How to Get rid of pacifier

Belinda - posted on 10/09/2009

My oldest used a pacifer until he was almost 4. Or should I say he used nearly 20 pacifiers until he was almost 4. When we mentioned we needed to start thinking about getting rid of them, he started hiding them all over the house as a back-up plan! We finally gathered them all up and during the night we clipped barely enough off the end of each so that when he sucked on them his spit would get inside. Of course, when he picked it up again later it would taste bad and when he figured out all of them tasted bad, he simply stopped trying them. We told him he must have bitten the ends off because his teeth were getting so strong and he was okay with that explaination. Hope it works for ya!

Stephanie - posted on 09/02/2009

After having three kids we have learned a few tricks...#1 that sucker only works if its not broken....Huh? Well for us we cut a small slit in the top of the pacifier. A hole if your will. Let her grab it and stick it in her mouth at will. After a few attempts shes gonna bring it to you. Tell her she broke it. Its not good. Let her keep it but try to get her to throw it in the trash. If she does it thats awesome. If you do it your evil in her eyes. Give it a shot. Good luck!

Jesse - posted on 09/02/2009

when you find something that works, please message me because my son is 18 months and still takes a pacifier (bink) at bed time. when i try not to give it to him he freaks out and i cave. because of this, his two front teeth are pushed out a little farther than the rest. it's actually kinda cute right now but i know it won't be down the road. don't give up searching though. i'm not.

Jamie - posted on 10/13/2011

I have twin daughters that are 26 months and still want their pacifier!!! I hate their screaming so I just give it to them.They don't use it during the day or when we go out just nap time and bedtime and sometimes when they are bored. But my girls also have to have their bunny which I'm not worried about that. I am going to try and break them in the beginning of November, just because we are leaving them at grandma and grandpa's for the weekend and its our anniversary and just want it to go smoothly. Because they don't stay their that much. But thanks for the great tips ladies, i will probably try and talk to them, but I might just take them away and let them cry and maybe try the sippy cup thing.

Patti - posted on 10/09/2009

this is glose to my heart because my son had a pacifier until his 5th birthday,yes he was 5 i took him to dentist it doesnot ruin their teeth. how i got rid of it is creative. i started talking to him about giving up his pacifier about 2 monthd before his birthday. he wanted a party at chucky cheese and i told him ok but we have to give chucky all ypur pacifiers for the babies that he gives them 2 that come here.the big day came and i got a ziploc bag and casey helped me put the pacifiers in it. we got to party and i told the person assisting our party my plan. she told chucky and he came and asked casey for the pacifiers. he gave them to chucky and cried. he calmed down after a few minutes and all was well until that night, he cried at night for about 4 days and it broke my heart. he got over it but he does suck his thumb sometimes .

Aimee - posted on 10/09/2009

Cut the teat of and just say that it is broken and needs to be binned, may seem harsh but it works, also a good one with christmas coming up is to ask your child to leave it out with the milk and biccy for santa to collect in exchange for some lovely new pressied, my sone is 2 and a half and still has his, the cutting the teat of is my last resort, im whinning him of it at the mo and he is doing really well, he keeps looking at other people. children and saying they haven't got a dummy mummy, so his getting it :)

Christabel - posted on 10/08/2009

We told our children that they were going to give their 'dummies ' to Santa to give to other babies. And in return they would get an extra pressie form Santa. It worked although my youngest did say confidently;
" But I will get it back next year" Mmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!

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Try using a pacifier too small for her. The suck doesn't fit and the effort isn't worth it. Eventually they lose interest.

Dixi - posted on 10/07/2009

Some moms have posted to put various substances on the child's thumb. Be extra careful what you put on it! Nail polish, hairspray etc are not meant to be ingested. They could be dangerous if swallowed, even in the smallest amounts. I recomend taking her to a dentist. They have products that are safe if ingested. They also have dental apparatus' that could be put in her mouth. When I was 4, the dentist put something metal in my mouth that had progs. So every time I tried to suck my thumb, I'd get poked. Eventually I quit poking myself (quit sucking my thumb).

