How Can I Get Rid of My 2 Year-old's Pacifiers

G.,
I feel for you....my 2 1/2 year old daughter has been paci free since December. Does your daughter lose her paci when she's playing? Mine did. Finally, I was ready for the paci fight....and every time she would lose it, I would throw it away. She was down to her last one, I told her she was and if she lost it there would be no more. She lost it. My husband and I told her we would go to WalMart and buy her a baby doll to sleep with. The first nap and bed time was a little rough...she whined for about 15 minutes wanting it. I just reminded her she had her new baby to sleep with. A week later she was no longer asking for it.

I read the post about poking holes in the paci...didn't work for us. As attached as she was to the paci, she'd suck on the paci even with the hole.

Good luck to you!
Teresa

With my son who was pretty attached I took them away when he was a little over a year. I found all of his pacifiers and cut them, and told him they were broken. When he realized he couldn't suck on them anymore he went and threw them away. Bed time was a little rough for a couple of days...but he got over it. She doesn't seem like she would care about giving them to another baby...I would try the method of cutting them and letting her see that they are broken. Once we did every one that I thought was in the house, my son found some more and brought them to me and said they were broken. So I cut them and he threw them away. I agree that cold turkey is the way to go. I don't think you can really wean them from that, it's too confusing. One minute they can have it then the next minute they can't.
Good Luck...just be patient, and like someone else said it's harder on you than it is on them. Just be prepared for the melt downs and freak outs and know she'll eventually get over it.

My daughter was the same way....when she was 2 we only gave her the paci at bedtime and naptime...it was hard but you just have to stick with it...a few months later we talked about how the paci fairy comes and takes the paci's to babies who need them. The paci fairy came and left her some toys during the night. it worked great! she understood and never really asked for one again. just make sure that she has a blanket or stuffed animal or something to love on. try giving her that type of item when you cut the paci's down to nap and bedtime! Good luck!

my daughter was the same until she was 3!! we had them stashed everywhere. i couldn't take it anymore and knew it was time to give it up. i was expecting the worst and was prepared for total meltdowns (from both of us! :)) but honestly it was really easy for us. my cousin had a baby right before our dd b-day so i told her the bink fairy was coming to her b-day party to take the bink's to give to the baby. she was so wrapped up in her party she totally missed the fairy and only asked for one twice in a week. she's never asked again! maybe you could take her somewhere fun and tell her the same thing about the fairy coming while you're gone. it may be rough the first few days but she will get over it, now if my dd would just give up the blankie! :) good luck.

We tried to cut them but he didn't care and actually found one somewhere that hadn't been cut later. I think he had it stashed away somewhere. He hit his teeth on the floor and my husband told him that he couldn't have it anymore because it would hurt his teeth. He would still ask about it but only a few nights. He only got it at bed time anyway if he tried to walk around with it we told him he had to lay down in bed to have it. He didn't want that so he put it back in bed. I think you have to be ready and just do it. I like the baby doll idea. Just don't back down because that makes them cling even closer to it later.

I am a dental hygienist and went to a seminar last week by a pediatric dentist. He said the best way to do it is cold turkey but most mothers aren't strong enought to do it that way. The next option he gave is to start poking holes in the nipple. Then gradually snip the tip off then so on and so on until they physically cannot put it in their mouth anymore.

Methods from moms I have heard is giving them away to kids that need them or letting the Bippy Fairy come. You can also bride her with a toy she really wants. My niece was almost 4 when he took hers away. We explained everything about how she was a big girl now, then we went on a Bippy hunt and put them all in a basket. We took her to Toys R Us and let her pick out a toy. She had to pay for the toy with her Bippys. Unfortunately, at bedtime that night she cried herself to sleep and wanted to take her toy back but if you can stick it out she'll be over it in a few days. Good luck.