Moms of extended paci users...

...how old was your DC when you finally got them off of it?

Did you go cold turkey?

I want to try at 2 years old, but I'm TERRIFIED!
My DD is a HUGE tantrum thrower, screamer, etc and she is addicted to her paci in times of upset- she totally leans on it for comfort.

I'm scared!!!

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

I know a lot of people frown upon it but I waited until ds was ready. He needed his paci at night to go to sleep. Starting at 1.5-2 yo he only had it at nap and bedtime. At 2 we dropped it at nap and he only had it at bedtime. Once he hit his third birthday it was like someone flipped a switch. He started sleeping through the night in his own bed by himself, stopped using the paci, stopped napping and became fully potty trained all the week he turned 3. He had no issues giving it up at that point. The dentist says it did not affect his teeth in any way. Everyone kept telling me I had to get him off the paci but waiting until he was ready is what worked for us.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

My (possibly crappy) advice?

Don't.

If it gives her comfort, it's okay. She's just a baby. Especially if she isn't walking around with it 24/7.

We had a similar issue with my DS, but it was his lovies he sucked on, not a paci. We tried taking them away a couple of times but they were such a huge, huge comfort for him when he was upset that we caved quickly. He only had them for naps and bedtime, so it didn't really hinder him in any way.

Well, when he was 3 years old he threw a monster tantrum at bedtime. As punishment (because he knew he was being bad) I took them away and allowed him to keep one single toy that he never sucked on. At that age, he understood it, and even though he was still upset the communication was easier.

If you want to talk up the paci fairy or giving them away to other babies you can, but I don't think that she will really get it at age 2. I mean, give it a try and if she doesn't even ask for them you're golden! But if she gets really upset and you can't distract or redirect her I wouldn't push too hard.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

My son was 2.5 and we went cold turkey...i only let him have in for a week at night then i took that away too...is was hard for a day or two but then he stopped crying for it...

After he was completely off it i bought him a toy to "congratulate" him so that went over well

Goodluck!

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

i originally said no binkies pre-pregnancy

then i said 1 yrs old when my 1st was a nb..but when i see how much it made her content and she was such a good sleeper i say 2 yrs old...but by 1.5 yrs it was crib only...it had to stay in her room on her crib/mattress..

So then her bday was in aug ..and when her bday came around...i figured Santa taking it was a good story...so we went til 2 yrs 4 months!

but to be honest..i thought it was the perfect age..she understood the concept and that it was gone..and she slept through the night day one of missing it and told everyone that santa gave it to other babies

fast fwd to my son..we took it also at 2.5yrs...he was much more attached to it and thought we were going to have a problem..but he understood it was being taken away and we had no issues. he also had it in crib only starting at 1.5 - ish

BUT I will say the 1st day without it..was buy bye naps for the both of them

i will prob do the same schedule knowing how well it worked with DC#3

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

My DD used a paci until 3! My advise is to get rid of it sooner rather then later. My DD relied on that binky whenever she was upset/stressed/confused/tired. While she didn't walk around with it in her month 27/7 it was such a crutch for her. Unfortunately her attachment to it only grew stronger as she got older and her tantrums were worse if we tried to take it away. She always knew the rule that she couldn't use it in public or school but she would sometimes have breakdowns for it!

Anyway we took it away right after her 3rd birthday on a trip to Disney, we told her they were lost and she is too old for us to buy more...It took a full 4-5 days of misery while at Disney to break the addiction, but I am certain if we didn't do it, she would still be using it at almost 5! LOL

She doesn't even remember it now and has replaced the binky with carrying around her favorite stuffed animal for comfort.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

DS only had it for naps from 2 on...we got rid of it cold turkey...um...this past Monday!!! He is 3.5

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

DS only uses it to fall asleep at night. He's 2.5. a few months ago i tried cold turkey and it was the worst thing ever!!! I'm going to wait until he's ready. He won't go to college with it.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

I was a mean mommy and we tossed them on her 3rd birthday. I had been telling her about it for months so she was well aware that once she turned 3 there would be no more kikis. At that point, she only used it for naps and if she was inconsolably upset. Honestly, for us it wasn't at all as bad as I had imagined it would be. The first night she cried for it and I rocked her to sleep. She didn't wake up in the night for it either. The next night she asked for it a couple of times when I put her in bed....no crying or anything. And....that was it....I was I thought we were looking at a week of crying and no sleep....it was amazing!!

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

I waited until my kids were ready. I hate to take something from them that comforts them. My youngest gave it up a little before she turned three. I started limiting it during the day, but not so obvious, if she asked for it, I would distract her, if she fell asleep with it, I would take it out of her mouth, but still leave it in her bed. I just can't take away something that provides comfort. I wouldn't take away a lovey, or a blanket that they carried around, there really is no difference. I am so anti-cold turkey, it's emotionally stressful for the child, why because someone says your kids are too old for one, do what you think is best and take cues from your child.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

Thanks Ladies!

Glad I am not the only one. I really believe too that she needs to be older- right now she doesn't understand reason.
So if I say, no more binkies, the binky fairy is coming, Santa will take your binkies- she totally won't get it.

I just don't want it to be agony in the home. I am weak too- I hate seeing her upset and I end up giving in- I did the same with the bottles...which is why she still has milk bottles at almost 2!
I'm pretty laid back about these things too- I was never one to follow rules.

I just worry about her teeth and speech.
I hope it won't affect those too much....

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

We did it at one year and to this day, almost 1 year later I wish I never did. I did not want her to have it past 1 year. I did it cold turkey and she never found something that replaceed it. She IS addicted to her lovey and 2 blankets but something about that pacifier did the trick.

