Whats the best way to break a toddler (20 month old) of their pacifier?

Question

He's not really old enough to understand the whole "We need to give it to some poor kid in China" thing so what can we try?

He pretty much only uses it at nap time or bed time. I try to keep it away from him as much as possible.

Answer 1

With my eldest child, we packed them in a plastic bag when she turned one (she helped) me and we never looked back. With my second we packed them into a plastic bag together and left them under the christmas tree for santa to take away...this worked fine with her. But alas my youngest never took to a dummy, but her thumb instead and I have no idea how to get rid of that!!!!!!

Answer 2

My son is 12 months and we have already started the process, he only gets his "binky" during naps, at bed time, and at church on Wednesdays and Sundays. I plan on stopping the "binky" at church within the next month, after I take his bottle away. Then in a month or so I will take it away for naps, and then finally bedtime. I know I haven't taken it away totally yet but so far so good so I thought I would share my game plan. We went for his 1 yr check up today and my doctor thought it sounded like a good plan :) (it was nice not to feel like a total idiot at the doctors office lol).
I've also had people tell me to cut a little off the end of the "binky" nipple over the course of a month or two until the nipple is gone but my doctor said that was a chocking hazard so I won't be trying that.
My mother took away all of my brother's but one and told him that when that pacifier was gone he wasn't going to get another one. Two minuets after she told him that he lost it out the car window and when she told him it was "all gone" he was a little sad but okay with it and he was about the same age as your son when that happened (of course that was over 20 years ago lol).
I hope I helped but if not sorry.

Answer 3

My son will be 3 in 3 months. He only has a binky at night, and very rarely for naps. I read that binkies should be limited by the age of 2, and gone by the age of 4. So, I'm not that concerned right now about it. My plan is that in 6 months to just throw them all out and tell him they are all lost.

Right now, he does ok when they really are lost if we both make a good effort to find them and can't. He'll go to sleep just fine. Sometimes I won't let him have it at night as a punishment. He'll cry, but very soon settles down and goes to sleep on his own.

I used to make a big deal about it telling him he was getting too big for a binky and he didn't need it anymore. It seemed to make him want it more. Now I don't care if he has it or not, but never offer it unless we are in public, tired, and making a scene.

Answer 4

Well...I have a three yr old and a one year old. I broke them of their pacifier at the same time. I just got sick of loosing the thing and being embarrased that my three yr old was still on it. She was SO attatched to it. I just dreaded trying to break her of it. But I never dreamed it would be as easy as it was. I started by eliminating it to only at bedtime for her. She had this horrible habit (she still does it sometimes, too) of putting things in her mouth- whatever she finds that fits in it. So I started telling her if I caught her putting anything in her mouth that wasn't food that she wouldn't get her pacifier that night. Sure, she had a few fits, but I stuck to it and she realized that I meant what I said. Then one day I just took all the pacifiers from all over the house and put them away. I just said, "No more pacifiers." My son was a little over a year and hadn't started talking yet, so I really don't know if it was hard on him. I know that it had to be easier that I took away both of their pacifiers at the same time. Now I am due in February with our third and I will have to face those things again with this new one. I don't think my son will be bothered that baby has one and he doesn't because I don't think that he'll remember having one. But my girl probably will. You just have to be tough and let them know you really mean what you say. I know that I will try to only give baby the pacifier at night or when he sleeps, and I can imagine that will help.
If I were you, speaking from experience, I would just put them all away one day and simply tell your toddler that it went bye-bye. Does it really matter if he/she understands what happened to it? I don't think so, and I can bet that he/she will understand the bye-bye concept, right? You will probably have to deal with some fits, but if you are serious that you want to break him of the thing, you'll stick with it. And you'll be glad you did. It really won't last long, and it will be well worth it. Oh, but you can't give in and bring them back out once you have put them away or you will defeat your purpose and your efforts will have been all in vain.
Please take your action now if it bothers you that he/she still has one. Take the advice of a mom who had a three yr old that was badly hooked on the thing!

