Sending the Pacifier Packing

My kids had an all consuming love-affair with a little thing called a binky  boomboom bippy plug pacifier from the day it first went in their mouth.  It was a comfort to them and a panacea for every less than comfortable feeling. Tired? Pacifier. Sad? Pacifier. Angry? Pacifier. Hungry? Pacifier. Bored? Well you get the idea.  I had read a study that said that allowing a child to sleep with a pacifier reduced the risk of SIDS, so I was willing to risk the scorn and ridicule that often comes with extended pacifier use. I was not, however, willing to risk the girls' oral development.

My eldest is going to be four soon. Not only is she too old for a pacifier, but I was starting to notice an effect on her front teeth. NOT cool. So that was the first big factor in my decision to unplug. The second had everything to do with my second little one. At nearly three, she really is getting too old as well, but the real reason for her was for the sake of her speech.  When she would talk, there wasn't really anything wrong with it. She can form words beautifully, actually. But the problem was that she preferred to have the pacifier in her mouth all the time, so she just didn't talk much.

So on Sunday, I sat down with my girls and told them that they could have the pacifiers for the rest of the day, and that when they woke up they weren't going to have them anymore.  Then on Monday morning, I followed through on that.  I collected both pacifiers...

and.......

cut the tips off! When they asked for them later, I gave them to them just like that. When they discovered they were broken and that they couldn't keep them in their mouths that way, they didn't want them.  Awesome!

But then night fell, and all the success I thought I was having melted away. The little one sobbed like she had lost her best friend and I seriously had second thoughts. She's my baby after all! But I stayed strong. For the first time in her whole life, I had to get into bed with her and stroke her back and hold her hand until she fell asleep.  But then she stayed asleep all night.  It was an easier night than I had anticipated. The older one didn't have a problem at all. I would say the transition is made with her. 

So, now we're pacifier-free.  It was hard, but I think I kind of made it much harder in my head. If you are struggling with weaning from the pacifier, maybe give this method a shot.  And stay strong! :)