Brenda - posted on 10/06/2009

Don't know how old she is but my daughter's pediatrician recommended we get rid of the pacifier and bottle before 18months old, this way they don't form a psychological bond to it. Luckily for us she took right to it, I don't expect I will get as lucky the second time around. All I can say it might be tough till she gets used to it but eventually it has to get done, see if she will take to a blanket or teddy but other than that just let her cry it out (sorry might seem rough) but as Amy put it you'll be better off for it in the end.

Diana - posted on 10/05/2009

My daughter is 4 and she stills sucks her thumb....what to do???? She such until it bleeds.....oh!!!! pls somebody plz help......

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your all gonna hate me ( hahaha) but my baby kinda just stopped wanting it.... at about 3 months. he wouldn't take it any more. I think it was because we stopped giving him the newborn ones, and upsized, and he didn't like that, so we just gave up with it.

If your trying to get a little baby off the dummy, it should be a lot easier then when they get a little older.No advice for bigger bubbas, sorry guys.. and goodluck :)

Marcy Hunt - posted on 09/13/2009

There is nothing wrong with a child using a pacifier, especially in the first year--society just makes it passe. A baby needs the sucking in the first year and the pacifier helps the baby calm down and soothe self. After a year if the child needs something to help soothe itself a pacifier is OK to use (better than child fingers or thumb. If child after a year needs the pacifier for security then replace the pacifier with a blanket, teddy or other stuffed doll/animal. Kids need to feel secure and they need to be able to soothe themselves.

Mikkia - posted on 09/10/2009

Cold Turkey is the best way!! just take it away from her she will cry for a day or two and then out of sight out of mind. You have to be the strong one and just deal with the crying that she will do for those two days or so. you should try it on the weekend if you work.

Robin - posted on 09/09/2009

My oldest son was the world's worst when it came to his "binky". He had them everywhere. There were so many hiding places where he would stash them. About a month before he turned 2, I would prepare him that the "Birthday Fairey" was going to take his binky away on the night before his birthday. Spent half the night finding all of the pacifiers, but when he woke up that morning, I reminded him that the "fairey" came that night, and he was fine. He did question me about it for a couple of days, but all I ever told him was that he was a big boy now and didn't need it anymore. If you take it away, DO NOT give in and give it back. Trust Me!!! A friend of mine did that and her child was still sucking a pacifier at bedtime up until she was 5!

Dena - posted on 09/08/2009

I just took the pacifier away from my 19 mth old about a week ago. I tried to wean him from it slowly but it never worked. So last week I decided it was time and I threw away every single one I could find. He was a little fussy and resentful at bedtime for the first two days and now he is absolutely fine!!! I wish I would have done it sooner! He was even around my friends son who had his paci in his mouth while they were playing together and he never even wanted it!! Bottom line is you just have to take it away cold turkey!!

Vanessa - posted on 09/06/2009

Hi Shalini,

You might have a couple of sleepless night, but the easiest and quickest way to get rid of her pacifier is just to take it away. Through them all away and don't buy anymore. Your daughter will cry and maybe even scream, you might too, but within a few nights she will learn to fall asleep without it and that will be it.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!

Vanessa

Aimee - posted on 09/06/2009

I had the same problem with my son. When he turned 11 months we took him off his bottle and went to straight sippy's. Thats when he decided he wanted the binky/paci. I allowed it for about 6 months before I had had enough of constantly having to have a binky on hand. We took a bag and asked him to put all of his binky's inside and told him it was time to give them to a baby who needed them more. We then took the bag to a family member who had a younger child and let him pass the binky bag over to the baby. Two nights with lots of crying on his part and some on mine, he was over it and has never asked for one since (he is almost 5 now). You just have to stick with it, lol.. no matter how bad it breaks your heart, the crying and not having a binky will not harm them! Good luck!

Tammy - posted on 09/06/2009

My pediatrician said to take the pacifier away at 1 yr - so I did - I cut off the tip and told her it was broken - she still held on to it but she realized it was not the same...She had a "duckie" stuffed animal so she slept with him instead - it took about 3 bad nights for her to finally get over the pacifier..never wanted it again after that!

