How did you get rid of the paci?

Please share how you got rid of the paci.  My kids love and I mean love the paci.  They only get it when they nap or go to bed in the evening.  We don't live in the States and I am not able to order The Paci Fairy by  Melissa Burnet from Amezon, they can't deliver our of State.

 

My boys were 19 months old when I had my daughter. Dh and I talked about getting rid of them, and would give it to the baby. So we talked it up with the boys, etc. Then one day while I was out, dh told the boys it was time to give Annabella their pacifiers. So off they went to her room and dropped them in her pack n play! Rest is history! If you have any babies nearby you could do that to, or you can have a pacifier fairy come...leave the pacifiers for the fairy, she comes, takes them, and leaves a little something in their place!

 

We did a version of the paci fairy-we hung all their binkis with string on a tree and then left for the night and took them on a 'big kid' camping trip. While we were gone my parents came and took all the binkis off the tree and left them presents, so when we came home the binkis were gone. We also thought getting out and away from the house where we were secluded and couldnt possibly give them a binki would help as well-one of mine cried all the way to the campsite but neither of them made one complaint after that. And they were HOOKED on them like it was crack. Good luck!!

 

We did a weird version of the paci fairy. Rea was our paci baby and it was shortly after they turned 3 that we finally got rid of them. She was limited to naps and bed time only. And didn't even use them once she was asleep. Well, one day she did something (I don't remember what) and got all but one of them taken away during naptime. When it came to bed time, she was searching all over for her pacifiers. The one that was left fell somewhere between the bed and wall, but we didn't see it at first. I took that moment to tell her that maybe the Paci Fairy came and took it because she was a big girl. She cried a little (the silent tears at that) but then her brother gave her a hug and said he knew she was brave and could do it. I told her if she did really good her first night the fairy might leave something under her pillow. 
 
She did awesome and the next day I went and bought a movie they both wanted and put it under her pillow that next night. She still remembers and talks about it, but she's also never asked for another paci. 

 

My twins had theirs until they turned 3.  I prepped them for weeks that once they turned 3 that the were big enough that they did not need them anymore.  When their third birthday came around, I poked a hole in the paci and gave it to them.  They tried it out, saw they didn't work, and were OK with it.  They mentioned them a few times, but no tears at all.  I was very surprised because they really loved them.  We used the pacifiers with the stuffed animals attached to them (Wubba Nubs) and after a week or so of having the "broken" paci, I just unstitched the pacifiers and gave them the stuffed animal to cuddle.  They never looked back!
 
Hopefully they will surprise you too and the transition will go smoothly!!

 

My kids loved their pacis - we only used the 0-2 months ones, the smallest ones Nuk makes. After 18 months we tried to limit them to naptime and at night but they loved them and we didn't think they would be able to fall asleep without them. Vanessa was obsessed with it more than Max. After 2 and a half I decided it was time for them to go, but I feared they would stop napping if we took them away. They were already biting them and there were little holes in them - they could care less, they were chewing the pacis - so making a whole in them didn't do anything for my kids. One Saturday around 2 and a half, shortly after waking up from a nap, Max took a bite out of his paci and ripped it in 2. So he showed it to us -  we said, "see, it's broken, no more paci now, pacis are for babies and you are a big boy now"  - we made him put it in trash himself and that was it. He asked for it once at nighttime and we reminded him how he threw it in the trash because it was broken and that was it. 2-3 days after that he had some really bad tantrums - and I thought it may be related to him missing his paci, but he didn't ask for it anymore even if Vanessa had hers. With Vanessa it lasted another month or so - after she woke up from a weekend nap she was going to the toilet and she dropped her paci in the toilet. I was so happy, I was waiting for such an opportunity. So we waved bye bye to the paci, and she flushed the toilet. We told her pacis are for babies anyway and she's a big girl and I immediately painted her nails green - her favorite color . It was the first time we painted her nails and we made a huge deal about how big girls have their nails painted and babies don't and she's a big girl now. I must admit I was SO SCARED of night time because I knew how addicted she was with the paci. So of course, night came and we put her in her crib - she asked for the paci. I reminded her she dropped it in the toilet and we flushed it and then I made her look at her beautiful green nails - and she's a big girl now and she got distracted by looking at her nails, so I got out of the room and that was it. She never mentioned the paci again. She was a bit more cranky than usual for a few days, but nothing major.
 
So looking back on it - I guess it was easier than we expected. They kept napping after the pacis were gone and it was a bit bittersweet. I was so against pacis to begin with, and I hated them with a passion and I used to call them a necessary evil, but then when they were gone I was a bit nostalgic - as in, "No more pacis? Wow, how did that happen? They grew too fast!"

 

My son was about 3 yrs old, we explained that paci's were for babies (he had been restricted to nap and nighttime since 18 months old), and just went cold turkey one night.  We bought him a special green puppy stuffy to cuddle in place of the paci.  He cried a bit the first night but by about night 3 he was fine.
 
My daughter was about 2 when we first tried to take hers away, thinking it would be better to get rid of it before we had the twins when she turned 2.5.  NIGHTMARE.  I realize now that it was too early.  She was very dependent on it, she was easily overwhelmed in stressful or new situations and we hadn't even been successful in cutting her back to nap and nighttime only yet.  I destroyed my perfectly sleeping child.  She went from going to bed easily in a completely black room by herself with the door closed, to freaking out just walking into her room, freaking out when we turned the lights off, freaking out if we tried to leave the room...etc.  After 4 hrs of nonstop sobbing from her, we gave them back.  It took us about 6 months to get her back to going to bed decently after that.  We had to leave a night light on, a small lamp, the hallway light and the door open.  We gradually closed the door inch by inch each night until we had it nearly closed, slowly started turning off lights...etc.

Anyways, we tried again shortly after she turned 3 and it went far far better, she cried a bit the first night but was over it very quickly.
 
The twins, I tried at about 2.5.  After several hours of them trading off sobbing, one would calm down then the other would start crying, and so on and so forth over and over and over again, I took them to build a bear the next day to buy bears to put their paci's in.  After yet another night of hours of crying, I gave them their paci's back, but only at nighttime (they didn't nap anymore anyways).  They had to take their paci out every time they got up.  I tried again shortly after they turned 3 and it was a piece of cake.
 
So my best advice is, don't rush it.  I'm not sure how old your littles are, but waiting until they are 3 or even 4 won't hurt them (unless it's in their mouth all the time!).  They will eventually give them up, they won't be taking paci's to school I assure you

 

Thank you so much for all the posts.  My twins are 3 years and 3 months.  Sleep has always been an issue and I think I am the one that is scared that we will also end up in a situation where the good sleep that they have now (most of the nights) will be something op the past.  I am starting to prepare them for the fairy ,but my daughter tells me she is a big girl, but not big enough for the fairy to come.  I will be on leave in December and thought that I will try to get rid of it then as I will be home.
I love the idea of hanging the pacifiers up in a tree and leaving a little gift in the tree for them.
 
 

 

We finally did it  on Saturday !!! :clapping: The fairy came and left them the gifts that they wanted.
The first nap without the pacis were disastrous. Gareth took over an hour to fall asleep, an hour of crying and throwing tantrums.  Caitlin took a bit longer, but fell asleep without too much fuss. Saturday evening was a breeze, I could not believe it. Sunday's nap went fine and at bedtime it took them both longer to fall a sleep, but no crying. Holding thumbs for no setbacks. 
 

 

Way to go!
 
I have been thinking about getting rid of binkies but.. i am waiting.  pretty sure DD would have no problem.  A few months ago i forgot to give her binky when i laid her down in her crib.  there was one in there, but she didn't go look for it right away and judging by how quiet it was, I think she fell asleep without it.  
DS on the other hand is a completely different story... i don't think he is ready.  Reducing him back to night and nap time at 18 months was a week of major drama!
 
Glad it went so smoothly for you!