hey moms, i was wondering if yall had any advise on when to take a baby off the pacifier? i have a 15 month old that is still on the pacifier and i don't know when i should take her off of it? i have two older daughters but my oldest daugter never took a pacifier and my middle daughter took herself off the pacifier when she was about 12 or 13 months old so i didn't have to take it from her but my 15 month old is so attached to the pacifier that i'm dreading the day me and my husband decide to take it from her. i don't know how or when to do it? i was hoping she would end up taking herself off of it and just get tired of it but i really doubt that happens. she sleeps with it, she rides in the car with it and she plays with it in her mouth. very seldom does she not have it. when she is playing she doesn't always have it. (that's just off and on while she is playing). when she goes to sleep or in the carseat she has to have her pacifier and a blanket and that makes her satisfied. well, if any of you have some advice on when and how to take a baby off the pacifier, please, let me know. i'm thinking about trying to take her off when she is about 18 months old but i'm not sure. thanks
i just wanted to thank everyone for all of your suggestions. i really think it is going to help. i am going to take her off sooner than 18 months. what ill probably do is take it away during the day and just give it to her at night and after a couple of days cut the tip of it off so she doesn't want it. thanks
I agree the sooner the better...just an idea ...stick it in a liquid of something that she does not like..lemaonade or something simple but she does not like. and wont hurt her. I know of cases that worked ..needless to say what they used I would not even suggest it.lol...
I would start very slowly, have a long term goal like 18 months or 2 years and start by letting her only have it for the car and bed. make a big deal about it being yucky and spitting it out when she wakes up and putting it up until nap time. If she needs it for car rides make a big deal about putting it up after the ride is over and not getting it back until she is buckled in. There will be some whining, stick to your guns.
Once you have weaned her off of day time use, to just naps and bedtime, work on the idea of giving her pacies to a baby you know, or just babies in general, that she is a big girl and doesn't need them any more.
Ideas, on removing all together...
Place them all in a box and take them to a friend with a baby.
Put them in a box and take them to the post office and "mail" them to The Babies...just attach a note to the box for the mail man to throw away the box after you leave.
Go to Build-a-Bear and build a new friend and stick pacie inside.
Get some helium ballons and send pacie to the clouds.
Whatever way you chose, once you have decided the time has come, do it and get ride of all of them so that you aren't tempted to give them back and she doesn't find one. She will probably whine and cry for about 3 days but that will be it.
My 2 year old cried 15 minutes the first 2 times he had to go to sleep without it and he would say " I need my sussy, please mommy." So sad, so if you can do it before she can really talk, that would be better, IMO.
Good luck, you are doing the right thing.
I say the sooner, the better. I think at a year old is a good time, before they really start attaching themselves to it. You've obviously gone past a year, but I wouldn't wait until 18 months. If she "needs" it to fall asleep, then she's already way too attached. Start now. The best way I know to do it is to cut off the tip, so they don't get the good suction, and then when she tries it, tell her it's broken, cause it is (you don't have to tell her that you're the one responsible for breaking it). She'll fuss and cry about it and may have a harder time getting to sleep, but she should get over it in a few days, after she realizes they're just no good anymore because they're "broken". I did this with my son at about 13 months and it worked.
Trim the tip of the paci down a little every few days. Eventually the child won't enjoy it anymore. If for some reason she doesn't mind the modified paci... now's a great time to take her to a pediatric dentist. I took my son to one (Bookmyer in RR) and she asked him if she could have his paci's to give to little babies that really need them. He agreed and we left a bag of about 15 there. He complained once in a while, but got over it pretty fast. The dentist told me that he needed to give it up so it wouldn't end up positioning his teeth funky. Just in the nick of time, he succeeded!
I agree with the previous post. The sooner the better. My daughter's pedi recommended taking it at about 12-15 months, but we moved when my daughter was 14 months and I didn't want to traumatize her, so I let her keep it for about 3-4 weeks after we moved until she got adjusted. We had already restricted it to just nap time and bedtime (you might want to start with that) and then took it cold turkey. She cried for about 3 nights (started with about 30 minutes and was less each night) and then we were home free. Just remember to take all of them out of the house so that they don't accidentally find one and so that you're not tempted to cave in and give her one.
If you wait until she is 18 months (or older), they have even more memory and comprehension. My pedi recommended earlier so that they don't think to go around the house looking for it. My daughter also has a blankie that she sleeps with and I obviously let her keep that. I would start with limiting it to nap and bedtime for a week or two and then just get rid of it.
Best of luck! It really won't be as bad as you think.
A friend of mine cut the nipple of the pacifier a little more than halfway down to where he couldn't keep it in his mouth anymore. So then he just got frustrated and gave them up. This may not work for you, but it might be worth a try. Good Luck.
