Ayub loves taking pictures with whatever phone he can get his grubby little hands on.…
How to… wean a toddler off a pacifier (Update)
[Update: Ayub finally stopped using his pacifier, find out how at the end of the article]
There ought to be a support group called PA set up. Pacifierholics Anonymous. I’d be the first in line to register Ayub. He is an addict.
I’ve tried to wean him off before but when his big round puppy dog eyes well up with tears while he begs me for his paci… What’s a mama to do?
With his third birthday just around the corner and a little brother on the way. I decided it would be time to put an end to the reign of what he calls, the chot-chot.
And here’s how I weaned my toddler off his pacifier…
I didn’t.
I seriously thought about it.
Cutting a little hole so there’s no more suction. Cutting a little hole and telling him a rat had bitten it. Throwing them all away completely. Dipping them in something bitter like coffee so they taste bad. Making a big deal about big boys not using them. And a hundred million suggestions more from friends, family and the internet.
But really, when it comes down to it, does it matter?
Pacifiers give Ayub comfort when he’s in unfamiliar places, calm him when he’s stressed, soothe him when he’s hurt and help him sleep at night. Aside from not being aesthetically pleasing, there are no bad effects from using a pacifier that I can find. Doctors and whoever have all said that teeth do not get crooked or damaged. Speech may be a little delayed, but no real harm done. And I’ve never seen an adult walk around with a pacifier in his mouth. So I figure, Ayub will stop eventually. When he’s ready. When he wants to.
Parents on the one hand, wish their babies stayed babies for longer, yet on the other are pushing and pushing for them to grow up. Why?
Ayub loves his pacifier. And that’s ok with me.
[Update: Ayub chewed on his pacifier until there was a tear in it. Instead of replacing it, when he showed me, I made a face and said ‘Ew, it’s broken…’ And after that he thought his paci was ‘yucky’ so he slowly stopped using it, and by the next day stopped asking for it. That night he played with his toys in his room until way past his bedtime and fell asleep on the floor. I put him in bed and left the torn paci next to him on his pillow. A few times that night he woke up and put it in his mouth. Second night was the same, but he spat out the paci. By the third he was back on his normal routine and pacifier-free. A week on he asks about his pacifier once in awhile but after reminding him it’s broken he moves on and forgets about it. Looks like he weaned himself off it after all. Moral of the story? Babies will know when it’s time to wean themselves, so don’t rush them.]
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