Maggie - posted on 09/05/2009

I'm working on taking away my son's pacifier as well. His 1st birthday is on Monday. My pediatrician said not to allow the pacifier after 12 months, so hopefully it works. Currently, we've cut him back to only having the pacifier at bedtime (during the night). Without the pacifier during the day, unfortunately, he's refusing his naps, but has been sleeping 12 consecutive hours at night. Often he throws the paci out of his crib at night and fusses for about 10 minutes, but falls asleep again. After his birthday, we plan to throw away the pacifiers completely and let him find another way to self soothe before falling asleep. He now likes to gnaw on those soft wash-cloth sized satin-y blankets (it looks like a teddy bear head with a blanket body), which seem to be a nice replacement for the time being. Hope that helps...!

Kristina - posted on 09/05/2009

I had to take my daughter's all together. It's not her that's spoiled on taking it. It's you that doesn't want to get up in the night and find an alternative way to console her. Kids get used to thing very quick, just not quick enough for you. Give her something else like a teddy bear or soft blanket to replace the pacifier.

Dawn - posted on 09/05/2009

Since it is only at nite, that is better then all the time. We waited till about 2 1/2 we kept preparing him by saying that when is paci breaks they don't have any more for him and he will have to throw it away. He only used it at nap and bedtime. We did this one night and he cried himself to sleep a few nites then it was all over. He comments now on other kids, how they don't need there paci's. It is difficult thing Like potty training ugh now that one is a different story for us. LOL Good luck!!

Melanie - posted on 09/05/2009

I work for a pediatric dentist and I hear that question of concern often. What the dentist recommends is not to take it away if the child is not ready because to the child it is for comfort/security. Taking it away too soon is worse for them than worrying about their teeth. If you start bringing your child to the dentist at around age 1 the dentist will always check the child's bite.and let you know if there are any areas of concern.

Gaganpreet - posted on 09/04/2009

Instructions
Things You'll Need:

* patience
* determination
* rewards

1.
Step 1

At this age your child is learning how to speak. Make them take out their pacifier whenever they speak. Otherwise, they may for a lisp or other speech problem. This will teach them that they do not need it at all times.
2.
Step 2

A good way to start them getting used to not having their pacifier is to only let them use it at bedtime. Then they are pacifier free during the day and you do not have to worry about remembering it when you leave the house.
3.
Step 3

Cut the tips of the pacifiers you have around the home. This gives less of a sucking notion to them and this is a good way to get rid of them. They may be less interested in them because they will have a different feeling. Make sure they do not swallow any parts.
4.
Step 4

Bargain with your child. Let them know that if they are a big kid and get rid of their pacifier that they can go to the store and get a big kid’s toy. This may do the trick.
5.
Step 5

If all else fails, hide the pacifiers in a drawer away from the child. Be prepared for a couple of days of whining. They will eventually get over it.
6.
Step 6

The sooner they get rid of it, the better it is for their teeth!

Jaya - posted on 09/04/2009

Yes even Aryan use to take it he stopped using it when I went to my Parents place in March and askedmy bro to take the soothet from him becoz I dont want him to take it nemore...Aryan was kind of scared from his Mamu n he said he has given the soother to cow so we dont have any for him....and it really worked he got disturbed for a night but was alrite then....somebosy suggested to put some "kadvi but not harmful" thing on soother so that when the baby sucks they dont like the taste n throw it away...

Jonna - posted on 09/03/2009

I have a 2 1/2 yr old and a 11mo old. When Andrew (2 1/2) was 10 months we only let him have his binkie at nap and bed time. If he wanted to get out of his bed we told him he had to leave the binkie in bed. We had to show him the first few times that the binkie stayed there by taking it out of his mouth then picking him up.... Then when he turned 1 we just took them out of his bed....... Never had any problems with it. We also took the bottle away at the same time....

Now that Lexie is 11 mo. old we have been doing the dame thing. She Has to have the binkie in her hands when she sleeps but I think she is going to be ok with us tanking it away when she turns one...... We will also take the bottle away at 1 with her too. She will get milk in her sippy.

Good luck to you!!!!!

