[sweetpea101506]

I know this sounds really weird, but we took my DD's binky away about a month or two before her 2nd birthday and she went cold turkey. Honestly, it was harder for us than it was for her! Now, if she's really upset she puts her fingers in her mouth, and that's when I know she's really upset and it's time to calm her down and that's she's not just having a temper tantrum. HTH

[LACECOUPONS]

Just take it away,

[mrsanderton2205]

tell her santa needs them let her "help" wrap them up in christmas wrapping paper and on christmas eve give them to santa!

[pumpkin seed mama]

If your child is only using it at nap time, I would let her continue to use it. That sucking sensation is something they need. My son used his until he was 3. We told him that on his third birthday, we had to throw the binky away. He was fine with that.

[Tricia911]

I guess the first thing I would ask is why do you want to get rid of it?

Your child has developed an attachment to an object that brings comfort. You need to ask yourself if now is the right time to cause a major upset? The answer is usually no at this time of the year. Schedules are all thrown off and either you have visitors or visit others at this time of year.

I would wait till a quieter time. Then there are several ways you can do it so it is your child's idea.

Trade it for a toy at the store (make sure you get rid of all of them in the house so they don't find another).

You can snip away a tiny bit of each day till it is gone. After a while they decide it just isn't what is used to be.

Or you can do a long range approach. Tell your child on their second birthday they can no longer have a binky because they are all grown up. Tell them every day. Magically they give it up willingly on their birthday because that is the expectation.

I have had five kids and not one of them went to college with a pacifer. Relax and cherish these precious years.

[Kristallovesmomof5]

Hi, I have five children my oldest is 6 years. I always used the green soothie binkies made for babys 0-6 months. all of mine gave the binky up on there own before there 2nd birthday. Except for my youngest twin who was two in July. He loves to find one and they work great when he is sick to settle him down. However he doesn't care one way or another if he has it or not. It will dissapear for weeks and he never says a word.

[oneblessedmommy]

I just took my dd pacifier away a couple of weeks ago she is 2 1/2 now and I was like this is enough. She was only taking it at naptime and bedtime. I just took it away and if she asked for it I just told her she was a big girl now and didn't need it. She went through several nights of crying but she got over it and no more pacifier now. Some kids you have to take it away and some get rid of it on there own my oldest just stopped using hers. You might have to go through a couple of nights of crying but it will get better. Don't give in! Good Luck

[onlymadaresane]

Hearing all these stories are why I didn't want to give DS a paci. But we did. He is such a sucker! I was the "paci" with DS #1. I just nursed him if he was fussy. Then we let him CIO when he needed to sleep in his bed on his own. He did great. #2, not so much. He has a hard time soothing himself to sleep and I don't really let him CIO because he's woken #1 up with it. So I gave up. He's got a paci. He uses it when he's really tired. I put him down without one for bedtime and give it to him when he cries about 1:30. Then when he wakes up at 4 I nurse him. It's worked ok. He's teething so bad! #1 had broken his first tooth at 3.5 months. #2 is still swollen at 5. I know different kids etc...but I felt I had "failed" when I gave him a paci. I know it's silly. But at one. He's done. We'll just toss it. I'd rather have to deal with a paci than a thumb which is where #2 was heading.

[superk]

My boys never used them either but I also believe if it is being used a bedtime you should be fine.

[Alexdur85]

My boyfriend and I were discussing this and taking away bottles today. We decided to do it when she's ready. We figured she can't have a bottle or a pacifier after 3 but by 3 years old she'll have either weened herself off or understand a little bit more and we can trick her more easily into getting rid of it and her bottle. My mom said that she just let my sister and me decided not to want it anymore and by 2 years old we said no to the bottle and pacifier. I hope it's as easy..

[CrunchyEarthMommy]

A pacifier is a source of comfort for wee ones...so, if you make it where it no longer is a source of comfort, then they will happily toss it away. Ahhh...but just how to do that? Take the paci, and slice of about 1/8 of an inch...and give it to wee one...BE CERTAIN TO MAKE A CLEAN CUT!!! As long as you make a clean cut, there will be no choking hazard. A few days later, slice off another 1/8 of an inch...and give it to wee one. Repeat. Eventually, the paci will get to the point where there is nothing but frustration to be gained from the pacifier...and wee one will be done with it. This will work...I promise.

[honeybabysaunt]

I tried poking a hole in the end of one for my 2 1/2 yr old DS the other day. He was doing really well, only using it to go to sleep until he and his little brother got sick a couple of weeks ago. Now he wants to run around with one in his mouth all day.
When I gave him the one with the hole in it, he sucks for a few seconds, took it out and looked at it and tried again. He obviously realized something was wrong because he threw it on the floor and asked for "more"

He was fine the rest of the day, until bed time. At bedtime he would not take the binky with the hole.

Oh well, he only uses it at home. He goes all day at the babysitter without it. He will give it up one day.

[Mavourneen]

My son had about 3-5 tucked into hidey holes around the house. We'd take a needle and make a hole in one it would lose it's appeal rather quickly - and that little stinker would find another, whole binky! Eventually we deflated all of them. He would take the deflated binky to nap, suck on it for a bit, and then spit it out and go to sleep.

There was never a huge scene or problem. They lost that binky magic, and he never kicked up a fuss about it.

[foggy]

Originally Posted by lhart24

A way to slowly ween a lil one from the pacifer.... Is to cut the tip.. just a lil off at first.. so there is less nipple there for them to suck on... After a week, trim a lil more.... Keep going till there is nothing left...

Gradually the soothing sensation from the pacifier is lost, however they are able to slowly adjust to it...

[QBMOM]

My son loved the soothie pacifier, so when it was time to get rid of it, I just cut off the end that he sucked on!

I know that is mean, but it worked like a charm! He would stick his finger in the hole, and suck on his finger for a bit, then throw it on the floor. Only took 2 days to get rid of it.

[tryingtosave23]

We just cold turkeyed it on both of my kids. DS was not very attached to the paci and we took it away at 1 yr.... Now, DD (2 yr old when we took it away) was a different story!!!! She was VERY attached!!! It was very tough, she cried for a couple of nights, but all of a sudden she just stopped. I will say though, that she now sucks her fingers and I can't stand that. She only sucks them when she is worried (around new people) or when she is tired. I would much rather my kids suck a paci than a finger. I can take a paci away but their fingers will always be there... I work in a dental office and have seen the damage both can do, but at 10 months, it wont do irreversable damage. Like a PP said as soon as the paci is taken away, the gap (from the top to bottom) will usually follow the path of least resistance and close up. (the lips will help to close it)

[brebaby2369]

When I was a baby we wrapped up my bottles and gave them to santa for christmas. Just an idea.

[sar1]

I'm surprised I'm still getting responses to this post, but I guess there are many others who've gone through this before! DD will be 1 in a few weeks and we've let her keep it and we'll probably wait to get rid of it until she's a little older and can unerstand if we try to tell her we need to give them away to another baby or something along those lines. I'm definitely keeping all of the ideas posted here.

We were wanting to get rid of it for the simple thought that we don't want a 5-yr-old walking around w/a pacifier one day and figured it would be easier now rather than later. But she does still need the sucking to soothe herself for now. She has gotten to the point where when she wakes up and wants to come out of the crib, we just tap on it in her mouth and she takes it out and drops it, so we think that's progress.

Even though we're keeping it for now, all of your posts have helped me realize she won't be going off to college with it so I don't need to sweat the small stuff. Thanks, everyone.