Those who took away paci at 2+

Can you share how you did it? I need some motivation, as I'm planning on taking it away soon.

DS uses it only for nap and bedtime. He asks for it if I don't give it to him so I know he's somewhat used to it.
Thanks !

Message edited 7/19/2014 9:56:35 AM.

Re: Those who took away pack at 2+

I'd love some suggestions too. I'm dreading this! My twins gave it up so easily before 2. My 2 twins literally handed it to me one day at nap time and said "no more". With my DS he is attached to it. Needs it to sleep at night and for nap time and needs it to soothe him when he is upset. He is going to be 2 in 3 weeks and he really should not have the binky anymore. You can see it is starting to affect his front teeth.

Those who took away paci at 2+

I had no choice but to do it cold turkey. DS would tuck the bottom part of the paci under his bottom teeth to teethe on it and continued to do this, but as he got older he was biting through the nipples of the pacifier. It was one day of crying and he was done.

ETA: We did this a month after his second birthday.

Message edited 7/19/2014 11:38:12 PM.

Those who took away paci at 2+

DD bit the tip off I thought that would stop her but it didn't ... she has the one that attached to the dolls so I cut the binky off and told her our dog chewed it. it worked she still asks for the doll part at night even at 3.5 and I am fine with that!

Those who took away paci at 2+

I just went through this! We cut the tip off. He still used it here and would ask me to fix it or get a new one. I calmly told him that was the only one we had. After a week I cut some more off. Then one day the paci got lost and I told him that's it, no more pacis. That was almost 3 weeks ago. He still occasionally asks for it and it has been a lot harder to get him to nap/sleep but everyday has gotten better and better.

Re: Those who took away pack at 2+

we used these elmo videos with dd and her cousins......
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Put+Down+the+Pacifier

Those who took away paci at 2+

I say cold turkey and some kind of reward

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

Dd#1- the binky fairy (talked it up for a couple wks ahead of time ....she knew the drill fairy comes takes the binkies and leaves a present)

Dd#2- I tried to talk up the binky fairy and she wanted no part of that ....I would ask if she wanted some toy and she would say yes and then I would tell her that she would have to leave the binkies for the fairy and the fairy would bring her that toy and she would say I no want that toy lol soooooo I did the cut a small hole in the tip of the binky trick and she did one suck and said binky broked and she got up and threw it in the garbage she knew how many binkies were left so each night it happened again to each binky that was left until there were none and she threw out her last one asked for another but she knew there weren't any left she cried for a couple of mins and fell asleep the next night asked but then reminded herself that they broke and whined and went to sleep third night whined and the next night she just fell asleep and didn't look back

Those who took away paci at 2+

We just did it a few weeks ago at 2 1/2 yrs. We talked about how it was making her teeth bad (she has a bad overbite from them) and then we told her the binky fairy was coming and would bring her a new bike. She handed the binkys right over and never asked for them again. I was so beyond shocked I thought it was going to be an awful experience but she did great! She was very very attached to them, I swore she was going to college with them haha

eta-she's been fine with bedtime but has refused a nap since giving them up. She was a lil irritable for a couple of days without them to self soothe but again she didn't ask for them....
Good luck!!

Message edited 7/19/2014 12:57:46 PM.

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

We did it the lastest with our last, at 2.5 years. DC was SO attached to it, we let DC have it ALL THE TIME. We just went cold turkey with it. It was actually not bad at all. I put it off for months bc I was dreading it. Asked/whined for it for maybe 2 days and then it was over. We told DC that we would go to TRU to pick out a toy if they "boo" fairy could take them for other babies that needed them.

