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How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I think my son is getting a little old for his pacifier. How can I wean him off of it?

Re: I think my son is getting a little old for his pacifier. How can I wean him off of it?

The Bump Expert

It’s perfectly normal for a toddler to crave the security that comes from a pacifier. There’s no confirmed reason to rush him -- and there will most likely be many tears involved with weaning him from it. But, in addition to social reasons, here’s some additional motivation: When a toddler has a pacifier in his mouth, he’s less likely to verbally communicate his needs, which can lead to more (unnecessary!) temper tantrums.

The best way to wean your toddler off a pacifier is to take it slowly. Start by keeping one pacifier in his crib or bed and one in his car seat, where they will each stay. And don’t make him feel that leaving the pacifier in those places is punishment; just tell him those are each pacifier’s homes. After a few weeks, remove the pacifier from the car seat, but let him keep the one in his bed -- at least for a while. Eventually he may decide on his own that he no longer needs it.

The Bump Editors | July 28 , 2010 1:34 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I am just now pregnant with our first child, however, My sister had a really hard time trying to break my niece from her "pappie" as we called it. We cut just the slight tip off the pappie, and a little more each week. after about the second or third week, she would not have anything to do with it. I don't really know what it was she didn't like, but it worked like a charm!

bbandt | December 14 , 2010 3:36 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

We had pacifiers all around our home and after we had lost all but one, I told my daughter"this is the last one, once it is lost, Mommy will not buy anymore. Well it worked she whined for a few nights but after that no problem. But she still sleeps with her blanky. I will not be taking that away anytime soon. I feel they need to keep something for security.

Toddler101 | February 24 , 2011 1:57 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I just fought this battle a couple of weeks ago and I did take it away all at once. We had a "ceremony" where he said "bye bye popper" as he (not me) threw them in the trash. He sucked on each one before throwing it away. I have found that my son does much better when he can say "bye bye" to things. The first night was terrible, but I comforted him to make sure he didn't think that he did anthing wrong. Whenever he brought it up the next couple of days I would remind him that we said "bye bye."

aethomas05 | June 07 , 2011 2:10 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I am a toddler teacher at a private preschool. When it comes time that the parents wish their toddler would get rid of the "pacy" as we call them, we just go cold turkey. Typically, as long as they do not see them at all the don't have too much trouble, they whine a little the first couple times they go to sleep without it.

nakers4 | June 08 , 2011 7:35 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I agree with Toddler101. We did the same EXACT thing!! She cried for a good 45 minutes the first night w/o it but after that there was little to no whining before she finally just stopped asking for it/wanting it at all!

SmithMomma2 | June 16 , 2011 10:11 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

With our daughter, we decided to wean her down to naps and nighttime only. After a couple weeks we just went cold turkey. It was fine. She hardly noticed it was gone. It seemed that we were the ones that were addicted to it, not our daughter. It showed us she really didnt need it anymore and I wish we had tried it sooner!!

HollyOhara | June 24 , 2011 7:00 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I just took my son's away when he wasn't using it one day. He was about 16-18 months. I kept it around in case he was too incredibly intolerable but it never happened. I feel its best to take it away early rather than later because the are less likely to notice. Also this works with bottles too my son was off bottles and using sipper cups by 1 year.

sjringel | June 29 , 2011 5:20 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

if any of you have ever heard of the show "Supernanny" google her. she uses the "binky fairy" to get rid of the binky cold turkey style.... but its really creative and fun.... the binky fairy comes to visit and take all of the binkys to give them to new babies that really need them. basically the "binky fairy" comes to visit with a net and the child finds all of the binkys in the house and puts then in the fairys net. at night the binky fairy leaves to take the binkys to the babys but leaves a little reward for helping her.... its a really cute concept!

montanaAFpirate | July 31 , 2011 3:56 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

At 12 months, we limited the binky to naps and night time. We let him keep it for another year (sheesh! I know...). Instead of taking it away ourselves or making up a story, I let HIM make the decision to let it go. I had him gather all the binkies around the house, out of the baby bag, etc. himself and put them in a ziploc (so he could see them). I told him that he could have a new little train (his obsession at the time) if he wanted to throw away his binkies. I explained the finality of throwing them away and let him put it in the dumpster outside, all on his own. He accepted the train - and when he whined at bed time (only for 2 nights!) I reminded him that he did it himself, but that he got a great prize for it instead. He keeps a stuffed animal for security still, but at least his teeth aren't so bucky anymore!

narak44 | August 01 , 2011 11:12 AM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

At about 18 months, we told our daughter that binkys are only for nap time and nite nite. When she got up in the morning, binky went to its "daytime spot" and she's the one who took it out and put it there instead of us. About a week or 2 before her 2nd birthday, we told her that 2-year-olds aren't allowed to have binkys...4 days before her birthday, she stopped asking for it at nite nite! I couldn't believe it! Could just be a coincidence, but I like to think she actually listened. :)

mrswinter33 | August 15 , 2011 5:14 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

When our daughter was 2 years old we had our second daughter. We moved and trying potty training again. I did not want to take the only security she had. It took us 6 months later to try to get rid of the pacifier. While she was playing in her play room i gathered all off the pacifiers and put them in a bag and put them in a drawer that she could not open in the kitchen for our second daughter if she ever needed one. I told our oldest daughter when it was nap time and she asked for them that the birds took them. She went to sleep with no problem but when we went outside after nap she yelled at the birds to bring them back. That was the only day that she said anything about them, she never asked for them again. A little weird but it worked! Our daughter is too smart for my good had to come up with something different!

