The Pacifier Addiction Cure
October 14, 2008 at 7:27 AM by Cafe Cynthia - Comments (14)
Chances are your toddler will outgrow their pacifiers on their own. But if you feel the time has come for more persuasive measures, take these cues from CafeMom moms who've successfully banished the binkie:
- The binky fairy came to our house and took the binkies to the babies
that need them. --discoverytoygal
- We told our son that if we could throw the pacifier away, we would go to Walmart and buy him a toy. It worked ... but bribery usually works with him! --ConnersMom1204
- I remember a great suggestion: The mom told her daughter that Elmo was having a baby and really REALLY need pacis for it. They got up all of the daughter's pacifiers, wrapped them up with a note to Elmo, and labeled it to go to "Elmo at Sesame Street." Then they took it to the post office and the mom handed the post lady the box with a note that said "Please just throw this away after we leave." --MamaPyratekk
- My aunt cut a hole in all the pacifiers so they no longer had suction. She said they were broken and had to be thrown out." --rbade
- I took both of my daughters to Build-A-Bear Workshop on their 3rd birthdays and had them create a bear. Before the bear got stuffed, I told my daughter to add her pacifier to the bear. Then the bear got stitched up and the pacifier was inside. I explained to my daughters both before and after the Build A Bear visit that they we going to be able to sleep with their pacifier but not with it in their mouths. It has worked out great for me! --cldetary
- Have the child put their pacifier in their Christmas stocking ... in turn Santa leaves them an additional present in place of the pacifier. --cldetary
Want more tips? Check out this advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
FILED UNDER: development & growth, gear, health, learning
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LOL I just tried the Elmo thing on my 2 year old and she said, "No! Mine!"
Ha! That's funny. Oh, well, when you find something that works for you, be sure to let us all know!
I'm with discoverytoygal... We prepped my daughter for months that she was going to have to give her paci's to the paci fairy and in return the paci fairy would leave her a big girl present. So - one day we gathered them all up in a box and left them for the paci fairy. While I changed her diaper my husband (a.k.a. paci fairy) switched the box out for a rocking horse. Aside from a couple of whiny nights and reminders that "we gave them all away. They aren't here anymore, but the horse is!!!" --- it went pretty smooth.
I used the binky-fairy technique at 2 yo for both my son & daughter! We collected all the binkies in a bag- hung them from a tree in the yard & in the morning the bag was replaced with a new "really wanted" toy! Worked like a charm twice I highly reccommend this technique!
LOL I am sure I will have a prob here in the near future with the paci but here is another great idea my mother in law used on her oldest when he was itty bitty........"The dog ate it" and it never was talked about again!!!
i did it cold turkey, yes it was hard but the less you talk about it the better it gets, now when she see other childen with a paci she takes them away and doesn't want them to have it in their mouths =-/
I have a 17 month old....I am thinking of getting rid of the paci by age 2. I like the elmo idea..she just loves elmo!! Thanks!!!
I saw in nanny 911 that she just had all the kids just throw the paci away themselves, and the had to cry it out for 2 day. i have been chicken and have yet to do so. 
I'm currently trying to get my daughter off the paci, and so far, for the most part, we've stuck to naps and bedtime, but if only I could break her of it when we leave the house! It's hard though, my kiddo is almost 2 and will squeal "Biii! Biiii!" and I'm such a wuss.
I like the build-a-bear idea, I might try that one! (There's not a build-a-bear near me but I can always hand-sew her her own toy, possibly!) She can put one bink in the toy and then send the rest off. Or something.
Check out some of the top posts today in Groups:
WE DON'T HAVE A PACI,, HERE. BUT MY COUSINS LITTLE ONE IS A LITTLE OVER 2 AND STILL HAS HER PACI. I AM GOING TO PASS THESE IDEAS ONTO HER! THEY ARE DARLING IDEAS! I LOVE THE BUILD A BEAR!!!!!
JayGirlsMom Oct. 14, 2008 at 9:11 AM