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

I took dd's away like 2 weeks after she turned 2... I noticed she was chewing them and created cracks so I broke it apart in front of her and said that it was broken and that it had to go in the garbage... So she said "oh no!" And then took it from my hand and threw it away... she asked for it for a few days after and I just reminded her that it broke and we had to throw it out... She's been fine ever since... I think I just got really lucky LOL

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

My dd was 2.5! We kept talking to her for about a month before we attempted to take it away. We told her she was going to get too big and her binkies would break. Than one day I cut the tip off the binky and let her find it. She put it in her mouth and it fell out. She was surprised and tried it again but than realized something was wrong. She told my dh and I that the binky was broken. We told her she must have grown too big for them. We told her she didnt need them anymore and than she threw it in the garbage. She asked a few times for them but there wasn't any tears and no tantrums.

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

I took DDs away 2 weeks before her 3rd bday. I took her to her first dentist appt and the dentist said that it was starting to affect her teeth. That night I took it away. Told her the "bink fairy" was coming to take it for other babies that need them. She cried for maybe 30 seconds and that was it. Something I was dreading so much turned out to be the easiest thing for us. She never woke during the night or naps ( she only used it for sleep, never left the bed). I was dreading it so much that I prolonged it. Had I known it was going to be so easy I would've done it sooner so her teeth weren't affected.

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

I made DS throw it out in the garbage outside and say goodbye. He chewed through his last one and I was telling him a few days before, that once he breaks it it's time to say goodbye.

He was totally done, never asked for it or cried afterwards. I was shocked.

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

My daughter was just under two and used them for sleeping too. I cut it and told her it was broken. I made sure that there were no pacifiers anywhere in the house except for the one emergency one I had stashed! It was tough but it only took a few days to "break the habit." Stay strong mommy!

Those who took away paci at 2+

Ok so we just did this today with my recently turned 3 year old. Waited a bit because we had a new baby almost 3 months ago and that was a transition itself, and we are also trying to potty train (but not pushing that). We went to TRU to get a toy of his choice today. We said we'd send the pacifiers to a new baby cousin who lives far away. He was all on board until he got tired tonight and started asking for it. It was not easy getting him to bed, there were a lot of tears. But I threw them out earlier so I couldn't give them back (and wouldn't after we did all this). I think it'll be a few days but he'll adjust obviously. He was pretty attached and he's one of those highly sensitive kids (always more of a challenge since a baby). Good luck!

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

For ds#1 he was 3.5 and we put maple syrup on it. It became sticky and couldn't be cleaned. He then threw it in the garbage and never looked back. We did lose the nap though. He also never took his brothers.

DS#2 was almost 4 - we told him when his little brother or sister was born the paci had to go. The morning I went into labor (we didn't know yet). He went and threw out the paci and never looked back.

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

I did the binky fairy. First day was awful, second was better, then she was fine.

Those who took away paci at 2+

DS went cold turkey the day of his 2 year well visit. I told him the doctor kept it and he never even looked for it after that.

DD is 13 months and I couldn't find it for bedtime last week so I put her in without it and she has not looked for it since either.

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

we did it around 2.5 years and it went surprisingly well.

He was using it at nap time and bedtime and for a week or so, i kept telling him that we were going to be getting rid of it in order to get him used to the idea.
then one morning, i said, ok todays the day, we're going to wrap it up and mail it to another little boy who needs it more than he does.

we put it in an envelope and took it to the mailbox - he pushed it in the mailbox (it was really addressed to my MIL) and that was it. He asked for it for the next few days but we kept telling him that little baby Mike had it (don't ask where mike came from, i just made it up!) and little Mike needed it more than he did when he went to sleep. He talked alot about baby Mike and his 'fier' but then he just stopped talking about it and has been totally fine

good luck! I say you do it cold turkey, and be strong!

Re: Those who took away paci at 2+

I took it away right after her 4th bday (I know, late!). We had gone to the dentist and they said it had to go right away so I gave her a few weeks, told her when she had to throw it out, and she did it. I had the tooth fairy write her a letter and leave her little treats for doing such a great job (since the dentist said it was starting to affect her teeth) so that helped ease the separation. She missed it for about a week but it wasn't so bad. She was the same, only used it for bed.