When Is the Right Time to Wean Your Baby (15 Months) off the Pacifier?

Hi S.
I don't know if there is a right time to get your baby off the pacifier. All 3 of my kids used it. My first used it up until she was 3 and it never messed up her speech or anything. In fact, her grammer was always so good even at a very young age. My second had it until she was about 2 or so and her speech was fine too and my 3rd child still has it and will be 3 the end of Sept. Her grammer and speech are good too so I can't complain. Sometimes I wished I had tried to get it away sooner but because I had been potty training, I felt like I should leave the comfort there for them since the whole potty thing was an ordeal itself. My first two I actually had to use "thumb" on it. It's over the counter and usually used for nail biters. Everyone said it was cruel, but it worked! The good thing was that because the kids were a little older to understand, I told them that the pacifier didn't taste good anymore because they are now big kids and it only tastes good when you're a baby. I still have to get the 3rd off of the pacifier. It's usually hard for the first week and it's total comfort for her. She'll be starting pre-k in Sept. so hopefully her mind will be elsewhere and won't notice as much. We'll see....

The more you give it to the kids, the more hooked they will be. My inlaws watched my first child PT her first year. I noticed my father inlaw would always just stick it in her mouth for no reason. I think that's how she got hooked. All my kids wouldn't have it all day though, basically just when they were tired.

Good luck with your decision.
--D.

Hi S.! Getting rid of the bink or goo goo (what my kids called it) was so hard. But as soon as they turned 2 the pacifier what gone...cold turkey. I did try being gentle about it with my first but that just backfired, so I just had to get it out of the house (actually I had one hidden in my jewelry box just in case) but as far as she was concerned it was gone forever. She cried for it for a very long time, but that is also her temperment. My second child got over it in a week. Hard stuff but worth it. In my opinion there is nothing more ridiculous than seeing an older child with a pacifier. At that point in their lives you need to teach them how to sooth themselves in more appropriate ways. For my daughter it was a musical bedtime toy. For my son it was a bubble lawn mower and die cast cars. Good luck. When you decide to do it be strong. It is not an easy thing.

Because of a speech delay I was forced to take it from him at 18 months. He missed it and would ask for it...but after about a week..it was gone. My niece gave her bo-bo's to the Easter Bunny and that was the end of them. You will have to decide what works for you. I know it is cruel...but I think cold turkey works the best. GOOD LUCK...I know it isn't easy or fun...LOL...no one said being a parent was going to be easy...right?

I believe that with your daughter being 15 months, she does not need the pacifier now. With her being at the age where she is able to start talking, the pacifier will give her something to do (suck it) other then talking. Besides, she really doesn't have to have it(can live w/o it). My daughter used it till 14 months, and did very well without it. Good luck.

Oh yeah, about your mother, it seems like she is giving it to her, and letting your daughter suck on it throughout the day. Not good.

Hi S.

My older son (now turning 4) had a pacifier until he was 18 months old. He "kicked the habit" accidentally as we were away with no back up. It was brutal. He cried (screamed) for almost 4 hours straight as though he was in severe pain. Honestly, I would have given anything for him to have one but NOTHING was open. Ironically, he never asked for it again. (yipee) We cut our younger son (now 16months) at 12 months exactly and he never missed it. I was advised by our pediatrician to elminate it at 9 months -- so we cheated a little.

My recommendation since your daughter is past the 12 month mark, go the 'boot camp' route. Lose it as soon as possible. She cry but it'll pass. It's up to you to be tougher than her.

Good luck! -A.

I would try to limit her during the day, just to naps and bedtime. She may be too young to elminate it completely but it's worth trying..the sooner the better. I've heard they need to be off them by age 3. You can cut the tip off and cut a little more every few days until it's gone. They will lose interest. Everyone I know that has tried this has worked.

GL!

C.
WAHM to Joe (6), Tyler (4) and Dylan (1)
Experience Arbonne & work from home!
http://party4fun.myarbonne.com

S.,

I also have four kids and my last had his pacifier until he was 3.
I limited it to when he was in the car or going to bed. The reason he had it for so long was it was just easier for me. Anyway one day we didnt have one in the car and he cried for 1 hour. Screamed!! it was horrible. After that i refused to give in. it was just that one day.. Your daughter is young so it is a little harder but at least limit the time she has it. Good Luck.
C.
Mom helping Moms work from home!
http://colleend.stayinhomeandlovinit.com

My mothers advice was when they start to bite on it don't buy any new ones. Then she told me when she bites it off explain that there is no more bobo. Walk her to a garbage outside ( if you live in an apartment building then the garbage room) and make her throw it away.
I did it for my daughter and she understood that she bit her bobo off and that she couldn't suck it any more. When she cried I soothed her or let her self sooth, or giver her a toy to hold and call her new bobo.
My daughter just understood and didn't ask for it because she knew she threw it away.
Hope it was helpful

My son was almost three when we got him to get rid of it. Beacause of the fact that I really could not handle the screaming having a newborn also we started out slowly. I would only allow him to have his binky at nap time or bed time and then slowly weened him from that. It was a long process (about a month)but it worked.I never scolded him for having it duiring the day just told him that if he wanted it that it belonged in his bed and that if he had it it ment it was nap time. The hardest was weening him at night but we got through it--Good luck

HI, S.,

All the other moms are so great with the advice they gave you. The only thing I would add. Is that you have to get your mom on board with what you are doing. Because if you have one plan and are hard at work and she's the one with your daughter and thinks the "bo bo" is ok, she'll continue to give it to her because she sees no issue with it. Just tell her that you heard, it's bad for the teeth and you want to wean her from it and only, say, nap time is when she can have it now. Or cold turkey or whatever. But you just have to let your mom know what you want to happen while you're not there to help her through this transition and it will be easier all around.

My son spit his out at around 4 months old and my mom and mother-in-law kept telling me to get a different one for his mouth that he would prefer, but I figured, if he was spitting it out, I could be done with it all together if I just didn't give it to him any more. I lucked out, tremendously. Had some tough times soothing him in other ways, but then again I breastfed so I may have become his pacifier. But he's 19 months old now and no pacifier, no mama being the pacifier and no thumb sucking. So things will change for the better eventually.

Good luck to you and let us know how it's working out. :)

Kel

My first daughter was very fond of her pacifier too. She called hers her 'Nu-Nu'. I was nervous about getting rid of hers or how to go about it. A regular trip to the pediatrician made me finally decide that it was time. I was very concerned as was my ped. that the pacifier would ultimately make her teeth crooked. I decided that I didn't want to contribute to the need for her to wear braces later on and didn't give it back after we left the ped's office. She was cranky for a few days, but adjusted perfectly. (Now 2 1/2 and 'Nu-Nu' free!) I hope my story helps a little. Good luck:)

You need to put a hole in the pacifier and then they don't want it anymore. I did that to my son and it worked.

Pacifiers ruin the teeth, that's what happened with my son's teeth.

You need to get your child off the pacifier as soon as possible.