18 month old son still on pacifier?

Question

What can I do to get my son off the pacifier? My oldest daughter was on hers till she was 3 and now has teeth problems..and will need braces this coming year(she's 8), my second(dd)..didn't really become addicted to them..so it was easy to get her off at 10 months old. But my son is showing a love of his pacifiers like his oldest sister and not showing any signs of wanting to toss them. I'm able to keep them away during the day(while he's awake) with no problem..he might have a fit here and there..but usually forgets about them. But when its nap time and bedtime, he knows he needs his pappies. Any suggestions? Or should I just let him be? I'm just worried about his teeth as they are becoming shaped like his oldest sisters. He only uses the gerber bulb pacifier..they look like a round rubber bulb on them. He will not take the orthodontic kind or the silicone type...just like my oldest did. My second daughter used the orthodontic type and didn't like the bulb type.

Answer 1

I don't think there is any magic answer. Children under 3 years of age really can't understand any "reasoning" type of approach. There are many opinions at these links and you might find an idea there that will work for your and your son.

Keep in mind though that as adults most of us have our "soothers" of some sort - coffee, a cigarette, a drink at the end of the day, gum, a joint, chocolate, etc. He is just a little guy!

Best of luck with it. If it is any consolation, I think he will eventually give it up on his own.

Answer 2

ditch the bul-type....get him the orthodontic ones. if that's all you have to give him, then he can take it or leave it.

one thing i'm curious about....most articles i've read about this very problem states that as long as kids are done pacifiers and thumb sucking by age 6, then their adult teeth shouldn't be affected. so, perhaps your daughter was just destined for braces and it had nothing to do with the pacifier??? maybe your son will need them and maybe not???
i sucked my thumb for YEARS!!! and i have great teeth. sometimes i just think it's a coin toss.

if you're really intent on him quitting right now, then i would just take them away and let him bawl it out. or you could try the "pacifier fairy". however, he may be a little young to "get" the whole situation.

good luck and i, personally, wouldn't worry about it, but i'm not the mommy...so, it's your call.

take care!

Answer 3

Yep, you definately need to lose the pacifiers. You can either do it cold turkey, or gradually. My son used them only at night and nap times from the start, and he was off of them by the time he turned one. I just started taking them out of the crib when he fell asleep and I could get away with it. Over time he asked for it less and less, till finally I was able to throw them all away. As old as he is though, I think cold turkey might be better. It sounds mean, and he will cry, but in a couple days, he'll forget them, as long as you don't give in and give it back once in a while. Good luck!!

Answer 4

My husbands sister is fighting the same battle with her daughter that just turned 2. On her second b-day she told her it was time to be a big girl and throw them away. She also has an older sister who is 4. The older sister talked to her to about how she is a big girl now and didn't need it. She just turned 2 a week ago and has been broke of naptime and almost completely at bedtime. Another thing she has been doing is giving her pacifier until she is just about to fall asleep then she slips it out of her mouth. I don't know if that helps but it seems to be working for her.

Answer 5

Just take it away cold turkey. Both of my kids have LOVED their pacifiers, called pug pugs here. :) I noticed my son's teeth at about 2 1/2 kind of protruding a bit when he smiled, so that day I took it away. He cried and threw a fit for a good week at bed time, because that's all they have used them for. I told him that another baby was born somewhere so the pug pug fairy had to take it away. After about a week, to two weeks, he was fine. My daughter, 16 months, is addicted to hers when she sleeps also, a bit worse than my son was. But I still let her sleep with it. She's too young to understand at this point that if I take it away, it's gone. She'll just be upset. So when you do take it away, take it away cold turkey, and get rid of everything in the house like it, so he doesn't even remember it. I would say about 2 - 2 1/2 is a good age to take it away....otherwise, it's just such a habit to them.

Good luck and get ready for some sleepless nights. AND try to keep the pacifier away from him during the day. Limit it to just sleeping and it does not leave his bed.

Answer 6

If he has difficulty respiration, ever, then take him to the well being practitioner and locate out for particular. do no longer mess approximately with "thinking" he has bronchial asthma. it may kill. If he rather has bronchial asthma then you certainly could communicate the pacifier situation with the well being practitioner. If he does not...then enable him get upset somewhat. tell him he can in basic terms have the pacifier at bedtime, and stick to it. in basic terms do no longer take it once you pass out. No isn't a grimy be conscious. coaching your toddler which you will no longer supply in in basic terms via fact he screams isn't undesirable parenting. yet...he's in basic terms 18 months. i do no longer think of that having the pacifier at night is on the brink of being an argument yet. during the sunlight hours, in spite of the undeniable fact that, you easily need to say no, or he's in all danger to have speech issues. teenagers who learn how to make sounds around a pacifier can no longer cause them to precise without it - the roof of the mouth is without warning a diverse shape.

Answer 7

Poor U! Get ready!! Theres going to be some tears. But the best thing to do is take it away now!! But dont be harsh. Offer a new blanket or toy that he can nap or sleep with. Just take the focus off of it. If you make a big deal about it, then he will too!!!

Answer 8

I took my daughters away at around 12 months. My mom
thought it was mean but too bad. It is really up to you.

My daughter did fine, i just put her to bed without it, but
remember she was still young and hadnt developed such
an attatchment to it yet, i wanted to break it of her early
becos i was attatched to mine as a child.

I heard one good suggestion once concerning this question.
Take all his pacifiers and show them to him tell him
that you are going to give them to the pacifier fairy
so that other babies can have them. Then tie
the pacifiers to a helium baloon and have him wave
bye bye to them.

Very unique idea but since your son is onlly a year and
a half he probably wont understand that concept
but it is one to think about if you decide to wait till he
is older.

other wise you may have to do it the hard way, which
is fine by me. its your child, if he cries he cries. You are
his parent and im sure you know in your heart what is best
for him.

Answer 9

You're gonna have to just bite the bullet....search the house, top to bottom, gather up every last one, and throw them in the garbage. You'll have two or three days with much wailing and gnashing of teeth -- but if there's no "binkies" ,there's no "binkies"; and he'll figure out a way to cope. But also make sure you're there to give him extra attention and comfort during the transition. Good luc kt oyou....

Answer 10

I have heard of a couple different things to try. 1. Start by cutting off the end of the pappies a little at a time. 2. Don't give it to him at nap times.