When is a good time to take my son away from the pacifier?

Question

My son is now 14 1/2 mos old, I want to start weaning him off the pacifier but am not sure how to do it. He only gets it when he sleeps, but as of now he won't sleep without it. What age should he be when I start weaning him? And how do you think is too old to still have a pacifier? We are currently working on getting the night time bottle away which is a struggle as it as. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

People are saying that I should tell and show him what I am doing. My son doesn't understand me telling and showing him things such as that, yet.

Answer 1

I think you are doing great so far! I may suggest waiting awhile after you stop the nighttime bottle. I think 2 yrs. is a good age to quit by. I started weaning my daughter off of it when I knew she didn't need it anymore. Being at the sitter's all day, she didn't use it except for at naptime. But the minute we got in the car when I picked her up, she would demand it from the diaper bag. Since I knew she didn't use it all day anyway, I figured it was just a "thing" to have it when she was with me or at home. I started telling her no more pacifier in the car (especially since it is only a 5 min. ride home), and surprisingly she complied quite well. Then, when she would have it at home, I noticed she was mostly just biting on it, not really sucking on it anymore. So finally I told her one morning that her pacifier is only for bedtime and naptime, it had to stay in her crib. Everything went quite well. (a few tears here and there, nothing too dramatic) Finally, on a Friday night I put her to bed with no more pacifer. I didn't mention it until she did, I told her it was all gone, she's getting to be a big girl and doesn't need it anymore. Of course she was a little upset, but I knew (and she knew) she really didn't need it anymore. That was the week before she turned 2.

It's good that you are already mostly there, only one more step to go. Maybe it would be better to end the pacifier the same time you end the night bottle, that way he won't rely on the pacifier to suck on after getting off the bottle, you can go straight from the bottle to just going to bed with whatever else he takes. (stuffed animal or blanket or whatever) Or, feel free to use the pacifier longer if you feel he needs it. He'll probably give you the same signs my child did when he is ready to give it up. She would give me this little smirk when I put her to bed, when she saw her pacifier in there after she laid down. It was kind of like this "We both know I don't need this, but I'm gonna stick it in my mouth just because it's here" look.

You're doing great, keep things up! Good luck.
(sorry for rambling) lol

Answer 2

The best thing to do is just take it away from him. It will take a couple nights to adjust but it is so much better than sending mixed signals by allowing him to have it then not to have it. He will probably cry at first, but make sure you don't give in. By day 2 or 3 he won't even think about the pacifier anymore.

I took the pacifier away from all my kids by 9 months so I definitely think at 14 1/2 months that it is time.
You have to stop it at some point. My in-laws wouldn't take it away from their daughter because she only used it at night and when she was upset.. At 5 years old she was still using it!

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Do not underestimate what your son can understand. At 14 and 1/2 months he is certainly old enough to understand what you tell him. In fact he should already be talking. Aside from the dental problems that come with sucking fingers and pacifiers, you must also remember that you intruduced the pacifier to him. It is not a necessity for if it was we would be born with one. Its good that he only uses it for sleeping, try pulling it out after he has fallen asleep. I weaned my son from the pacifier and bottle when he was 12 months old. I started telling him that big boys do not use pacis or bottles. I would also tell him that they were dirty and that he did not want dirty things in his mouth. Also if you feed him something like hot cereal before bedtime it might help eliminate the night bottle as well. But again , children are smart and even while they are in the womb, are able to hear, and understand certain things. So again , just try talking to him and explaining why its not good to have a paci.

Answer 4

Cold turkey. We weened her (and her sister) off at 11 months because our doctor told us that at year their memory skills really kick in. So, at 11 months went the bottle and pacifier, pacifier first, without a fight, really. My Mom also took all of us (8 children) off the bottle by 1 year, (same doctor) with no regrets. The point is, the longer you wait, the harder it will be for both of you! As far as the night time bottle goes, try establishing a new routine. His routine now is to get the bottle when it's bedtime, so you establish a "new" routine. Good luck!

Answer 5

My son is 15 months and is addicted to his pacifier so I know how you feel. We try to only give it to him at nap and bedtime, but if he sees it, look out! I just read a newspaper article that says to wait until they are old enough to understand that they don't need it. Like 3 years old. That seems awfully old to me. Right now I don't think our kids are too old for a pacifier. Especially if it is just at bedtime. As for the bottle, have you tried giving him his milk in a sippy-cup at night instead of a bottle? Good luck to you!

Answer 6

I stopped my son at 13 months. We did the cold turkey method. First, find all of them and throw them away so he won't rediscover one later. Then just stop giving it to him. He'll scream alot the first night, but it gets better by the third night. After 5 days, my son was no longer crying at night and did just fine. Now if I could find a way to take my daughter's thumb away from her(. At least with a pacifier, its detachable!

Answer 7

You should have stopped giving him the pacifier when he was about 7 or 8 months (in my opinion) because it can cause tooth decay! But try as much as you can and you can get it done! Keep at it....its gonna be hard work now that hes old enough to put up a fight!

Answer 8

This may be harsh but just take it away. I have 2 children now 8 and 10 and we told them it was for babies and they were no longer a baby so they didn't need it. We asked them to throw it away and that was that with both of our kids. Make sure they throw it away and take the trash bag out together so they know it's gone. If you have more then one and they know it throw them all away at the same time.

Answer 9

I never had a problem with my two girls wanting a pacifier. When they were newborns, they didn't even want them. They are finger babies. And my four year old still sucks hers, but only when she is sleepy. I am trying to figure out how to end the finger sucking.

Answer 10

Seems like yesterday, my son was 18 months, he understood what a "baby" was and wanted no part of being a baby. He was a big boy and wanted to be like his Dad, at that point. We packed up his bottles, "Nuk" and diapers and gave them to his baby cousin in a paper bag. From that point on, he's been growing up ever since. Treasure your littlest moments, because before you know it, He'll be getting married (06-02-07)