I have a two year old niece who still has pacifier.?

Question

How do we make her stop? She's too big for a pacifier.

Answer 1

I read this in a parenting magazine and thought what the heck I tried everything else. Our neighbor had a baby and I collected the pacifiers in a lunch bag and had my daughter come with me. We gave them to the neighbor and said it was a gift for the new baby and my daughter was a big girl and wouldn't need them. My neighbor threw the bag in our mailbox and I'd be sure I'd need them at bedtime, but she never asked for it again and she was almost 3. I was shocked, but it worked.

Answer 2

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a child having a pacifier at the age of two. Pacifiers, like thumb-sucking, blankets and teddy bears, are a way of calming a child down and gives them a sense of security they would otherwise not have. It is also a road to independence. Unless you are willing to sit with your niece every time she gets upset to help calm her down, she is going to need something to help her through. She is, after all, only two. If you think you're going to make her a "big girl" right off the bat by taking it away, I feel sorry for her. She isn't going to gain self-confidence and independence at two without some assistance. If you push her, you'll find she's going to end up with other psychological trauma worse than walking around with a pacifier in her mouth. Is it worth it? No. Most experts say, don't fight it too much. Pacifiers work wonders in helping toddlers move to independence in being able to calm themselves down without clinging to adults. If she were 4 or 5 years old, then it is time to work on finding her a new means of calming herself. And even then, letting the child SLOWLY work through it is best. Just imagine the one thing that makes you feel comfortable and calm... and imagine people taking that away from you and telling you that you shouldn't need it. If the thought upsets you, imagine how it would make your two years old niece feel.

My suggestion, take your time, in both taking the pacifier away and in trying to have her be a "big girl". It'll come quicker than you think and you'll be wondering where the time went. Enjoy her being a little girl and allow her to be a little girl as this time will not come around again.

Here's an article. Hope it helps. http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/toddler/toddlerbehavior/12254.html


Good luck.

Answer 3

I've actually just finished reading a bunch of articles about this topic because my soon to be 4 year old stepdaughter still uses one. Many of the articles actually said that the use of a pacifier is less about comfort and more of a tool of habit. Babies use sucking from birth as a survival tactic. The pacifier soothes the need to suck and in a sense does provide comfort but it really becomes a habit. Some suggest cutting the tip off and some suggest throwing it away. Another article suggested replacing it with another comfort item such as a stuffed animal or blanket. There is evidence that pacifier use beyond the age of 1 is linked to an increase in middle ear infections in toddlers. My husband doesn't want to pull her off of it because she might suck her thumb. I also found articles from dentists and speechologists that claim prolonged pacifier use can also cause over bites and speech problems. I personally would try replacing it with another comfort item. That's what I plan on doing with my stepdaughter.

Answer 4

I had the same exact problem with my 2 year old and as of two days ago, she stopped using her pacifier except for nap or bedtime. I got her to stop asking for it by cutting the tips off the pacifer, carefully though, they had to be cut straight across, without any pieces hanging off, otherwise they could detach and be swallowed. She would put the pacifier in her mouth and would say "broken" and smile and take it out of her mouth. I did that with all her pacifiers except a few that I left whole for bedtime. She never cried or got upset about it and it was (is) easy. Soon I will stop giving her one at bedtime or maybe I will just cut the ends off them too. It just depends on how she reacts.
Good luck.

Answer 5

Agreed, though you should double check with your pediatrician about this. After about two, these things really aren't needed, except for comfort. And who doesn't need comfort?

But I have to ask, do your niece's parents want her to stop? Because if they don't care, you are just going to enter a hornet's nest. Don't even bother. However, if they agree, then go for it.

The easiest way to break a child off the pacifiers is to simply hide them all, completely.

Now, of course, if you don't want any CRYING, that's a different story, but if you just hide them take them away, and don't give in to the fits for a couple of days, she will be done. It is NOT going to be easy, and anyone who says it can be made easy is lying.

DON'T go the route of using hot pepper sauce or anything like that. Just hide them. Say you can't find them. And then take her out to play or do something else.

It will be rough for a couple of days, and then it will be fine.

Answer 6

Let her decide when it's time to stop. Two year old is not too old for a pacifier, it doesn't do any harm, it provides security for the child. Why do parents who have small children want them to grow up so fast? These are children not adults leave them alone.

Answer 7

Yes, you are correct your 2 year old is way too bing for a passy. So, now you have to just take it away from her. Tell her that all the babies in the world use pacifers and she now is a big girl and needs to give her pacifer to the babies. She will cry and have a fit...but she will get over it pretty quickly. And don't worry you are not traumatizing her at all.

If anything you did that by letting it go on so long and you know it is not good for their teeth either.

Ohh and if she asks about it again....when she remembers or wants a pacifer...tell her...remember when you gave your pacifers to the babies..

you can also get a lil present for her for being such a big girl. Like a stuffed animal in replacement of the pacifer. Something to give her so she isn't empty handed. Anyway...Good Luck

Answer 8

she is not too big for a pacifier. she is using it to comfort herself. while my children never used pacifiers and i personally hate pacifiers, your niece would not be using it if she didn't need it.

by all rights, the child should still be nursing and would be getting her sucking needs met that way. Please leave your two year old niece alone and let her comfort herself.

Answer 9

I let my oldest son have his paci at night until he was a week away from being two. I decided he was NOT going to be 2 and have a paci. I work with young children and I have seen what paci's can do to a child's speech. When he wasn't looking I cut the end of his pacies - all of them. We he discovered them, we made a big deal "oh no it is broken. I guess you will have to throw them away." I let him be the one to put them in the trash. For the rest of the day he kept saying "my paci is broken?" And I would reassure him. But he slept fine that night and did fine after that. I really wished I had done it sooner and with my other 2 children, I took advantage of the opportunities when they were babies and didn't really seem to care about the paci. It was much easier then. It never really was as hard as I thought it would be. They all did so m uch better than I thought they would. Good luck.

Answer 10

I've seen 3-year-olds with pacifiers...in fact, when I used to buy them for my son, I noticed that they're made for kids up to 3.

My son started rejecting them at around 18 months. Maybe your niece needs a little longer.