Whats been your experience dropping the Pacifier

[pepa]

When did you guys finished with the pacifier and how was the experience, My Ped said that she should finished with it at around 8 months, I tried but it was hell so she is back again, Im not sure what to do, she only uses it to go to sleep not through out the day, I was able to stop her using it in the car seat, but sleeping time without it, it just not happening

[BabyBearsMom]

We are in the same boat. DD is 13 months and we now only give her the paci in her crib. I planned to stop it at 1 year, but DD still really seems to have a need to suck on something. I talked it over with her pedi, and she said to work on it when DD starts to become more verbal, because before they can communicate with you, they really need something to comfort them. She also said (and a lot of wise mommies on this board told me this as well) that if you take the pacifier away too soon, and your child still has a sucking need, they will start to suck their thumbs or hands which is a harder habit to break. We decided to keep her with the pacifier for now, and think about it again at 15 months to see how things are going.

OTH, a good friend of mine just got her 15 month old off the paci. She did it cold turkey. She said that the first night was h3ll with an hour of screaming before he fell asleep, and then waking up at midnight for an hour of screaming, but the next day, nap was only 35 minutes of screaming and bed time was 25 minutes of screaming and by the third day, he was fine.

[mikeys_mom]

DS gave up the paci on his own at 6 months.
DD1 used a paci at night only until age 3. At that point she decided she was ready to be done with it and left it for the paci fairy in exchange for a Barbie doll.
My twins are 2 years old and I have no plans to take away their nightime pacis until closer to age 3.

It's not an issue I get worked up over. Unless, there is a medical reason to take away the paci, I don't see a need to have them not use it to soothe themselves to sleep.

[Melaine]

I would not take away a paci at that age...I just don't see why you should. I have no problem with a paci at least until age 2 for sleeptime use only. Why did your ped recommend taking it away?

[daisymommy]

I think it's a bit crazy to suggest taking it away before age 1. Babies have a strong reflexive need to suck. It's programmed into them.

At age 2 I started allowing it only in their crib, at bedtime and naps. My kids have perfect straight evenly spaced teeth. By age 2.5 they gave it up on their own.

[mom2khj]

I have been wondering this as well! DD1 never used one (thumb-sucker), DD2 gave it up on her own around 6 months. Well, DS loves his pacifier. :tongue5: We only give it to him for sleeping though.

[LMPC]

DD still uses a paci and like PP's I don't have any reason to take it away from her -- she only uses it for naps and nighttime sleep. It's soothing. I worried that it would impact her speech....trust me, it has not (the kid talks incessantly!). JMO, but I wouldn't push the issue, especially in a baby that young.

[larig]

15 months, cold turkey. One really bad day and then he was fine.

[karstmama]

we went to nap/sleep time only at about eighteen months, then quit cold turkey at about 26 months. three nights of a longer-than-average rocking session to get him to relax & no issues. it was *way* easier than i expected, but one thing that might have helped is that he was a late talker & didn't have a word or sign for it yet so couldn't really ask for it so i didn't have to pretend not to understand! :D

[BabyH]

DS gave it up on his own at 5 months. I was planning on just letting him have it for as long as he needed.... but one day he just didn't want it anymore. And hasn't wanted it since.....(I've offered it a couple of times during teething to no avail!)

[BabbyO]

DS was between 13 and 15 mo. We just sorta stopped offering the pacifier on a regular basis during the day. We'd give it to him at night, but when we'd open his door before we went to bed it would be gone and it was clear he didn't use it during the night. Then one night we just didn't give it to him. No tears, no wailing, nothing. He hasn't used it since. He's even seen them (with younger cousins around, etc) and had NO interest. I guess we were lucky, but it was clear that during that time, he just wasn't as interested in it anyway, so we stopped using them.

[pepa]

we went to nap/sleep time only at about eighteen months, then quit cold turkey at about 26 months. Three nights of a longer-than-average rocking session to get him to relax & no issues. It was *way* easier than i expected, but one thing that might have helped is that he was a late talker & didn't have a word or sign for it yet so couldn't really ask for it so i didn't have to pretend not to understand! :d

:rotflmao: