Comments on: Mommy SOS: Operation Pacifier Elimination

By: Aileen

Aileen — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:35:24 +0000

My cousin used to love her pacifier (she also called it her noo-noo) and what my aunt and uncle did was to have her put it under her pillow so that the noo-noo fairy could collect it, like the tooth fairy. I think she got a play doctor’s bag with stethoscope etc. as a reward from the noo-noo fairy and she seemed fine with it

By: Rachel @ Busy Mommy Media

Rachel @ Busy Mommy Media — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:02:45 +0000

I will admit it, my 2 year old still uses his pacifier. He’s baby #3 for us (He may be a toddler but he is still my baby) and I’ve gotten lazy. The funny thing about him is that he didn’t really get attached to his pacifier until after his first birthday. I tried to give him on during a plane trip when he was 9 months old and he would have nothing to do with it. A few months later he found one behind his crib and he hasn’t given it up since. I’ve decided not to worry about it for now. I’m just hoping he doesn’t try and take it to kindergarten with him.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:19:40 +0000

@Sarah — That’s awesome!! Did they really keep them or did you swing back around and get them back? I think maybe I would have to sneak one out of the bag to keep.

By: ariana

ariana — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:25:28 +0000

@Sarah, I LOVE that idea!

By: Sarah @ Our Bella Cucina

Sarah @ Our Bella Cucina — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:44:09 +0000

I always said that my son would not have his paci after he turned 2. So months before he turned 2 we started limiting it to bedtime and naptimes only. Then the weekend before he turned 2 I called the manager of our local Toys R Us and arranged with them to have him come in and “exchange” his pacifiers for a new toy. I of course would pay for the toy, I just needed the cashier to play along. They agreed to do it and I had Josh collect all his pacifiers and put them in a ziploc bag. He then carried the bag for the car ride and walking into the store, then he chose a toy and we went to the checkout. He was the one who had to hand over his bag of binkies, so he knew he had given them away, and then we went home with his new toy. He only mentioned them once more when we were home but after that he never asked for them again. I think I was more upset about giving them away than he was! lol :)

By: Yvonne

Yvonne — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:34:29 +0000

Hey Arianna!
To answer your question, 1) I haven’t been able to get Zacky to sit in a dentist’s chair and open his mouth long enough for the dentist to tell me that the paci is ruining his teeth; 2) S and Z are SUCH different children–Z without paci was a little sad but she got over it in about 48 hours. I shudder to think about the drama that will accompany Z without paci and how long it will last. 3) Second-child syndrome. :)

By: Raquel

Raquel — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:32:27 +0000

our oldest was so addicted to his “noonoo” we tried so many
different things to help him give it up but none of them worked. he was almost 3 when we had the idea of the noonoo fairy! we hid the noonoo in the morning and told him the noonoo fairy had come and taken it away because he was too old and she needed it for other babies. he was completely fine with that and quit cold turkey. looking back at this technique i think it would only work with older kids and perhaps not with some at all. our daughter has never had any interest in pacis so we wont have to try out the noonoo fairy technique again!

By: California Girl

California Girl — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:15:16 +0000

For Maya, we use the binky for sleep and the car. I really don’t even make it an option otherwise. So far, so good… she pops it in as soon as I put her in her crib and pretty much as soon as I buckle her in the car. At this point, it’s a help so I have no intention of weaning yet. I’ve read it’s very tough for them until they are closer to 3. So unless we start having major problems with it, I’ll probably worry about it then.

By: ariana

ariana — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:42:45 +0000

Hi Yvonne! Thanks for coming by :) Now I’m curious why you are ok with Zackie having the paci but not Serena at that age!

By: Yvonne

Yvonne — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:49:24 +0000

Both my children were (are) very oral and the pacifier really met their need for comfort. When my now 6 1/2 year old was 2 1/2, the dentist said that we had to get rid of it or else her teeth would be permanently damaged. At that point we had restricted its use to the crib. I poked a tiny hole in it with a pin and the second I gave it to her she gave it back to me because it wasn’t satisfying to suck (try it, it really changed the feel of the pacifier!). The first night was rough but after that she really never looked back. P.S. She never napped again. So my advice is, don’t take it away until you are fully committed to eradicating it. P.P.S. The above did not dissuade me from offering the pacifier to my now 2 1/2 year old son. He will be much more difficult to get off the pacifier.