How to Break a Baby From Pacifiers
Parents turn to pacifiers to help soothe their fussy babies. If your baby has become dependent on her pacifier, you might be looking for some techniques to help break her from the habit. Older babies and toddlers who are attached to their pacifiers initially could have a hard time getting rid of their favorite soother, so use some techniques to help the transition go more smoothly.
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Instructions
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Breaking Your Baby's Pacifier Habit
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Figure out when your baby uses her pacifier most often, and distract her during those times. Is your baby used to getting her pacifier when she's upset? Or perhaps she only uses it to get to sleep? Dr. William Sears, Parenting.com contributor, suggests getting your baby's mind off of the event that triggers pacifier usage. If your baby gets a pacifier every time she's upset, perhaps you could work to soothe her yourself and offer plenty of hugs instead.
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Give her other self-soothing alternatives. Teach your baby others ways to take care of her emotions when she's upset. You might have to give her a lot of extra attention in the first few days. Just look at this as an opportunity to strengthen your bond with her, Sears says. You can also distract her with games or activities. Don't allow your child to turn to thumb-sucking, Sears warns.
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Reward your child's efforts. Once your child has been pacifier-free for a certain number of days, allow her to pick out a new toy. Older children might also enjoy a chart that can have stickers or stamps added for every day they're pacifier-free.
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Stay consistent. If you've weaned your baby, don't reintroduce the pacifier.
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Tips & Warnings
Family Education recommends that pacifiers are only used in the crib after a baby is a year. If your child is an older toddler, removing this association with sleep can be tough. Family Education says to expect two or three really bad nights if you do decide to quit cold turkey; however, the toddler should learn fairly quickly to sleep without his pacifier.
If you're trying to break an older toddler of the pacifier habit, you can pick a date and tell him about it. You can even allow him to look at the calendar and pick a date he thinks is a good day to start. Remind your child frequently the day before that he will not have his pacifier tomorrow.
Expect to wean a younger baby gradually from the pacifier.
Prolonged pacifier use can cause tooth misalignment, Smart Momma says. A deformity in your child's upper jaw could cause misalignment with her upper teeth. Your child could also experience slowed language development if she uses a pacifier frequently.
References
- Photo Credit baby with the pacifier image by Cherry-Merry from Fotolia.com
