s/o: pacifiers

twolverton

So DD is now 2 and still insists on her pacifier at home. She seems to go all day without it at daycare but the minute I get there to pick her up, that's the first thing she wants out of her cubbie. She'll occasionally play really well at home without it but then asks for it again and will throw a fit if she doesn't get it or will go pull a "new" one out of the kitchen drawer.

How do you suggest we get rid of using the pacifier all together? I'm sure it's going to be tough and we should probably just go cold turkey and hide them all but it truely makes me nervous and I don't want to face the fits.

ali-1411

Layna still has hers a lot.  Anytime she's upset she wants her pacifier and her blanket.  I will put it away during the day but I'll give it to her when she asks.  

Jakob was the same way and he gave it up completely on his own right before his 3rd birthday.  I'm hoping that Layna will give it up just as easily when she's ready.

ditzydi_2000

Our friends got this book about putting the pacifier to sleep and they actually made a bed for the pacifier to sleep by itself.  They said the first day after they did that, their DS didn't ask for it again.

It might be worth a shot.   

Abrooks

There are many different ways that I've heard from friends.  There is donating them to other needy babies and letting the pacifier fairy come and take them.  (You can even make a craft out of getting them all ready for the fairy.) There is also the trick of hiding all but one and then slowly cutting off the end so that it doesn't work anymore.  There is also the gradual cutting back method - so only naps and bedtime, then only bedtime, then not at all.  Really I think it's about what you think would work the best and what option you feel most comfortable with.  

ssinca

is there a baby in the family or friends who have a newborn?  you could tell her the baby needs it more than she does, or pacis are for babies and she's a big girl now - something along those lines.

bobcatsteph

We had/have the same issue..she's fine all day without it, but she would run to me yelling "pass pass" when I picked her up from daycare and would dig through her lunch bag to find it.

For the past two weeks, we have put the paci in our pocket before giving her the lunch bag to carry. She looked for it and got upset for the first two days when she couldn't find it. (Luckily DH was with me because I wanted to give in and give it to her). After the first two days, she still looks for it, we talk about how the paci is for sleeping, and she's fine.

She now knows that it's only for bed time and she asks for it when she's ready for bed. If we lay her down and she gets up, we take the paci away until she's ready to lay down and go to sleep.

We still take it with us everywhere just in case. I have no idea when we'll be able to ditch it completely.