Weaning from the Pacifier

Everyone told me to cut the end off the pacifier so that my daughter wouldn't get the sucking pleasure out of it. So I did that, but she didn't care. She just looked at it funny and put it back in her mouth. So I just kept cutting it shorter until it was so flat that everytime she put it in her mouth it just kept falling out. She soon realized it was too much work and wasn't interested.
Good luck!

I went threw this with my son he would wake up just because the nuk wasn't in his mouth I got so fed up I had to do something so we started slow and took it away except at bedtime next we took it away for naps and gave him a special stuffed animal so he had some security when we took away his "security nuk" the first couple days were bad but he figured out he wasn't getting it and would cry and then give up and go to sleep it was very hard and stressful to deal with but we had to do it. I also started giving more of the sippy cup to get him use to sucking on differant things which seemed to get his mind off the nuk. When he got use to not haveing it for naps he seemed to get up less during the night for it so we stopped at night with it we had a few restless nights but you have to stay strong because its to make things better he was over it in a week and sleeping threw the night every night after that. I know it's hard to listen to your baby cry for long periods of time but its for the better and I promise it will get better.

Just an opinion - let her keep it. She'll grow out of it eventually on her own. None of my three kids slept through the night at nine months. My guess is that she will sleep better with the pacifier than without it.

My son (just turned two), used a pacifier all the time. At home during the day, at night, and in the car. Slowly we restricted the use to nap/bed and car use only. Than we slowly took it away for nap time, than car and than bed. It was rough, he would lay in his crib and yell I want my pacifier...but we stuck with it and never gave in. In the car was the hardest because it was distracting listening to him yell and scream for it.
I would let your daughter continue using it, put more than one in her crib so she can find one if she needs/wants it. If she does wake up during the night and you dont want to give her the pacifier, try rubbing her back and telling her its sleepy time. Introduce a stuffed animal or toy she can take to bed with her, that should help her soothe herself too.
If your set on weaning her from it, dont cut the tip, shes too young for that and its a choking hazard. Go cold turkey but be prepared for long nights of crying and not sleeping (or she could pleasantly surprise you).

It's more of a comfort thing for the baby, let her keep it for right now. She knows when she doesn't want it anymore. If you keep her occupied with something else before she falls asleep, eventually she won't want it anymore.

L. M

I think you're in good shape that she only uses it in her crib...my older son was tethered to the pacifier until his 2ns birthday, when we used it as currency to "buy" a "no nukie toy." Worked like a charm. :)

Now my second son sounds a lot like your daughter; only uses it at night, but NEEDS it. We solved it by putting 4 of them in there so he can always find one when he needs to. He's pretty good about rooting around in his bed until his hand hits one. I've seen him do it in his sleep--it's pretty funny. But she's young enough that it's not causing any problems for her, and some medical reports even say pacifiers can even help prevent SIDS (something about the sucking/breathing, and that with pacis in they won't lay on their faces.) Good luck!

Both of my boys only ever have pacifiers when in bed or in the car. We weaned my older son when he was almost 18 months and my younger son will be 11 months next week and still uses one. I would continue letting her use it but if you're set on taking it I would just take it. To wean my oldest I slowly cut the tip of the pacifier down. By the third night he was weaned and hasn't used one since. Good luck!

I actually asked my physician about this at our 1 year appointment, because my son also uses his pacifier to fall asleep. My doctor said not to worry about it since he only uses it in the crib.