Karen - posted on 09/03/2009

I haven't had to cross that bridge yet, considering that my son is only a month and half old and he is already spitting out his binky when he doesn't want it and will fall asleep without it sometimes. *here's hoping that continues* When I was little, I got rid of my binky on my own by throwing it out of the open car window on the highway. I don't remember this, but it is one of my dad's favorite stories. And when my bro was little, he lost it at the zoo and that was that. We only ever had one binky for each of us, and that is an easy way to get rid of them too. Only have one binky and then if they lose it on their own, then it's gone and they deal.

Carla - posted on 09/03/2009

Well I am 32 years old and my parents said I would not get rid of my pacifier even when I was 2 years old I still had it until one day my dad put black pepper on my pacifier and I put it in my mouth, threw it across the room they got rid of it and they said "No more pacifier they said I cried for a little bit and never again took the pacifier.

Stacy - posted on 09/03/2009

My Daughter was 2.5 years old when we had her get rid of hers. We had her leave it under her pillow for the "pacifier" fairy. Than the fairy left her a small gift in its place and than the pacifier, went to a "new" baby that was born that same night. It worked like a charm, she would look at every baby for a awhile to see which one "inherited" her old padifier. She never asked for it again.

Melissa - posted on 09/03/2009

My first son taylor would not give his dummy up untill he was three years old.
i had tried everything but one day he just put it in the bin.
however my lil girl just decided when she was around six months she didnt want hers anymore and just kept spitting it out.
my answer is that if ur baby is not giving it up dont panic they will probably on ther own>> and my childrens teeth are lovely :) good luck

Georgina - posted on 09/03/2009

my daughter used to have one, we went on holiday and got her to give it to sid the seagull, she never asked for it since if she ever menrtioned it she just said sid got it, you might have a few hard nights but they get used to it, just tell them big girls/boys dont need dummys and your a big girl/boy now etc etc... it worked with my daughter

Susan - posted on 09/03/2009

I have three children. My oldest son, now 12, decided he was going to give it away to thre Trash men (he loved wathcing the trash trucks), around 22mths old. I guess he was ready. My youngest loved her paci and we talked to the doc bout it and she said the best way was to go cold turkey and just get rid of all of them. And that is what we did. I thought itwas going to be Holy Hell but it wasn't too bad. she cried the first night for like 15 min and then went off to sleep. Our hard part was the Car though, cause she really hated the car and the paci was great for that, so we just found otherways to distract her until she got use to not having it. It isn't easy but better to do it now rather than later. She was 2 when we took it away and at that point she only used it for naps and bedtime and of course the Car time too. Good Luck :))

Laura - posted on 09/03/2009

My son, my 4 year old and my baby 3 months old all have taken or are taken it lol. My son kept till he was 2 1/2 not a prob with his teeth. My 4 year old I took it away when she was 2 she only had it at night I tried everything for both to take it away the only thing that worked was cutting off the nook part and letting them try to suck it is funny how they try. My step son had his before he came live with us he had it till we got him and he was over 3 he has fine teeth as well. No one who writes a book, nor doctor, nor someone giving advice goes through it do what You think is bes. People told to do all kind of things but I did it on my littlle ones time. That is what makes them feel safe like our doors liked at night makes us feel safe. I always set only one goal My children will be off a bottle, no nook and pottyed trained before they grad form highschool. ;) So far I had accomplished it before they are even ready to go to pre-k.

Kira - posted on 09/03/2009

if you have a friend who has a young baby get your child to give his/her dummy to the baby cos only babies need dummies. make sure you give lots of praise when they give them away and when they sook and want it remind them that the baby has them now cos the baby needs them more and your child is a big boy/girl. hope this helps xxx

Karen - posted on 09/03/2009

I also cut a tiny piece off the tip of the pacifier when my daughter wasn't looking and gave it to her when she asked for it later. She tried sucking on it several times and handed it back to me and said it was broken, so I told her to throw it away and she did:) We had a few rough nights, but then she was fine. I did the same thing for my son. Good luck:)

User - posted on 09/03/2009

my friend cut her daughters tip and then showed her and said its broken and made her throw it in the rubbish lol strangely enough it worked hahaha... as for my son he got sick and didnt want his dummy so we hid them all and luckly he didnt require it after that.. when he found one he put it in his mouth but we took it off him and he was fine.... all kids a different though so thats the hard part... another thing i heard was get a little bag and put it in and tell the little one the pacifier fairy is coming to get it because he/she doesnt need it anymore, make them put it on the tree and show them in the morning its gone :D hope this helps

