You don’t always choose to get your child used to the pacifier, and it sometimes happens without planning for it… Once your baby gets used to it, however, the decision to wean off pacifier should be carefully considered.
That’s being said, Mommies…
When thinking about the pacifier, it is very important to know the good and bad sides of using it. Click here to know more about Baby Pacifiers
Now, let me reveal the best tricks and tips to make it a smooth mission for both of you:
What’s The Best Way To Wean Off Pacifier?
First and foremost, you need to determine what is the best way to wean off pacifier from your child.
Many little ones have a preference for slow withdrawal because, after all, the pacifier has been with them throughout their little lives…
..so they are deeply attached to it most of the time!
Keep in mind, though, each child develops at his own pace and, accordingly, will react differently…
Slowly… Is the best option!
Slow weaning is first of all preparing your child for the fact that the pacifier will be leaving soon.
Often the best way to do this is by not using the pacifier in a stress-free situation.
For example, when your child is playing quietly at home, he does not need to suck on it.
Therefore, once your child gets used to not having the pacifier at home during the day, it is now during short runs that you will choose not to take him with you.
This will allow you to add more and more “teat-free” areas.
Now, the goal is to only use the pacifier in bed. Yep!
With this slow and gradual weaning method, most children experience less pacifier wear.
Not surprising…
The most difficult moment is the last farewell…
Even though they’ve gotten used to not having a pacifier on a daily basis, most children find it difficult to give it a final goodbye.
6 Tips And Tricks To Help You Wean Off Pacifier
1. Stop Giving The Pacifier
This advice may seem hard, but it is really very effective to wean off pacifier…
Indeed, it happens that our own habits slow down the process of adaptation.
So, make sure to store the pacifier in a place so that the child does not think about it, and especially do not remind him that it exists.
2. The Pacifier Fairy
If you don’t mind “white lies”, you can try telling your child a little lie, mixed with a little magic to wean off pacifier. Tell him that the pacifier fairy comes to collect them all and that as a thank you, she will surprise him. Further, it is up to you to let your imagination run free as to the surprise in question. Gift, balloons, thank you card… This really works! Moreover, the whole point is to please your child who will feel rewarded for having given his pacifiers.3. “Give” The Pacifier
If a baby is born in your surroundings, you can take advantage of this circumstance to “give” your child’s pacifiers to the new baby.
In reality, you don’t really give them away, of course, but it’s the giving process of explaining to your child that matters.
Thus, he will understand that pacifiers are for the little ones and that you are therefore going to give them to the new little baby.
… your child will think the baby needs pacifiers and will probably want to help.
Further, you can even make it a little ritual by putting the pacifiers in a box and wrapping them nicely.
When you’ve “given them away”, don’t forget to tell your child how proud you are of them.
4. Cut A Piece Of The Pacifier
Little clever trick to wean off pacifier ..!
Use scissors to cut off a small end of the pacifier.
When it comes to sucking, your child will not be comfortable, will feel it differently and he may even decide to detach himself from it!
If your child ignores this little cut, it’s up to you to discreetly make the hole bigger every day.
Conversely, if he is not happy and wondering what happened to his pacifier, simply tell him that it is broken…
5. Hard Weaning
The older your child grows, the more difficult it will be to wean off pacifier from him.
If slow weaning hasn’t worked and you’ve tried everything to no avail, you are left with the option of hard weaning.
Throw away the pacifier!!
Pure and simple and don’t give it back to your child.
This method is radical, to be sure, and it will take a lot of patience and persistence on your part, but once it’s done, the pacifier will be a distant memory.
6. Takeaway To Wean Off Pacifier
In order not to tempt your child to take a pacifier again later, therefore, it is important to get rid of each one.
Imagine your child stumbles upon a pacifier a few weeks later…
…not only might it make them want to use it again, but it would also challenge the credibility of your pacifier fairy.
Most important: don’t give up!
Having chosen to proceed with hard weaning, it is imperative to stick to it until the end.
If you return the pacifier to your child after he has kicked and screamed for 45 minutes, then he will understand that he can get what he wants by behaving like this.
That’s said…
However, if you are tempted to give up at some point, remember that many parents have followed this way to wean off pacifier from their kids before you
…and every child has ended up giving up their pacifier in the end!
Dema JS is the founder of newbabysmell.com and a mother of two little kids.
She had her MBA from St. John’s University- NYC in dual concentrations: Executive Management and Marketing Management.
