how do you break a 1 1/2 yr old off of a pacifier?

Question

My friends baby is 1 1/2 and she's trying to break him away from the pacifier. She's tried just hiding it and keeping it away but he cries nonstop until she gives in....HELP!!!

Answer 1

Does he use it all the time? We started by saying the pacifier is only for the crib; you can't have it except at nap time and bed time.

Then we said the pacifier is only for bed time.

Then we took it away cold turkey. It was very hard for me not to give in, but I didn't. The first two nights, she cried for more than an hour. My husband and I took turns going into her room every 10 minutes and telling her everything was OK until she fell asleep. The next few nights, the crying time was shorter. It took about a week before she forgot about he pacifier altogether.

We took the pacifier away completely at 18 months. But she had only been allowed to have it when sleeping since she turned 1.

Answer 2

I respectfully disagree with notadummyrat

All children suckle as a way to calm and relax themselves - some will do it on the breast (when they just kind of mouth the nipple without really expressing a lot of milk); others use their thumbs, a finger, or their knuckles; and, if introduced to it, some will take to the pacifier.

One and a half is a difficult age to give up the pacifier. If mom is determined that it's got to go, then she's going to have to get ALL of them out of the house and suffer through it along with her little one. One mom I know took her child to visit the new babies at the hospital (just to look at them through the window). Before going, they collected all the pacifiers and put them in a bag to 'give to the new babies' - before they left the hospital they handed the bag to one of the nurses. Another mom used the 'pacifier fairy' approach.

The other option is to wait until the child is ready to give it up, but restrict it's use to naptime and bedtime. No pacifier during wake time - baby needs to learn to make sounds and form words without the pacifier in the mouth. Eventually baby will give up the nap - so that would leave the pacifier for only at bedtime. The child should be ready to give up the pacifier completely when they are ready for a regular sized bed.

If mom is concerned about teeth formation, discuss that with the child's dentist - one and a half is not too early for a first visit. Ironically, thumb sucking can do way more damage to tooth placement than using a pacifier - there's more pressure on the teeth with the thumb, and it's way harder to get rid of those things!

Good luck to your friend.

Answer 3

my daughter was 20 months when i took hers away. I just got tired of it because it sucked when she would want it and i couldn't find one anywhere, and i knew she was getting too old for it. The first night that I took it away though was a complete accident. It was in her carseat and her dad had gone into town to pick up a few things at the store, so I didn't even have to lie to her, I just told her where it was, and I would sing to her instead to help her go to sleep. It worked with only a little bit of crying. The next night I purposely left it in the car, and told her the same thing. This lasted for about about 5 days, and after that, she totally forgot about the pacifier, even on our 22 hour trip from Texas to Georgia.

Answer 4

At that age, its time to make them all disappear. Simply take all of them you can find and toss them. The child will cry, but it won't last long. After 5 minutes, comfort him with hugs and kisses and give him a toy. Because these are so easily misplaced, he may find one on his own later, just take it away. Giving in shouldn't be giving the pacifier back, it should be hugs and kisses or replacing it with a toy or something similar.

I did this to my son (11 months) with his bottles recently, but it was much more gradual. (Bottles only at bedtime, then took them all away by gradually removing the bottle from bedtime altogether.)

Answer 5

First of all crying won't kill the baby. Give him something to nibble on like a baby cookie if he's not in bed, a drink in a baby cup, something to distract him.
Inevitably she'll have to ignore the crying to get him to accept it's gone. It will be hard at first, but it's worth it when you think he's teeth could grow crooked over time from a pacifier.

Answer 6

my nephew is 1 year and 6 months, he recently got his pacifier AND his bottle taken away, he cried for a bit, but when he had'nt seen them in a while he probably just forgot (my sister threw them all out), and now he just drinks out of sippy cups :]
so i guess that letting him cry for a bit will be okay, cause then he'll learn that he shouldnt use it. :] also if you dont let him cry and spoil him alot he, will learn that he ccan get whatever he wants with crying.. so she has to not give in alot, ause when the child gets older he will walk all over her, so throw all the pacifiers away and tell him that the monsters took them. or that they are for babies and hes a big boy. or just tell him you dont know where they are and he will just go play or look for them , pretty soon he will forget.

Answer 7

Pacifiers are not for lazy parents as one poster said. Last year, the Amer. Pediatrics Assoc. came out saying the use of them decreased the risk of SIDS.

I would taper off the use of them and only allow them for sleeping (naps and bedtime). Then reduce it to only night sleeping until he is ready to give it up. What's the big deal? I think it sounds horrible and cruel to put spicy liquids or lemon on it or to just take it away.

Answer 8

The way i did it with my oldest was hiding one by one untill there is only the one and while he's playing or not paying attention to the one he still has let that one disapear too. Make sure this is over a few weeks. it helps. you have to endure the screaming for a little bit also.
They way I'm having to do it for my middle child is tell her the paci is only for night time and she didnt like it at first but now shes gotten used to it and eventually she wont have one at all. The reason the previous method wont work for her is I also have a 9 month old who has a paci sometimes and she just takes his if she cant find hers.

Answer 9

You really need to tell your friend that the pacifier has to go, otherwise the child will grow up with dental problems. My sister in law let her son have his forever, now his teeth are all messed up! It doesn't matter if he cries or not, he can't cry forever. He'll eventually find something else to chew on, if he has enough teeth give him carrots, or there are these cookies you can get in the baby food isle, their for kids that are teething.

Answer 10

She needs to throw them all away, so she can't be weak and give it back. Kids learn they get what they want by crying. She should take it away and tell the child the pacifiers are all gone and never give it back.