It took her a long time to get over it. We said never again will we take it away from a child.

DH and I were just talking about how's she's crazy and other kids (friends) just go with the flow and they still have them. I wonder if that's why. Would she sit in the stroller better if she still had it, etc... We said our biggest parenting mistake was that.

Obviously, she's fine without it, but we were miserable for a while there.

Now, to be 3 or 4 and walking around with it, I would not be ok with but they have a better understanding of why they can't have it.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

At 20 months he got a bad cold and couldn't really use it bc of his congestion. I took them away during that and three days later it was like they never existed. His baby bro came very shortly after and I used a totally different looking brand (Playtex instead of Soothie) so he wouldn't "remember" and he didn't.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

DS #2 is 18 months and is not yet ready to give it up. I only let him have it for naps and at night. Never during the day and I am ok with that. If he needs it to sleep and he sleeps all night I am all for it. I'm sleep deprived as it is! If its still this way as he is approaching 3 we'll have to have a talk then....at 2 they are still babies.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

My ped told me to take it away by 2.5. She (20 months) is also obsessed with her binky (bim bim) and with a new baby coming I'm going to wait. My ped said its not really worth upsetting her if it helps her calm down and sleep. I try to limit it to the crib and car. Sometimes when she is having a tantrum or really cranky I give it to her. I see no harm in letting them have it for a while.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

a couple months shy of 2.5. i cut the tips off the pacifiers and placed them all over the house- he found them like that and threw them away bc he said they were broken

eta: i didn't have a problem with him having it if it was just for bedtime or comfort - but ds had it constantly in his mouth - when he got a rash around his mouth i decided it was time

Message edited 4/26/2012 1:54:20 PM.

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

my dd is almost 18 months and also uses it as a soother!
it def. calms her down
we mostly use it for bedtime and naptime but do use it when she is 'crazy' lol

i want to get rid of it by 2 primarily bc i am scared that it will really affect her teeth-even the dr. mentioned something the last time asking if she used a binkie...i don't know if using the binkie will continue to make her teeth worse or they will remain the same.

i have also heard kids being diagnosed by speech path. with binkie mouth or something like that bc of extended use of the binkie...anyone else ever hear of this?

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

Dont be scared. My DD was an ADDICT. Started by limiting it to naps only and bedtime. Then slowly only for bedtime. Then one day my MIL took them overnight and took it away. She whined a little for it for like 2-3 days but it was NOWHERE NEAR as bad as I imagined. Think it was a month or two before she was 2

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

Also wanted to add that we knew it was time to take it away because her front teeth were started to angle out almost and she would have full convo's with the damn thing in her mouth. Shes now 27 months and never ever asks or even remembers she ever had one!

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

We just got rid of DD's and she will be 3 in two months. I had zero desire to get rid of it. She really needed the comfort of it and the few nights that we either lost one or forgot to bring to Grandmas or whatever were nightmares. so i felt she really needed it and she only had it for naps and nighttime. Then the dentist recommended giving it up by 3. So we told her that the Paci Fairy was going to come and give her pacis to the babies in the hospital when she turned 3. We talked about it for MONTHS! She told everyone she met about the Paci Fairy. I kept putting it off but stillt alking about it. Then one night, like 2 weeks ago, she annouced that the Paci Fairy was coming that night and that she wanted to leave her paci where the fairy could find it. We were like and I ran to Target to get a present from the Paci Fairy and she never asked about her pacis again! I think she needed to be ready and feel like a big girl before she did it. I would just wait it out. She wont have it when she's 8!

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

Posted by carlowlou

We just got rid of DD's and she will be 3 in two months. I had zero desire to get rid of it. She really needed the comfort of it and the few nights that we either lost one or forgot to bring to Grandmas or whatever were nightmares. so i felt she really needed it and she only had it for naps and nighttime. Then the dentist recommended giving it up by 3. So we told her that the Paci Fairy was going to come and give her pacis to the babies in the hospital when she turned 3. We talked about it for MONTHS! She told everyone she met about the Paci Fairy. I kept putting it off but stillt alking about it. Then one night, like 2 weeks ago, she annouced that the Paci Fairy was coming that night and that she wanted to leave her paci where the fairy could find it. We were like and I ran to Target to get a present from the Paci Fairy and she never asked about her pacis again! I think she needed to be ready and feel like a big girl before she did it. I would just wait it out. She wont have it when she's 8!

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

A little off topic but my pediatrician gave my an idea of how to get rid of the binkie which we are going to try any day now. My DS is 13 months.

Take one and cut the tip off a little. DS will take it but it won't work the same. He'll use it though.

Next night, cut a little more.

Next night, more still.

Do this over a week or so until you are down to the nub. Then he will toss it himself since it won't work.

The tricky part is to keep all others except your "cut" binkie around. And have all the care givers on board and not fold. We were told to try this on a Friday night so in case there is a rough night or 2 it will be over the weekend.

GL!

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

We took it away 2. Cold turkey, but he had given it up at day care at 18 months so it was limited between 18 months and 2. Told him noonies are for babies and he went with it. He was super attached and I thought it would be a nightmare and dreaded it for months, but it was actually very, very easy!!

Good luck!

Re: Moms of extended paci users...

we did it at 2 yrs 3 months. I like you, was so afraid to do it. It went MUCH easier than i ever thought possible.

We talked for weeks about the binky fairy needing pacifiers for the new babies and how my son was a big boy. So finally we pulled the trigger. We addressed a big manilla envelope, put the pacifiers in it and HE put it in the mailbox. Then the binky fairy left him a toy under his crib after his nap to say thank you.

Never looked back. Never was an issue.