3 Strategies to Drop the Pacifier
When do you drop the pacifier? When do you use a pacifier? Is the pacifier helpful or not?
SO MANY QUESTIONS!
The pacifier can be SUPER helpful in the newborn stage if your child takes one. Once their sleep patterns change and mature though (i.e. the four month regression), it can start to become the “paci dance” where you’re replacing it every single sleep cycle all. night. long.
That’s when it’s no longer helpful to have a pacifier around!
However, if removing the pacifier is super intimidating then you can certainly keep it around until they’re independent with finding and replacing it at night– around 6-8 months old.
Until that time, you’re responsible for replacing it whenever they wake needing it throughout the night.
If you’re ready to drop the pacifier– here are my tips:
Cold turkey. I’m a big fan of ripping off the band aid and taking the paci for bedtime, night time wakings, then naps and using your sleep training method of choice for when they protest the change. If they’re older, like 12+ months, you can replace it with a lovey. If they’re much older, like 2.5+ years, then you can incorporate something like the paci fairy, or donating them to babies, etc.
The frida weaning system. This is the only safe weaning option there is (cutting it or modifying the nipple isn’t safe and can be a choking hazard). It reduces the nipple shape over time until there isn’t anything for them to suck on.
Offer the pacifier as a soothing tool, but not something they need to fall asleep with. In this case, you’d give them the paci when they’re crying, and take it away when they’re calm. As they adjust, you’ll have to offer it less and less! Something I’m not super fond of is giving it once then not again. I feel that is a little bit unfair especially if it put them to sleep or made them really drowsy. You’re asking them to do something much more difficult than the cold turkey approach!
Ideal ages for taking the pacifier:
between 4-8 months if they’re not independent with it
between 12-18 months when they can have a lovey instead
after they’re 2.5-3 (from a sleep standpoint, I often see kids give up their naps if you take it away between 2-2.5)
From a speech standpoint and oral development standpoint, use of the pacifier should be limited after 6 months to only sleep times, if that!
If you’re not sure what to do when it’s time to get rid of the pacifier and need some strategies, the sleep training basics guide would be a good starting point!
