Helping a Baby Wean Off a Pacifier

As a parent, I was overjoyed when my son learned to soothe himself with the aid of a pacifier. Sucking fulfills a baby's need for contact and security and pacifier use is now believed to be a preventative measure against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Good news! My friend even told me "Breaking the pacifier habit is easier than stopping your child from sucking their thumb!" Even with all the benefits and good advice, when the time came to wean my child from his pacifier, it seemed like an almost insurmountable problem. What can parents do to make this transition easier, while still retaining a little sleep and sanity?

Before deciding upon the best approach, consider whether it is an appropriate time to wean your child. Dentists recommend that a child reduce the amount of pacifier use by age two and stop using a pacifier altogether by age four. As many parents choose to wean their child from a pacifier gradually, 18 months is usually a good age to begin the process. Another issue you will need to consider is any life changes that may be happening to your child. If you are moving, having a new baby, potty training, or going through a divorce, you may want to postpone the weaning process. Before beginning you will also want to inform your daycare provider, family, and any other care providers of your decision to eliminate your child's pacifier. Consistency is very important in these types of situations and reinforcement of your methods by others will make a world of difference.

Choosing a strategy for weaning your baby from a pacifier depends on many factors. These include the age of your child, how often your child uses a pacifier, whether your child comprehends you are able to purchase another pacifier, whether your child asks for their pacifier by name, if your child can be distracted to forget about their pacifier easily and whether they have other comforting skills necessary to help them through this traumatic ordeal.

The most common approach to weaning a baby from a pacifier is to gradually reduce the time, places or situations in which they are able to use it. Limiting a child's pacifier use to bedtime or rides in the car are popular choices. Other common techniques include rewarding and praising your child for time spent not using their pacifier, allowing your child to trade their pacifier for something of greater value or cutting the tip of your child's pacifier to render it unsatisfying. Some parents eliminate pacifier use gradually and give their child advance warning of when they will no longer be able to use it.

Personally, I used a combination of these methods. When my son was two, I gradually cut the tip off his pacifier until there was almost no nipple left. At this point he began to complain that his "soother" was broken. I empathized with him, however stated that I was not able to fix it. He was too young to realize another one could easily be purchased from a store. Wondering what to trade my son for his broken pacifier, I decided to make something I thought he would find comforting. I laminated a picture of our family, cut it into a heart shape and sewed the ribbon from my childhood teddy bear around the picture. I then attached the picture to his favorite soother clip. He actually wore the picture attached to his shirt for a couple of days, but has since reattached it to his own teddy bear.

Having a binky, soother, ditty, paci or dummy is an important childhood experience for many, but beyond the baby years parents should do their best to curb their child's pacifier addiction. Problems of continued pacifier use include tooth misalignment, delayed speech development and increased ear infections. No matter which scenario or combination of techniques you decide to try, always remain calm. Surround your child with peers who are not using a pacifier and do not give in, no matter what! It may be tempting to give your child back their pacifier to get an extra hour of sleep, but you are just reinforcing their negative behavior. It will not benefit you or your child in the long run. Even after the ordeal of breaking my son's pacifier habit, I decided to allow his baby sister to use one. Now she is just as addicted and will soon be 18-months of age. Wish me luck; I'll be going through this process again very soon!