My husband and I have decided the time has come. It’s time to extract the pacifier from our son’s life.
We’re not mean parents. We aren’t looking to do it cold turkey but gradually.
First, we started with restrictive usage. Only nap time and bed time.
When we’d get inevitable “Paci?” question from our son, I’d gently remind him he’s a big boy and didn’t need it. Then we’d try and get busy playing with a toy to distract him from not having it.
It seemed to be going well. At first he’d complain but then got used to the response.
Then we decided it was time to eliminate it from nap time. That’s where we hit a bump in the road. We got sick, all of us and continued to pass the lovely illness back and forth between the three of us for weeks.
Instead of taking the next step in the pacifier removal plan, we (well primarily I) caved and let him have it (even during the day). Believe me when everyone doesn’t feel well, it’s all hands (and in this case pacifiers) on deck.
Finally over our colds, it was back to our original game plan and surprisingly my son picked up right where he left off. He understood pacifiers were just for nap time and bed time.
Pretty soon pacies at nap time will be no more and then it’s on to bed time removal. I’m anticipating some sleepless nights but I’ll just make sure to have an extra strong cup of coffee ready the next morning.
This is what we chose and (so far) it’s working for us but there are numerous ways to get rid of the pacifier.
Some other options you can try include:
- Cutting Off The Ends
- Trade It In For A Special Toy
- Turn Them In To The Binky Fairy (Like The Tooth Fairy)
- Pass Them To A New Baby In The Family (If Possible)
How did you get your child to give up the pacifier? Share your tips & tricks in the comments below.
The TV Mommy 