Lisa - posted on 09/03/2009

my little girl is 10 months and has a pacifier, i wana get rid of it by the time shes about one...even now i try to only give it to her a night times but im quite lucky as most of the time she falls asleep without it and she doesnt wake up in the night very often for it..my mother in-law told me if you get your little child to throw there pacifier out the window for the fairies, and the fairies will give them a little present for giving up there pacifier...it worked with her children so i might try that one when my little girl is abit older...

Gillian - posted on 09/03/2009

both my kids loved their dummies or pacifiers,they were both around 2 when we got rid of them,we waited untill christmas and wrapped them all up and gave them to santa claus,put them under the tree and made a very big deal out of it,saying if you give santa your dummies he will leave you lots of presents,we told them their dummies were going to all the new babies,i thought wed have lots of problems but they were happy to give them to santa in exchange for presents.we never had any problems after,they never even asked!they can give kids buck teeth and my kids were starting with it but the dentist said its ok because they were baby teeth and would take proper shape again and they did but i wouldnt leave it much after 2 years before taking them away.

Chelsea - posted on 09/03/2009

Oh my, sounds like alot of Mothers have this problem, I'm actually working on the same problem with my daughter and she had just turned 1 and this plan seems to be working very well. Whenever she gwent to bed she always cried for it, kept me up for hours, I read every book, I even googled it! Until one night I layed her down in her crib, told her she is way to old for the "sucky" we called it. She still cried. I was so frustrated, then during the day, I would give her a "sippy cup" before her naps, whenever she got up to cry I gave her a sip of her water, layed her back down, she whines, I'm doing this, and just tonight she went to bed without her sucky and no sippy cup and I'm staying up to see if she cries, remind you ladies this is practice. It seems to be working and I've been doing this for 4 1/2 days. But every child is different. Just thought I'd share my story.

Tessa - posted on 09/03/2009

Have you got orthodontic dummies? These reduce the chance of ruining their teeth. I have always used orthodontic ones and Hannah's teeth are fine. She still sleeps with the dummy at night because it's the only thing that calms her when she has night terrors. Soon we'll take it away and replace it with a new teddy to sleep with. Hannah has always had a toy giraffe she sleeps with and is more likely to sleep without a dummy if she has him with her.

Naomi - posted on 09/03/2009

my daughter used to suck her thumb and one day someone told me u can get a clear nail polish that has an awful taste it is used for kids who bite there nails but can also work for thumb sucking.it worked for me

Naomi - posted on 09/03/2009

sometimes if u can invovle ur child and make it a game putting it in the bucket it can work or try trllin her that she is a big girl and only babys have them

Debbie - posted on 09/03/2009

i have a 2 and half yr old little girl that i planned on taking the dummy away from at the begining of this year but due to unforseen circumstances i waited as we moved houses and it was a tuff time for her and i. We just recently gave up the dummy as i got annoyed that she would constantly leave them where ever she wanted and one day she left 2 of them outside so i told her as i had done several times that the birds had come and collected them and given them to the baby birds as they needed them more. i thought i had found all of them and i put them away so she couldnt see them. well that night when she went to bed she wanted her dummy and i just kept telling her what i had told her during the day. yes we had a very restless nights sleep and yes i wanted to give in to her but i couldnt. the next day she found a dummy that i had missed and i waited for her to leave it where i could see it and when she wasnt looking i picked it up and put it away and went outside. she asked me where her dummy was and i told her that i had given it to the birds this time as they needed it. it took about 3 nights of sleepless nights before she got back into sleeping all night again. i dont regret what we did and yes it was hard but it was all worth it. i hope this helps.

Rachel - posted on 09/03/2009

My little girl Anay would suck on hers non stop, so when she was 2 we just got rid of it, she cried for a couple of days (especially at night) but after that she was fine, she never wanted it again.

