless she woke up she sometimes put it back in. she bit through the tip so I cut the tip off she still used it. finally one day I just cut the pacifier part off (hers was attached to a stuffed animal). I blamed it on the dog (she knew sometimes the dog ate her toys) she was fine I let her hold on the stuffed animal for as long as she wanted for bed time and she slept with till at least she turned 3 if not a little after that.

For DS I will try the same way but I have a feeling its not going to be as easy

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

DS was 3.5 and did it all on his own. It was right at the time he got potty trained too. One night he just took it out of his mouth when it was bedtime and said "no." We had some sleepless night for a month or so after, but that was also with the potty training and the need to hold a paci. After that it was fine.
Before that we did just cut it down to night time only.

getting rid of the pacifier

We rid of it at 2.5 right after her first dentist appointment. The dentist told her it was making her teeth sick and she had to throw it out, so she went home after the appointment and threw it out. That was that. I was shocked ha

getting rid of the pacifier

Right before 3. I said let's give them to the baby room (at daycare), the babies really need them, you're a big girl now... Ok she said. She put them all in a little box and we sealed it up. Threw the box in the garbage the next day.

getting rid of the pacifier

Did is 2 1-2 and uses it only for sleeping. I cut it out during the day over the summer. I even cut a slit in them for bedtime trying to get rid of it all together but she barely noticed lol. I just give it as it lets us all sleep lol

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

We got rid of it at 2, also by cutting the tip. We did it really gradually so the sleep part was gradual too. She'd fall asleep with it and it would fall out if her mouth overnight. Eventually she didn't even realize she went into her crib without it.

getting rid of the pacifier

We're starting this now. We are removing the paci at all times EXCEPT for naps and bedtime. If he is having a teething fit, we give him a teether or washcloth - he loves cloth to rub against his gums. AND, at bedtime, we don't automatically give him the paci, I leave it in his crib next to him so he can grab it if he needs (and he does). DS is almost 11 months old. Our goal is by 15-18 months to have him weaned off it totally.

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

I didn't really push it with either child. Both loved their pacifiers, but DS2 was even more attached to them. DS1 gave it up at the same time as potty training, which was 2y9m. He grew up overnight. DS2 dropped his in the potty by accident and I couldn't find another one at the time. It took him longer to fall asleep for the first few days and he occasionally asked for it, but I was surprised at how easy it was to get rid of it. He was 3y2m.

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

We took DDs away around 7 mo when they kept losing it all night and couldn't get it back themselves. I couldn't be woken up 5x/night. DD 3 will likely get it taken away sooner bc she doesn't know how to keep it in her mouth and screams when it falls out. The sooner the better. It gets harder as they get older.

getting rid of the pacifier

Did is 2 1-2 and uses it only for sleeping. I cut it out during the day over the summer. I even cut a slit in them for bedtime trying to get rid of it all together but she barely noticed lol. I just give it as it lets us all sleep lol

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

It was about a month after DD turned 3. I had had enough. We used the Binky Fairy idea and it worked for us. She cried for the first two nights, but really only for a few minutes. After that she didn't cry anymore but she would ask about it. We told her that the binky fairy needed the binkies for all the new babies so she wanted to know exactly who had her binkies. She wanted names!

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

My daughter was a pacifier kid. At around 2 she only used it for sleeping nap/night, at 2 2 1/2 she only used it at nighttime. At 3yrs 3mos she was done with it, we told her if she mailed it to Cinderella the princesses would send her a special princess castle. It was literally as easy as that, we were beyond shocked. But she was ready to give it up.

The dentist said her teeth were fine and he had no concerns (but she didn't use it 24/7).

Re: getting rid of the pacifier

DS was 3.5 years old. Late but I waited until he was ready to give it up. his teeth and speech were fine and he only used it to sleep so i wasn't concerned. he eventually gave it up on his own when we went to visit my friend with new babies and he gave it to them.