Babies: 3 - 6 Months
Kyleedawn08
member
when do you plan to wean off the paci?
Kyleedawn08
member
i have heard recommendations as early as 6 months to wean off pacfiers because this is when they can learn to self soothe instead of paci soothe. i was just wondering if anyone has any plans of when they will wean or i have heard of some waiting until their child just doesn't want it anymore.
i personally don't think if you can walk and talk you should have a paci, so the plan as a FTM who has never done this before, is to wean at around 9-11 months so we are paci free by 1
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Re: when do you plan to wean off the paci?
I tried at about 18 mo with DD and it was WW3. She was so upset she was literally slamming her head into the rails of her crib. Needless to say after 3 days I caved and she got it back. She finally broke the habit a little over 2 when she started school. The rule was paci had to stay in the bed. She wasn't allowed to walk around with it and it didn't even go in the car. DD was (and still is) such a horrible sleeper as it was, I was afraid to make things worse.
With DS, I may try earlier. He tends to be more laid back than DD so we shall see....
I've heard the same as you, I'm shooting for between 4-6 months. I think any later than that and it's a real habit and harder to break, which is probably why the 18 month old above had such a hard time.
My own personal opinion, but I shudder at seeing toddlers who can talk walking around with one in their mouth, it makes no sense to me!! A friend of mine posted a video on facebook the other day of his 20 month old in the car and literally talking with the thing in his mouth. WTF?!?
Now at almost 20 months he's super attached to it. I try and limit it to the car and naps but that's really a joke sometimes. Judge away but until you've BTDT you have NO idea. You learn to pick your battles when you have kids and I guess this isn't one of ours at the time. It's not like he's going to go to kindergarten with the thing.
It will be a wait and see thing for us. The paci was the only thing that helped DD while teething. NOTHING else helped besides teething tablets, and we didn't want to give those to her all of the time. She didn't even really use one until she got her first teeth. DS has used one since day one, when we couldn't hold him in the nursery for 24 hours. He likes sucking on his hands now, but still wants the paci especially when sleeping. We may try taking it away at the end of the summer before DH goes back to work. Who knows.
I plan to have her off it by a year, but after reading this maybe I'll try sooner (I'm a paci novice, but first never took to them).
DD only uses it to go to sleep, and sometimes during car rides, so I'm probably ahead of the game and should try to nix it before she becomes more attached to it.
DD (5 years old) from IUI in 2012
TTC 3rd and final!: IUI #1 in progress!
I agree with age 1 as a good time to stop the paci. That said, I didn't get DD1 off the paci until age two. I am horrible. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but she would just cry for hours without it, and we didn't start weaning until 14 months. Once I did start, DH would sneak in and give it to her, because it was "easier". Soooo frustrating. As soon as he went to work out of town, I threw them all away. I can't stand when a child is talking through their paci.
I think this time around, I am just going cold turkey instead of any sort of weaning. It might end up being a rough first few nights, but I don't want to fall on it again, or have DH plug her to make life easier.
DS was about 15ish months when we took them away. He had started biting it and nearly bit completely through and I was worried he'd choke on it one day. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered. It was fine though, out of sight out of mind it seemed. I pick and choose my battles though, we will see what happens with DD. It doesn't bother me much seeing a 2 year old still with a pacifier.
W : 01.11.13
#3 : due 11.02.15
around 2, unless she shows me signs earier.
around 1 it will only be used in the car and at bedtime.
It was like DS's lovey, he was attached and it soothed him better than anything. I couldn't imagine taking it away earlier than that if it wasn't causing any harm.
Violet Mae born 1/15/13
This was my experience with DS, and what I though with DD1...but she is 3 today and still has hers for nap and bed. We are taking it away this weekend. So 3 is my limit!
ETA: and flame away - but my DS never napped again after we got rid of his paci. My DD1 still takes a 2 hour nap every afternoon - I wasn't willing to give that up just to get rid of the paci before she was 3!
I'm giggling at the FTMs. Haven't you learned yet to never say never?
DD1 wasn't interested. I took hers around 6 months and she didn't care at all. She's a thumb-sucker. DD2 still has hers for bedtime (she's 27 months). She knows it stays in her crib and she uses it when she falls asleep (she doesn't keep it in when she's sleeping). We'll get rid of it at some point, but I'm not in a rush...it's not causing any issues.
Amen!! I totally judged my sister for letting her sons have it past 1, but until you've gone down that road you have no idea........
I also said I'd never let my kids sleep in my bed, but at 3 1/2 DD still ninjas her way into my bed every night. I have no idea when she gets there, but I wake up and she's just there. Sigh........