Binky, paci, hushie, bubba… what does your family call a pacifier? It’s such a wonderful tool. And can be SO hard to get rid of.
From the time each of my kids was born until about 3 years old, they have all LOVED their paci. It has been a comfort to them in times of distress, a soothing mechanism when they get hurt, and a familiar item when there is a babysitter or new people around.
And I can’t blame them because I’ll let you in on a little secret… I was a thumb sucker until I was 10 years old! Not good.
But on the bright side, I broke the habit and have perfectly straight teeth now.
So if you have a binky lover, thumb or finger sucker, there is hope. While you might have a hefty price to pay for braces, the good news is that your child will eventually grow out of the bad habit.
Sometimes it’s peer pressure from friends. They help because children feel awkward doing something around their friends when nobody else is doing it.
Other times, it is parental intervention helping to set a boundary and holding to it.
It might be that the pacifier gets too small for their mouth or fingers begin to taste weird so they stop on their own.
Having a husband as a dentist, we decided we would take a “parental intervention approach” to gently guide them to stop using their pacifier.
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends helping your child to stop thumb or pacifier sucking before the age of 4.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Instead of scolding children for sucking on something, praise them when you notice that they cope with their emotions in other ways (ex: using a lovey or blanket)
- Usually, finger and binky sucking continues to happen into the later years because children feel insecure, anxious, or uncomfortable. Focus on addressing the underlying cause first before getting rid of the “sucking” problem.
- Reward the child when they avoid using a pacifier when they are in a hard situation (ex: being separated from parents and staying with a babysitter)
I have gone through two kids giving up the paci and it definitely hasn’t been the easiest thing. But we did it!
I want to share my success story with you today and hopefully spark some ideas for your little one.
Method #1: The Cut
With our first daughter, we tried for a long time to prep her for the day when she would have to say goodbye to her pacifier.
We thought she was ready. So we tried it.
One night, we had her collect all the pacis from around the house and put them in a little box. She waved goodbye to them and then we put her to bed.
She cried and cried and CRIED. It hurt my mommy heart too bad. So I gave in and gave them back to her.
New plan.
We let her keep her pacifiers, but I noticed one of them was ripping (which of course can be dangerous and a choking hazard).
So I snipped all of the nipples off of each of her binkys. When she asked for one in her bed, I gave it to her. She looked at me and said, “mommy, this one broken”.
When she realized that all of the pacis were broken, she just took it as a fact and eventually stopped asking for them because they weren’t fun to try and hold on to with her teeth!
After a few days of no asking for the paci, I tossed them all out and we never needed one again! Magic what a pair of scissors can do for you!
Method #2
Our second daughter was a little trickier. She knew that her older sister didn’t have a pacifier so she would pretend not to use one on some nights.
But every time I went to check on her she always had it right back in her mouth.
We told her one day that she was going to be a big girl! She would get to bury all of her pacifiers in the backyard in a box.
Then we told her that at night time, the “paci fairy” would come and take her pacis and leave a special prize where the pacis were.
We weren’t planning to do it for a few weeks, but she marched right to the backyard and started to dig that day. So we went with it!
That night, she screamed for HOURS (and she was not the crying type of baby).
So what did a loving pushover mom do? Yep. I went out to the backyard and DUG UP her binky.
Gave it a good scrub with hot water and went in and gave it to her.
New plan.
She was going to turn 3 in just a few months. So we decided to use that to our advantage.
For the next few months, we talked about 3-year-olds every day.
“3-year-olds are SO big”
“3-Year-olds don’t have pacis”
“3-year-olds only have a blanket and stuffie to help them sleep”
On her birthday, one of her presents was an Elsa stuffie. When she opened it, we told her that she would trade us her paci for the stuffie.
She did.
There were still a few sad tears that night, but she told us “I am big. I can do this. Elsa will help me”.
So, as you can see with both of my “methods”, it took multiple ideas. Sometimes things work and sometimes things don’t.
Sounds like parenting, right?
The bottom line is, you know your child best and you know what rewards and boundaries will work for them.
And if you don’t, try a few out and you’ll eventually find one that sticks!