Answer 5

Sometimes, trying to do things step by step only "prolongs the agony". At this particular age, you might consider this strategy:

Start mentioning over a period of several days that you are going to be having an "activity" of finding and storing all the pacifers. Several days later, sit down and "have a discussion", explaining that since he/she is now becoming a big boy/girl, and that pacifiers are for babies. Since he/she is so big now, he/she doesn't need it anymore. Then walk through the house and help your toddler to find all the pacifiers and put them in a box.

When your toddler acts like he/she thinks he/she needs it in the upcoming days, simply remind about the discussion, praise him/her for being "so big now" and distract with something else.

(By discussion, I realize we are talking about speaking to a toddler. But the interesting thing about kids is that they will act (in time) as mature as you treat them)

This will likely take you about 5 ~ 7 days before your toddler isn't asking for the pacifier that often. Be consistent, be firm, be patient, and you will probably be done with this issue in the time frame above.

Answer 6

Hey there! When I took my 22month old girl to the dentist for the first time she was 18 months old. I asked the dentist what age he recommended to take my daughters binky away is. I was SHOCKED with his answer. He told me that he didn't take away his kids pacifiers until they were 3 1/2!!!! He said the myths of a pacifier "destroying" their teeth and making them crooked was faulse!! Once they become 3 they understand more of what you tell them. So he suggested to tell my daughter (when she's 3) that '"big girls" don't use pacifiers, but when you feel ready to let go of it, i'm sure you will." He said it worked like a charm with all 4 kids! Take your child to their dentist and get his opinion. A second opinion is always handy. Good luck. I'm in the middle of potty training, so i suggest pull ups with cool sensation those work like a charm too. Good luck with everything
sincerely,
Jenny

Answer 7

On Supernanny the other night they had an episode which asked one of the little girls to give up her "binkies". The supernanny got a very cute bag and asked the little girl to put all of her binkies in it because the binky fairy was coming to take them along to the next little girl who needed them. They hung the bag from a tree branch outside and when the little girl came out the next morning, there was a doll in its place. The little girl never flinched and it seemed to work. I find they have good ideas on that show from time to time. My daughter doesn't use one, but I thought if I had to break her of the habit, that I would try that. Very good luck to you and I will be curious to see what works.

Answer 8

Try limiting it to bed, nap and car only, then work your way down to just for bed. When you are ready(this may take a month or more)take it away. It will be a few days of crying at bed time...but then it will be over and binky will be gone.

Answer 9

You're off to a good start by only giving it to him at nap or bed time! My cousin actually "rewarded" her youngest for giving up her binky. She told her that she would buy her something to replace binky if she'd be willing to throw it away, and it worked! If you're not interested in rewarding him for throwing his binky away, try comforting him in other ways when he wants his binky. We're trying to get our 19 month off of his pacifier right now, and it amazed me how much I used the pacifier to make him feel better when he was hurt, or tired etc. Lots of cuddle time has definitely worked for us, as well as other distractions to keep his mind off of it. If he hurts himself and wants his pacifier, we get out a box of bandaids (even if there's no cut) and we make a big show of doctoring him up until he's not thinking of it anymore. It takes time, but we're slowly getting there! Good luck to you!

Answer 10

I have 5 year old twin boys. I took their's away when they were 22 months old. One day I just put them up and decided that was it. That was on a Friday and by Monday they were fine. I did it on the weekend so that my husband would be home with us all day to help me distract them. They would go to the counter where they were always kept and say "suck, suck" it was pitiful but by the end of the weekend it was all over.

Answer 11

I waited until my daughter was 2 and then we kept telling her to throw them away. At first she would not throw them away she would just stand there and look at the garbage can. Then after a week she would throw them away. I made sure that we kept a couple just in case she needed them. But during this time we only gave it to her when she was taking a nap or going to bed. Good luck.