What is the best way to take away the pacifier of a two year old boy? Is he too old for a pacifier?

Question

My son just turned two in August. He hasnt had a bottle since he was a year. He doesnt have an attachment to anything more than his pacifier. Not a stuffed animal or blanket. Is he too old for a pacifier anymore and if so, what is the best way to take it away? Ive listen to alot of other 2 year olds at daycare and some seem to have alot better speech. I hate to take it away too soon but I dont want his teeth growing funny or him not to speak as well as other kids.

Answer 1

I see a lot of horrible advice to you so I have to pitch in. The ideas of lying to your child and burning his mouth make me ill.

A two year old is still very young and in many cultures would still be nursing. Very young children may have a need to suck and since he doesn't have the breast or a bottle at this point, he may still need this kind of comfort.

A pacifier likely has no influence on his speech abilities (unless, of course, he NEVER takes it out!) and you need to remember that children can develop different skills at different rates and still be perfectly normal. The best way to encourage his speech is to talk to him as much as possible and encourage him to speak to you. And when he's talking, the pacifier will have to come out.

There's not too much worry about his teeth with a properly designed pacifier either, but at two he should have a first appointment with a pediatric dentist anyway and he or she can give you guidance. Talking to your pediatrician might also help your concerns about his speech development as well as the pacifier issue. Sometimes speech is delayed because of a hearing problem, for example, that may need treatment. Even earwax can cause this!

This is still a baby and if a little pacifier makes him happy and content and doesn't harm him, care more about his comfort and security than what a bunch of idiots and buttinski's think about him being too old. Children give up the pacifier when they are ready. You won't see many in kindergarten which should tell you something.

If you take his pacifier away abruptly he may just find a substitute. Do you really want to swap the pacifier for his thumb or something else he finds to meet his needs?

If you really think he needs to give the thing up, it should be done very gradually with distractions and gentle persuasion, not force, and certainly not lying about where it went. Children sense when you are not honest and this could have a permanent impact on his trust in you, far more important than a silly little binkie.

My vote is to let this baby be a baby as long as he needs to. They grow up far too soon anyway.

Answer 2

I first suggest patience. As for the pacifier, start by taking it away once a day, like in the morning when he awakens, then after lunch return it. After a week or two of this, only let the boy have his pacifier at night. After two weeks, take it away completely. Do not expect him to give it up gently! Trying to do both will be very difficult. Do one, then the other. Potty training can be very trying. The reward system worked well for our boys. If they used the potty, they got a star and 5 stars would get them a treat. As they got better, 10 stars were required. Also try reading books while he is on the potty. Or singing. Or anything that relaxes him. Don't despair. Most boys DO learn to use the potty.

Answer 3

His teeth will NOT grow in funny, that is an old wives tale mother's used to tell because they didn't like the "look" of a baby with a pacifier. My mother pulled that one on me too except one of my best friends is a pediatric dentist and he told me that there is no truth to the wives tale that pacifiers and sucking thumbs/fingers causes a mishapen mouth or bucked teeth. It CAN in some instances, (if the child's mouth harbours bacteria and the child is not on flouride or drinking unfloridated water), cause tooth decay but that is very rare these days. The only way a child's mouth can be "mis shapen" or they have proturding teeth (bucked) is genetic. So don't take away a form of comfort, as for speech...it's not the pacifier that is hindering his speech development, if you are really concerned about that you might want to have his hearing tested...or it could be that he hasn't grown into that stage of development yet since all children develop at different rates.

Answer 4

I am an advocate for pacifiers, even though most people seem to be against them. If it keeps the baby happy, why not? After a while they need to let it go, and this is very hard once they get past 18 months old.

What I did with both of my daughters is to change brands. Pick up a handful of cheapos, like from the dollar store. Pick a shape that is different from the one your baby has. For instance, if you are currently using an orthodontic pacifier such as NUK, then get the more bulbous, old fashioned kind.