Angel - posted on 09/03/2009

LOL what to do what to do? I've tried all that to plus hot sauce aweful I know but I'm desperate ya know?

Yvonne - posted on 09/03/2009

its so true tho, i have tried everything to stop bex suckin her thumb, sprayin perfume or hairspray just doesnt work, an i swear her thumb is smaller!!!

Yvonne - posted on 09/03/2009

ahhhhhh nooooooooooo not the dreaded thumb, a pacifyer any day!!! my daughter is 15 in january an she still sucks her thumb lol!!!!! a dummy(pacifyer can go in the bin!!!)

Angel - posted on 09/03/2009

I don't know about the buck teeth and shape of mouth and lips, but I do know if you take it to early they may start sucking their thumb. Thats what happened to me and now what? Can't take their thumb, now she's 10 and I've tried everything everyone's told me to do, still no luck.

Charity - posted on 09/02/2009

I had a hard time letting the pacifier go but here's what I did. When my son was ten months old he took two naps a day. When I took away the pacifier I had to take away his first nap (I tried giving it to him but he was so dependant on the pacifier that he couldn't sleep). I put a fan in his room because it's soothing and I gave him a bottle of warm milk (sippy cup if your baby is older than one) and eventually he would go to sleep, at first he cried alot but I stuck with it. He did well and soon forgot his pacifier even existed, I hid them all so that he couldn't see them and ask for them. My husband was in the army and we were stationed in Germany. When my son was 14 months old my husband got out of the army and we returned to the states. It was an 11 hour flight and so I gave the pacifier back to my son and because of visiting families in two different states and jet lag and just the whole stress of traveling my son once again became dependant on his pacifier but this time he needed all three to sleep (pacifier, fan, and warm milk) and he only took one nap a day. So this was a problem. During the day he only wanted it if he could see it so I always left it in his crib and allowed him to have it only during nap and bedtime. This helped him sleep longer which gave me a break. When he turned 21 months which was about three weeks ago I decided that the pacifier had to go. I put him down for his nap with only a sippy cup of water (don't want the milk to rot his teeth and I made the transition to water about four months ago while he still had his pacifier) and a fan. He didn't take a nap. That was ok. I'm a SAHM so I can allow him to be grumpy I just don't like to deal with it, hence the reason I held onto the pacifier so long. Come bedtime he was so tired he fell asleep within 30 minutes. After that I would offer him a nap and if he wasn't asleep after an hour he wouldn't get a nap for the day. Now it takes him about 30 minutes to settle down and take a nap but he's at least sleeping without the pacifier. Sorry my post is so long I really wanted to help.

Yvonne - posted on 09/02/2009

hehe we waited till age 2 an got my child to throw it away themselves!!!

Laura - posted on 09/02/2009

DD didn't use one, she sucked, & freaking still does, her fingers. Sigh. DS was a 24/7 binky baby. I took his paci away during the day at 15 mos & he cried a bit. We made a game of throwing it into the crib each morning or after naps, & he slowly was okay (DD was about 2 1/2 mos at that time, so, yay, &, probably, insane me LOL) . I'd planned to let him keep it until he was 2 at night, but, while sick even, at 17 mos, he woke in the morning & the paci was chewed, & parts were ready to come apart. I freaked & got rid of all his binkies that day. =( He cried, but survived.



Do NOT, & I repeat, do NOT listen when others say to cut the tip off a binky to break a kid. Sure it works for some, but, what if your kid chews it & breaks a piece off??? I might be paranoid, but, after seeing my DS's chewed binky, I say it often (plus, cutting the tip off breaks down the paci & makes it easier to chew a piece off & choke on it) . Better safe than sorry. Good luck! =)

Amy - posted on 09/02/2009

I let my son keep his pacifier until he was one. Then I gathered all of them up and threw them away. I spent a couple of nights feeling like a rotten mom because he had to cry himself to sleep, but after that it was all overwith. The trick is to make sure you get ALL the pacifiers out. We had one fall down the side of the crib and to the floor after all our efforts and had to start again. It was hard to listen to my little guy cry, but I kept reminding myself that he would be better because of it. Good Luck!

Amanda - posted on 09/02/2009

I dont know, i am watching because i have this very same question:o)