Any tips for getting a 13 month old to stop using her pacifier?

Question

I'd like a creative send off so she'll know that she won't be using them anymore.

Answer 1

Yeah, throw it in the garbage and deal with the screaming for a few days. That is better then a needy child who is too old for a pacifier. It also beats the orthodontist bills a few years down the road.

Answer 2

remove all the pacifiers from your house, car etc....
then while you are driving down the road take the pacifier, open the window so that she can see and tell her to say bye bye to "what ever she may call it". That will be reality ! Then no matter what - do not give her another one !

we did this to my son with his bottle, because he would not stop biting holes in the nipples - once he realized that the bottle was bye-bye there wasn't much he could do. from then on we just gave him a sippy cup and had no more problems!

I know some may think this is extreme - but whatever works and he is 15 years old now and doing great - don't knock it until you have walked in my shoes !!!

Answer 3

Babies use pacifiers to substitute for nursing, when it's not convenient for the parents. Through this, they bond with the pacifier, and it becomes something they look to, and expect it to provide comfort, security, and safety. Babies create a healthy bond by nursing until age 2-3, before they start to grow up and have other ways of seeking security. That's part of why it's tough to get them to stop using the pacifier before age 3, and many go to thumb-sucking for security.

The best way to get them off it is to go back to nursing, either by induced lactation, or a Lact-Aid or Medela supplemental system. Give the kid the bonding she needs, and the pacifier won't be a needed "crutch" to make up for it. The World Health Organization recommends nursing until "two years of age and beyond" for physical and emotional health.

Alternatively, you can just take it away and wait her out until she gets used to providing for her emotional needs on her own, in some other way besides a pacifier. Since she is still under 3, she will probably do this by sucking on something else.

Answer 4

Definitely get her off it - I waited till my girls were 2 and that was way too late. With my youngest daughter, we had a friend who was having a baby. I talked to my daughter about giving her pacifiers to the new baby - she thought about it and decided that was a good thing. When she saw the baby for the first time, she gave the pacifiers to my girlfriend. Okay, that afternoon she had a screaming fit at naptime, but I reminded her that the new baby had the pacifiers and needed them - it didn't stop her that day, but gradually over a few days it sank in and she was fine. It's going to take some patience though!

Answer 5

Funny you asked...we had a ceremony for our pacifiers. My daughter and I were playing one day and I attempted to take the paci from her mouth and accidentally pulled too hard. The rubber nipple part seperated from the base. We both just looked at one another and then, for some reason, my brain took over. I told her that the paci was broken and we had to throw THEM away. She was so cool and collected about it. She found the others (in diaper bags, beds, everywhere) and we put on fancy little hats and high heeled shoes and went to the trash can and throw them away in a show box that we had decorated for something else. She only cried for a minute or two and then we talked about how she was a big girl now and she doesn't need them. It was a great day and a memoriable one too!! Good luck!

Answer 6

13 months old is too young for a creative send off of the precious binky. They don't think that way. If you want her to stop using it now then you just have to make them disappear when she's not paying attention and suffer through a few sad (very miserable) days for all of you. Creative send offs work best for those kids who still have the binky at 3 since they've developed the ability to reason.

Answer 7

I did this with my little brother for his bottle and pacifier. Cut the tip off just enough so it is no good to suck on, and wont stay in the mouth by suction. When the child asks for it, give it to them. They will become confused whenever it doesnt work, and just say "oh no, the pacifier is broken!" I had him take it and throw it in the trash.... no more bottle/ pacifier

Answer 8

I read an article about favorite things kids grow attached to. Show your child pictures of small babies without pacifiers; tell them that the baby in the picture needs a pacifier and that it would be nice to give it to the "baby", put the pacifier in an envelope and address it to someone you know. Take your child with you to mail it, let them put it in. Once they let it drop, clap and praise them for being so generous, etc.

Answer 9

I tried saying we were giving them all to babies that needed them far away... didn't work. I then tried giving them to the "Binky Fairy" and have the "Binky Fairy" leave her a Big Girl toy in exchange.... didn't work. Finally I gathered up any loose Binkys I could find put them in a baggie in the cupboard out of Veronica's sight and simply told her that they were gone and she didn't need them any more. She put up a little fuss but after 2 or 3 days of asking for it, it was a thing of the past. The only thing was that I had to get them ALL up which took a bit but I did. I guess my child likes the direct route, all kids are different but more than likely it's gonna cost some tears! Good Luck!

Answer 10

PetLover is right, lie and deceit is the best way, really.

The idea of letting them scream it out upsets me, I just ask for my daughter to give it to me and made it into a game, now as soon as she wakes she gives it to me straight away with a smile, we are doing no pacifier week next week.

PetLover's idea is best because there is limited upset for the child, he doesn't know he's being tricked.

I take things from my child all the time and just say gone!
or bye bye TV
or all done to the half full packet of biscuits