Quebeng81 | September 09 , 2011 12:31 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

The day after my son's second birthday we told him that we gave all of his "boobooyeah's" (as he calls his binky) to Elmo to give to other babies that needed them more. He was pretty upset with Elmo for a couple of days, but got over it. He only asked for it in the middle of the night for the first week. Other than that it was smooth sailing! I also had a friend who tied the binky to the birthday balloons and told the little boy to say bye and let them go. He also, only asked for it for about a week.

ashleycrum85 | October 05 , 2011 12:17 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

We are about to have our 2nd, so we decided to transition before the baby comes. We weened down to just at nap and bed time and then went cold turkey. He decided to give them all to "baby cheeseburger" (as he calls the new baby) and after they were all gone he had a rough few nights and then we were fine. Much like another parent or two, it turns out that we were more addicted to them than he was. We will still wish that he had one during meltdowns or rough times, but he always makes it through, and so do Mom and Dad!

randktracy | October 19 , 2011 8:51 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I really feel the best way is to just get rid of it all at once! They might whine or cry the first few nights but they WILL get over it I promise.

MandaNic2005 | October 24 , 2011 4:07 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

My son is 18 months, and has always just done things when he's ready. At 9 months he stopped eating baby food, and would only eat "grown up"fiood. The week he turned 1, he just didnt want a bottle anymore, so we're hoping he will be the same with a bink. he seems to see them more as toys at this point, so we're hoping that in a little time, he will be done with them. We're going to be putting him a toddler bed soon to make room for a new baby, so i dont want to take it from him until after that. i like Supernanny's idea of the "bink fairy" so if worse comes to worse, i'm going to try that. i think it would be a good way to try it.

ljgrove | October 31 , 2011 1:01 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

Encourage and allow them to talk about their feelings. This should reduce episodes of acting out. Most parenting books include information on helping siblings adjust to a new baby.-Any Lab Test Now

shantelle1015 | November 13 , 2011 5:20 AM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

This is funny i have 30 month old were i just recently took his paci away from him about 2 months ago. first me and my husband used to hide them from him but my son would always find new ones that he used to hide around the house. and now since he liked biting and chewing on them and ripping off the nipple, i just decided to throw them all away. and don't get me wrong it took a couple of weeks that he kept asking for them so i kept one that he ripped off the nipple. and as soon as he seen it he didn't want them anymore. and that was it. so now he likes to chew on straws.

lisawarrick79 | November 16 , 2011 11:07 AM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

Snip the tops with scissors . My daughter would throw the broken ones away and she was okay with it. Much easier than I thought .

Mshapiro | November 27 , 2011 9:07 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

we thought my daughter would have her bink for the rest of her life (ok alittle over dramatic here but you get the point) I found out i was pregnant in August so we wanted to get her a big girl bed and do the transition before baby came... so we made a deal with her she could sleep either in the big girl bed without her bink or she could sleep in the crib with her bink....that night she slept in her big girl bed for the 1st time and she hasnt asked for her bink since....

slaponsie04 | November 29 , 2011 10:42 AM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

It depends on your kid my kids were perfectly happy to give the pacifier to a new baby that needed them and not another word was said. My cousin was having a baby and we told them as my daughters are only 18 months apart my older one got away with keeping hers longer that the new baby needed there pacifiers to use and they were so happy that the new baby wanted them they never said another word about it. I am also a preschool teacher so I know all kids won't go for that I have seen parents at school cut the tip of them a little more each day to the point that it stays in the kids cubby all day or even leaves it at school at the end of the day

efrye85 | December 15 , 2011 3:16 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I agree. We have a 2.5 yo son and he whined his head off last night since his second to last paci went in the garbage. I can't stand the whining but I think weaning him off as some of the other ladies have put will work better than a cold turkey method. It's too shocking I think.

CherylAnne79 | January 05 , 2012 5:54 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

My son was about 14 months old when we took away his Paci. One morning we took them all away and never looked back. The first couple of days were tough but by day four the Paci was long forgotten. My opinion get rid of it early and just stick with it, distraction is always a wonderful thing. When he would whine for it we would give him "bananas" (one of those little square blankets with the stuffed animal attached to the middle, in his case a Monkey). It was his other security item that at 18 months he still sleeps with happily in his toddler bed. :0)

DRuzz | February 29 , 2012 7:20 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I have not yet weaned my son of the pacifier and am worried to. He only gets it during naps and bedtime but lately he wants it all the time. He at times, is really good with giving it to me when I ask but I would like to get him off the paci by the time he is 2.

bri2131 | March 01 , 2012 1:13 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

I took my daughter's pacifier away from her probably about when she was 18 months old. She got used to it eventually.

JesFeather | March 02 , 2012 7:29 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

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cheapflights | March 10 , 2012 2:39 AM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

Shortly after my son turned a year old, i just stopped giving his pacifier to him. He would always go to sleep with it, but spit it out during the night. One morning I just didn't give it to him and he never seemed to notice. Also, it helped that he had all of his new birthday toys to distract him.

mommy510 | March 13 , 2012 3:38 PM

How do I wean my toddler off his pacifier?

We took our then 2-year old to build-a-bear amd stuffed the "t" in the bears belly!! Now he sleeps with "T-Bear" everynight...no tears at all!! :)

jennfortune | April 22 , 2012 11:04 AM

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