How to wean a child from a pacifier?
Author:Victoria Clark
Updated: 05.12.2023
A baby and a pacifier, this combination goes together. Although it is more and more common to encounter the opinion of some mothers that the child will not miss a pacifier in life, it just does not need to get used to it. A pacifier for a child is often mainly a help for parents. Mainly because they know how much a pacifier can calm a child, stop crying, put them to sleep and simply become an irreplaceable aid despite its certain controversy.
The child gets used to the pacifier very quickly thanks to its natural sucking reflex. It recedes over time, but the pacifier continues to give the baby a pleasant feeling of peace. The most common argument against pacifiers is more problematic tooth growth and the emergence of orthodontic defects. This is also why there are so many pacifiers on the market and you need to be careful when choosing. And why wean the child off the pacifier ? It is a fact that from a certain age the use of a pacifier can have a negative effect not only on the development of the teeth, but also on the development of speech. At some point, it will no longer work with the pacifier and it is necessary to wean the child from the pacifier.
How to wean a child from a pacifier and when is the right time? The experiences of mothers speak of an ideal period of 2-2.5 years, by the age of 3 at the latest, the child should put the pacifier aside completely. Other mothers, on the other hand, prefer to wean the child from the pacifier until the age of 2. With older age, the dependence is even higher . Ideally, as soon as possible before starting kindergarten. Then the child should no longer need to reach for the pacifier. How to wean a child from a pacifier is possible in several ways . Of course, the unlearning process can be more or less problematic in some cases. The cliché that a child will decide when to stop using a pacifier is wishful thinking rather than reality. Here are some convenient and effective ways that can help parents wean their child off the pacifier for good.
- Reasonably explain to the child why he no longer needs a pacifier, that he is already big and that he must not have a pacifier to grow nice teeth.
- Exchange the pacifier for a gift in the form of a stuffed animal, favorite toy car, doll or other favorite toy.
- The pacifier is lost! You came back from a trip, vacation or shopping and there is no pacifier. Just throw it in the trash and pretend to the child that it's lost and you don't need it anyway, because you're already big.
- Parting with a pacifier can be done ritually, for example, put it under the pillow and the pacifier fairy will take it. Put the pacifier in an envelope and send it to other children who need it.
- Rub the pacifier with mustard or lemon , the bad taste will simply discourage the child from using the pacifier.
- Time the delivery of the pacifier to the child at Christmas. Explain to him that he will receive gifts from Jesus and he must leave the pacifier as a gift to him.
- A more drastic way is to destroy the pacifier. Just cut off the teat and say it's broken. Emphasize that he doesn't need it anymore or can't have it anymore because he's big. Alternatively, offer the child an alternative in the form of something he likes - a toy, a game on the playground, reading from a book, etc.
Most mothers began weaning themselves from pacifiers around the age of 2 to 2.5 years, before starting kindergarten. Some mothers even wean their child from the pacifier around 1 to 1.5 years old. Several women talk about their experiences, that although the child asked for a pacifier for a few days, he lost interest over time . Most often, mothers chose the method of simply not giving the pacifier to the child and explaining why . Some mothers combined weaning from the pacifier with other activities and convinced the child that if he wants to go, e.g. on the carousel, must not have a pacifier. Other mothers, on the other hand, convinced the child that he was already spoiled. Despite the frequent expressions of sadness, based on the experience of the discussants, the children quickly weaned themselves from the pacifier. Several women recommend weaning off the pacifier as soon as possible, or limiting its use only when falling asleep.
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