2.5 and still uses the paci at naps and bedtime...want to wean..need help!

jess545 · December 2010

So DD is coming up on 2.5 next month and i really want to get rid of her paci. I wouldn't be in such a rush but she is waking up for it almost every night. It wakes her up so much that she doesn't fall back asleep for a couple of hours. We are trying to get her and DS to share a room so i don't want this waking him up either.

So if you weaned from the paci how did you do it? cold turkey? did you give them any thing for getting rid of the paci? how long did it take for them to get over not having it? any tips or advice would be great! thanks

JT41275 · December 2010

We did it right before she turned 2. She was also using it for naps and bed. We snipped the ends off of them and she would put them into her mouth and then immediately take them out. It worked out nicely for us. It was a rough couple of nights but it didn't last long. I think this strategy worked best for DD as opposed to "donating them", etc. She wasn't at the point of understanding that kind of logic.

BerriGirl · December 2010

JT41275:
We did it right before she turned 2. She was also using it for naps and bed. We snipped the ends off of them and she would put them into her mouth and then immediately take them out. It worked out nicely for us. It was a rough couple of nights but it didn't last long. I think this strategy worked best for DD as opposed to "donating them", etc. She wasn't at the point of understanding that kind of logic.

This exactly. I fully expected it to be an awful experience and didn't think the snipping would work, but it did! Two nights and it was over. And it wasn't as bad as I thought it would - barely any fussing at all. He just kept turning it around and around in his mouth but it didn't "work" anymore. He told me it was broken once, but I snipped all of them, so none of them "worked." Try it before going cold turkey (although, I would certainly do that if it came to it... three days and it's done.) GL

buckeyegirl910 · December 2010

I third the cutting of the paci!! Once he started chewing holes into the paci itself, I made one clean cut and he was so disinterested! It only took about 3 days to totally break him of it. If in those 3 days he asked for it, I would say it was lost, but if he found it, it was still cut and he didn't want anything to do with it after a couple of seconds! GL!!

SuperCuteBenz · December 2010

I am having this same issue, and my DD will be 3 next month. I have tried 3x now to wean her of it, and each time is successful for a short period of time. The first time she made it 3-4 months without it, and then she started sucking on her fingers. So, we gave it back to her. Same thing the 2nd and 3rd time.

I have talked to our pedi about it, and she said not to stress over it, because she will eventually give it up. She said in our case it would be easier to just let her have it, then to face her being a finger sucker until she is 7 or so. She said most kids will give them up by 3, but I am losing hope. DD doesn't use hers outside of sleeping. Someone on the 3-6 month board said that I need to use positive reinforcement and rewards to wean her of it, but that doesn't really work since she just ends up sucking her fingers in the middle of the night.

Anyway, sorry about the rant. Good luck!

lisamarco · December 2010

I let ds use it longer because he was so attatched to it and after talking to the ped and dentist they said it was fine for him to have it this age. He finally stopped using it a month ago. He is now 3 1/2. My goal was to do it sooner then changed it to he turned 3 max. BUt didnt happen cuz the new baby was gonna be born a month after that. I didnt want him to go crazy with this whole new transition and him loosing his room, crib and then binky so we let him use it for a few months longer. He started to chew the tips and I told him if it broke off he would have to get rid of it because it was dangerous. Well one day i took it after he fell asleep and i cut the tip off . He thougth he did it and would hide the binky from me. He would just hold it under his pillow for a few days and that was that. no drama.....

adri77 · December 2010

Tried snipping, poking holes, binky fairy......at 3.5 the only thing that worked was dipping it in vinegar. The smell was so repulsive to him it never made it into his mouth again. And he didn't know I did this, i just started telling him how old and nasty his binkies were getting, then a couple of days later used the vinegar. He thought it was his decision to give it up, which is HUGE in the world of a 3 year old!!! Also worked like a charm for a good friend of mine. GL!

lismog · December 2010

We just got rid of DD's a few months ago. She also had it for naps and bed time, it never came out of her crib. One night I had her leave them for the "binky fairy", I tild her to leave them on the table and when the fairy comes to get them to give them to young babies who need them, she will leave her a present. She got a new stuffed animal to sleep with, I figured I was taking her sleeping comfort object so try to replace it with another one, although she could care less about the bear and doesn't want to sleep with it. For a few days/nights she would whine for it when we put her in the crib but I just kept reminding her that she gave them away to the fairy. It took about 4 days/nights of this then she just stopped asking for it. Once in a blue moon she'll out of no where say "ga-ga" (that's what she called it) but I just make it fun and say "what?! no ga-ga's in the house, you gave them away remember?" and she laughs and drops it. Good luck!

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2.5 and still uses the paci at naps and bedtime...want to wean..need help!

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