Bye-Bye, Pacifier! - Weaning an Older Child from Their Beloved Soothing Mechanism

My sweet baby girl began using a pacifier at three weeks old. It was her faithful companion at all times. Especially times of stress and anxiety. I was concerned about her becoming too attached, and dependent, on her pacifier but before I could blink she was 18 months old and I was pregnant again. Where had the time gone?

I would have pulled the plug, literally, at that point but I was worried she may resent her new sibling if he was allowed to have a pacifier and she was not. At such a young age, I figured it would just be way too difficult to explain the whole thing to her. So I took the easy way out and let her keep her beloved "pass," as she called it.

Our son was born, our little girl turned two, and eventually we got our routine reestablished as a family of four. It really was time to lose her pacifier. Now, of course, the problem was she was old enough to communicate clearly and make her pacifier desires known. However, I figured out I could work this to my benefit in the whole situation. Here's what we did.

I printed a basic calendar off my computer. I found a clip art picture of a pacifier, printed it, and drew a big diagonal line through it (Those of you with artistic talent can certainly draw one, but I assure you art is not my gift). We stuck the pacifier picture on the calendar on the day that was to be designated "Bye-Bye, Pacifier" day. We made a big production about making Xs on the calendar each day leading up to the day when he pacifier would be no more.

The deal was that, on that day, all her pacifiers would be boxed up and mailed to the Pacifier Store where they could be redistributed to another baby who needed them. She no longer needed them because she was two years old and clearly a big girl.

The "Bye-Bye, Pacifier" day finally arrived. My little girl helped me to box up all of them (Seems they kinda multiply in our house, do they in yours too?). She also helped me to write a note to the little baby who was to be the proud recipient of her pacifiers. Our note read as follows.

"Dear little baby, I am giving you my "pass." I am a big girl now and I don't need them anymore. I hope you like them. Love, ..."

We taped up the box and went to the post office. We mailed the pacifiers to the Pacifier Store (Otherwise known as my sister's house. Good thing my daughter couldn't read yet!). She was fine with the boxing and mailing process. I knew the real test would be nap time, and bedtime, when she depended on her pacifier the most.

She did struggle the first thirty-six hours or so. I just gently reminded her all her pacifiers had been sent to the Pacifier Store for the new baby. As a side note, this really helped me to follow through with the whole process. Had any pacifiers been in our house I probably would have caved much easier. They really were all gone and I didn't have the option of bailing out.

It probably is much easier to wean children from their pacifiers when they are young babies, but life doesn't always work that way. Should you find yourself with an older child still attached to their beloved pacifier hopefully our little technique can help make the transition easier for everyone involved.