wean off pacifire for sleeping

[Daniel'sMom]

Hello everyone

my daughter will turn 3 in a few weeks and I am wondering how to wean her off the pacifier. She used to use it all the time until she was about 1.5, then she started only using it for nap and night sleep. She knows as soon as she wakes up and get out of her room she needs to put it in her bed and she is understanding of that. However, she is VERY attached to it. I must also note that the paci goes along with a blanki she hugs when she goes to sleep. She loves the two so much, she's comforting herself just by knowing she will get it later when she goes to sleep, and when its time to put it down she will take a few last "sucks" before putting it away. I tried to explain to her the other day that soon we will all go to the park and tie the paci to a balloon and wave bye bye to it because she is a big girl now and it is not good for her teeth. she got genuinely sad and upset. I don't know how to make the switch smooth, especially since up until not long ago she was used to wake up several times a night and thank gd she is doing better with that now. Im afraid if i take the paci away it will start all over again. I also want to help her get over the emotional need because she is extremely attached to it. it is probably also important to say that she just got off her diapers 2 weeks ago... maybe i need to wait a bit?... Anything would help! thank you all very much!

[Daniel'sMom]

Hi does anyone have any thoughts about this? I would love to hear your experience:) Thanks!

[Katet]

OK thinking here from your other thread that she sounds like my DS1 & is an emotionally spirited child & has very BIG emotions, so it's not easy, esp when she is struggling to give it up on day to say basis. She will get a lot more upset without it, so that will put a lot more emotional stress on you too.

As you say her attachment is strong, but there is the teeth factor (or is there?) , to us we tried a few times but in the grand scheme of things DH & I decided that DS1 would do it in his own time & we went with that, because we felt if it made him feel secure then that was important & it was our Dentist who helped us with that as he told us that he really didn't see that it was causing him an issue with his baby teeth & as long as he gave it up before he started getting wobbly teeth he'd be fine.. He was close to 4 when he gave it up & as a 12yo he does have to get Braces, but then both DH & I did too & the Orthodontist told me that it was more likely due to his genetics & his allergies causing mouth breathing once he stopped his paci than it was he was sucking it, which kind of holds true as DS2 didn't have a Paci but sucked on the arm of a teddy bear (well one of 8 in rotation) & he had an open bite at 4.5yo when he gave up the bears but now as an 11yo has no teeth issues at all despite having them with his baby teeth.

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[Daniel'sMom]

Thank you very much that was helpful, I will consult the dentist and ask what her teeth are like now and if it is ok to let her wean off at her own pace. Thanks so much!

[Lolly]

My DD was very attached to her paci too and I kept putting off getting rid of it. We started talking about the paci fairy taking it and leaving her a big girl present when she turned 3 but she was very anti the idea and would not even entertain the idea!

I went on a 5 day training course about a month after her 3rd birthday, when I got back DH had got rid of it . She actually did a lot better than we thought she would. He collected all the packs up before bed one night and told her the paci fairy had come and taken them for the new babies (of course no present lined up because I wasn't there ). She took a while to go to sleep the first 2 nights but she really didn't even ask for them. The only time she cried and asked for them was on waking up the next morning and that was an easy time to distract her. She also had her pink bunny for bed which helped I think, she still had the comfort of that. We went shopping and let her choose a big girl present which she loved.

The bonus for us was that she was waking a couple of times a night looking for the paci and that stopped and she did sleep better once it had gone.

That worked out well for us, I'm not sure she would have ever given it up on her own as she still sleeps with a seahorse that plays music she has had since she was a baby and no signs of not wanting it so far!

Laura

[Luciagerard]

Hello
My son is 26 months , used it antil today only for naps and bedtime, and we have left it today!
He loves the garbage truck and loves to watch in the street( we live in Barcelona) and loves the men who work in it
So one day I told him we would give them the dummy so they would take it away...
He  seemed alright about it. I just waited until he got his last canine out
So this week we were talking about givimg it away...I reminded him he would not have it to sleep, but he said he would sleep with his teddy!
And this morning when the garbage truck came by our street he shouted and called for me so he could throw the paci away.
I said are tou sure? He said yes
So we threw it away and " daddy  went down to the garbage man because he had a present for him!!"
It was a garbage truck toy!!! He was so happy....
But...
Naptime arrived, he cried for 30 min and wanted to give the toy back!! Finally he accepted not having the paci....
Bedtime arrived, again crying he wanted it back..but I had to be strong!!!!! I talked to him and told him again that he was a big boy etc etc he finally fell asleep
First nightwake after 1 hour asleep, I am sure Overtired, crying and screeming, but after 30 min he calmed down, asked gain for the paci and I told him again the same story..it took him less time ro understand and has fallen asleep again
We will see how the night goes...
I know it will be a few difficult days but now we have made the step I dont want to go back!!!