pacifier question?

Question

My son is 27 months old, and I can't seem to get him to get rid of his pacifier. He only uses it at nap time and bed time, but if he doesnt have it at those times, it is completely impossible to get him to sleep. I dont believe in letting him cry it out, so that is out of the question. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Your child is only 2yrs and 3mos old. Relax; he will give it up when he is ready. They are harmless even if used until 4 or 5 years of age. Thumb-sucking would be a habit which is much more difficult to break, and will impact the development of his gums and placement of his teeth. Let him keep it, as he only uses it at nap or bedtime. Once he learns to comfort himself, he'll stop needing it to get to sleep.

Answer 2

Well, if you don't want him to cry...there is little you can do. He's GONNA cry at some point. My son threw his pacifiers away just after he potty trained (26 months) because he was a "big boy" now. He too only used it at nap time and bed time. But that evening he had forgotten he got rid of his "binkie" and started to cry and pout. He was pretty mad when he went to bed and then on and off for about a week. I just kept reminding him he was a big boy and didn't need them. I have also heard of people leaving the pacifiers in a bag for the "Binkie Fairy" to take to all the babies in hospitals that really need them... then in the morning is a cool new toy. Now that may not eliminate temper tantrums but at least if he starts to cry you can tell him that the tiny babies needed them more than he did cuz he's a big boy now. Good Luck~~~

Answer 3

Before I had any children of my own, I had some rather lofty opinions on babies using pacifiers. Then I had my first baby who became quite attached to her pacifier. All my lofty opinions went straight out the window, especially when it came to getting some much needed sleep. She had her pacifier until she was about 2 1/2. One day every one of the pacifiers seemed to turn up lost and we were headed out of town for a weekend. I told her that they were all lost and she would have to sleep in the hotel without her "passy". She didn't seem too upset by that so we didn't rush out to buy any new ones. She did fine all weekend without it so when I found them one by one at home, I threw them away and she never asked for them again. Then I had a baby who was attached to his bottle, another baby who sucked her thumb, and a 4th baby who was also a pacifier baby. She developed an attachment to a stuffed cat as well, so every where we went, we had to make sure "passy" and "kitty" were with us. She was in kindergarten and still used her pacifier at night time. We took a week long trip during Spring Break and we told her that her passy could not go with us, but her kitty could. She fussed about it, but we stuck to it and that was the end of it for her. From a mom's stand point, I would say let him have it at naps and bedtime as long as he wants. You'll know when it's time to push for him to give it up or he'll make the decision on his own.

Answer 4

I think I'm going to have the same problem.

I know a little boy who just gave up his pacifier at 3 1/2. One day he decided that another baby needed it... and that was it. My 22 month old niece still uses her too.

I know someone who cut the nipple off, so that everytime the kid put it to his mouth, it would fall out. He eventually gave up.

Ultimately, your son won't be going to Kindergarden with it... try not to worry too much... he'll get rid of it eventually.

Answer 5

Have the pacifier fairy come to take them all away to give to a new baby and leave some toys instead.

And, though you are against crying it out, as am I, there is a difference between leaving them alone in a room to cry and comforting them even though they are crying. Just because you can give him what he wants doesn't mean you have to. If he was crying because he wanted to play with a shiney knife would you give it to him? Or would you let him cry and try to distract and comfort him? Just something to consider.

Answer 6

Let him keep the pacifier. He will get rid of it eventually. It is currently a source of comfort for him and won't hurt him in the least. My daughter was almost three when she took her's to the trash can herself and put it in.

Answer 7

My oldest son had the same problem and we tried everything! We tried dipping it in something nasty tasting so it would no longer taste appealing and he just sucked it off/ Finally we began cutting it off bit by bit. We would cut a them back until finally there was nothing left. We paced it to be about a month before it was done - we cut it once a week. It's worth a shot! Hope it helps!

Answer 8

I had my kids give there passifiers to the babies, I had them place them in a ziplock bag and "the lady" came around and picked them up for the babies that really needed them, now my friend cut of the tips so there was no sucking action. They are going to be cranking for a few days and bed time is going to be rough but in a few days they forget all about it.

Answer 9

As a mom of three kids, who were not traumatized at taking the Passy away and crying it out...sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind, honestly!

Imagine a toddler crying out in french "SOucon" which is french for sookie/passy, heartbreaking...

you can try to have a Passy Fairy come and leave a present in trade for the passy...this is usually better for older kids...I saw this on one of those crazy nanny reality shows one time...

Answer 10

We cut off part of the nipple part. My daughter put it in her mouth, took it out, said it was broken, and that was it. We did have to show her that others were broken too. The first night she did whimper a little, but that was gone by the next night.
I have heard of people cutting a little more off each day, but we didn't have to do that. Good luck, I know it is rough.