Believe me, your baby is going to take this thing out of it's mouth and "examine it" , because it doesn't look, smell, or taste like the one they are used to.

I can tell you now, some crying is going to be involved. You're going to have to be able to deal with this. I would start first thing in the morning with this change and not wait until nap or bedtime (unless you want to stay up all night).

Good luck.

Answer 5

children should be rid of the pacifier between one and eighteen months. If you let them keep it longer you are asking for problems with dental and speech to start with. The child will beging to talk around the pacifier and this could lead to him having to have speech therapy. The best way to take it away is cold turkey. You may have a couple of restless nights and a few fits but in a week he will not even remember it. Just give him positve encouragement and tell him that he is a big boy and he no longer needs it. Worked for us

Answer 6

I'm a mother of 4, and all my children had pacifiers. At this age, I would agree that you should limit it to nap and bed times. Mine eventually weaned themselves from the pacifier, and they are all articulate, well-spoken young people (16, 13, 9, and 8) - they did not suffer adverse effects from having it longer.
Another option is that after a few months of limiting the pacifier as above, when they get sticky and gunky just don't replace them, but give the child the opportunity to throw the old yucky thing out. And by all means, praise (don't reward) when they do!!

Answer 7

My first two kids had pacifiers, but I only ever let them have them in the crib. Occasionally they would sneak them out and then they would end up lost. Finally, around the 2 year mark, I announced that I would not be buying any more pacifiers, so if the remaining ones got lost, bye-bye binkies. The next time I saw any of them laying around on the floor anywhere, I threw them away until they were all gone. No fuss, no muss, no bother. My kids were never really attached to them, but it also reinforced the lesson that Mom means business. Good luck!

Answer 8

I just took my daughter to her 2 year old checkup and the doctor said it was time to start getting rid of the pacifier. We only give it to her when she takes a nap, but sometimes when she doesn't feel good, or is in a stressful situation, she wants it.
We tell her to go put her pacifier in her bed if she walks out of her room with it in the morning. She goes and throws it in the bed. When she's ready to go to sleep, she knows she'll get the paci. It's hard, but they are still babies.
My daughter's speech is great because she doesn't have it all day long. I also make her take it out when she talks.

Answer 9

BE CAREFUL!!! Cutting the end off may work, I've heard that before, but it may be dangerous. If the plastic is not cut straight, it may break little pieces off and baby might choke. On my daughter's second birthday I asked her to bring all of her "suckies" to me in the kitchen. I sat her down and explained that they were for babies and she wasn't a baby any more, and that when she was ready, SHE had to put them in the garbage. She hesitated for just a few seconds, then threw them, one by one into the garbage can. Unfortunately, she was (and still is) a sneaky little girl, and had "suckies" hidden all around the house. Within hours of her throwing them all away, she found one and had it stuck in her face! I asked her where she got it from and she laughed!! For a few days she kept coming up with them, and I kept having her throw them away, until there finally were no more hidden! My son on the other hand was a different story. I tried the same thing with him and he screamed and screamed, so I ended up just throwing one a day away til they were all gone. He never knew what was coming. He was about 2 1/2. Both my children have excellent speech, so I wouldn't worry about that so much.

Answer 10

I have a friend that let her son keep it until he was 4. He now has bad problems with his teeth and his speech did progress slower. However that doesn't mean yours will.

My children never wanted a passy for long after they were a year old they threw it away themselves.

My advice, and take this with a grain of salt as it is only my opinion, from time to time tell him that he is a big boy and only babies have passys. As he loses them, as all toddlers and babies do, don't replace them. From time to time but a bit of something sour on it, or a a hint of hot sauce he will then start to associate his passy with being nasty and eventually he will grow to not want it.

see how long you can go through out the day and not letting him have it. if he cries or whines for it, devert his attention to something else. and soon he will forget about it. even if you get it down to just at bed time, that is a good start.

good luck with this.