When Lira was born, I was terrified to give her a pacifier. My head was filled with words like “nipple confusion,” but she was a non-stop nurser… and I do mean NON STOP. So, at the doctor’s urging – cut me some slack because I was a first time mom and thought the doctor knew best – I gave her a binkie and the pacifier habit began.
Now, after four children who were in love with the paci, we have finally said goodbye to the last binkie, and along the way discovered that each child needed a different way to break the pacifier habit. However, when we were successful and avoided many tears, the situation was one where the child had a choice (or at least thought he had a choice), and the pacifiers were removed from the location and left elsewhere.
1. Cold Turkey
Not from my personal experience but from my research, I have learned that if you take the pacifier early enough in a baby’s life, the pacifier habit is easier to break. You wait until the baby is asleep, gently remove the pacifier, and then hold the baby’s chin so the mouth remains closed if he starts to root around for the pacifier.
I waited too long to try this with Lira. However, she was willing to leave her pacifier in the bed and only use it at nap and bedtime. So, when the pacifier came up missing, we had two nights of tears but then the binkie was a memory.
2. Snip It. Snip It Good.
Several people have told me that snipping a tiny hole in the pacifier will cause the child to not enjoy the pacifier any longer as the suction is no longer effective. If the child still uses the binkie after a hole has been cut into the tip, you can gradually cut more and more until the child is ready to toss the “broken” binkie. For whatever reason, my children were never satisfied with throwing their pacis in the trashcan, but I know several parents have successfully used this method.
3. Binkie Baby Gift
Our third born child, Ruble, had a visit to the pediatrician scheduled just prior to her maternity leave. We discussed what he could give her as a gift, and with a little persuasion, Ruble decided to decorate a brown paper bag, place all of his pacis inside, and give it to the doctor as a baby gift for her coming child.
Once we returned home, he did ask to go back and retrieve the pacifiers but we explained that once you give a gift, you cannot take it back. Ruble mentioned the pacifiers for about three days but never cried.
4. An Offer too Good to Refuse
Most recently, we had scheduled the family for a routine visit at the dentist. The idea suddenly occurred to me that this might be the opportunity we needed to bring an end to the decade of pacifiers in our home. Our youngest child, Ariary, seemed to have a stronger attachment to the paci than any of our other children, and in all honesty, I think it stems from her being the baby and me letting her have it more often, not willing to let go of the last babyish habit.
So, I spoke with the dentist by phone and worked out a plan where I would slip a package to the receptionist and when Ariary presented her beloved binkies to the dentist, she would get two new My Little Ponies as a trade.
While your child might not be into ponies, a similar trade will certainly work.
5. A Visit from the Paci Fairy
Our second child, Franc, was rescued from the pacifier habit by a visit from the Paci Fairy. We gathered his pacis together in a basket and left it by the front door, telling him that the Paci Fairy would take the pacifiers to new babies at the hospital. The next morning, Franc woke to find the pacis had been replaced by a special prize.
A few nights later, he placed his prize by the door and asked if the Paci Fairy would trade back but other than a few tears, the transition was easy.
What tricks have you tried to break the pacifier habit? What worked for your child?
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Beautifully written and witty. We used the second method which worked but not without some tears.
Thanks so much. My hubby always says I am funny but I don’t believe it. 😉
I have five kids, and this is how I’ve done it:
At 12 months, they are only allowed to have the paci when they’re actually upset or tired. No walking around with it. At 13 months, it’s only allowed at naptime and bedtime. At 14 months, I take it away altogether. There’s a two nights of a little crying, but that’s it.
We *kind of* did that with our first, but the more kids I had, the lazier I got. LOL
I used to baby for a family and they’d tie a small bean bag to their kids bink and it would fall when he wasn’t sucking it super hard and eventually he just got tired of picking it up!
That is genius! Definitely would keep the little tyke from just letting it rest in his mouth.
At the age of 2 with the 2nd baby in the way, we decided to get rid off the paci by putting it inside his favorite teddy that he sleeps with. So he can always snuggle with his teddy and paci. But not suck the paci. He remembers it’s in the teddy and is happy with that.
That is a lovely idea, Candice!
I’ve learned not to use the binky at all.
I told my sone that only babies like the taste of the sookie. Then I dipped it in pickle juice and gave it to him, he immediately spat it out and said “tastes yucky”, so I said that must mean that he’s a big boy so he doesn’t need it anymore. I had to re-dip it a few times and he asked for it again at bedtime, but it only took one day, and then he wouldn’t let it near him again.
That is so clever! I love it!
Painted helium balloons with glow sticks, tied pacifiers to balloons and at night sent the pacifiers sailing away to the fairies to take to new babies. Was a special event. Have no idea what somebody thought when they found dead balloons with pasties tied to them.
That is a super cute idea!!! Love it.
I used a very short string to tie the paci to the refrigerator door. My niece could such the paci anytime she wanted. It took only a few days for her to get tired of sucking the paci and looking at the refrigerator door.
This actually made me giggle! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
The way I had my son to stop using the pacifier: I told him that in our baseman lived a family of monkeys the mama just had a baby and did not had enough money to buy the baby a pacifier. He was so sad that the baby monkey did not had a pacifier that he trough his pacifier down the stairs and said: Here baby monkey you can have mine. After that he ask he what happen to the monkey so i told him that because he was so kind and give up his pacifier the baby monkey was able to sleep and the mama and the papa were able to sleep.
What a sweet boy! (And a great story.)
We had 2 dedicated paci kids. For the first, the method we use is one I like to call brainwashing. 🙂 On her 2nd birthday, we told her that now that she’s 2, the next birthday is 3, “And 3 year olds don’t use pacifiers.” This was often repeated (and she would use it to inform me “Mommy, I’m 2 and I use my paci at night but when I’m 3 I won’t anymore because 3 years olds don’t use pacifiers!” I also told her that any binky with cracks on it was broken and had to be thrown away. She wasn’t even 3 yet when she brought it to me one morning, telling me “Mommy my binky’s cracked. We got to throw it away.” I said OKAY!!! And quickly called my mother inlaw and told her to throw away the one we had there too. She asked for it once that night but never again. Our 2nd was our son who has (at the time undiagnosed) Autism. He was 3 when I resorted to snipping the tip of his binky. He tried to use it but it didn’t work. He tried at a nap and bedtime that day and naptime the next but ended up just holding it. I threw it away that afternoon. 🙂 He did just fine without it.
I used an idea from parental-love.com – The Trade method – child has to pay in a store for a new toy with his dummy. It worked so perfectly 🙂 Of course for a day or two there were questions about where is the binky, but after reminding about toy store situation it was ok, without any cry. Lately I also found somewhere else that there are places where you can stuff your own toy and you are asking your child to stuff a toy with the pacifier. I think that both methods are great 🙂
Dona thanks for the link. I heard about this guide by Susan Urban but forgot the name 🙂