How Did You Pull The Plug?

One of my nearly-6-month-olds has become quite attached to her pacifier...even moreso in the last two weeks....and I always said I'd wean at 6 months. She is the only of my 3 girls who has taken to it. So, I'm wondering how everyone got rid of them? Cold turkey? Slow progression? I was thinking of starting with only giving it to her in the crib or car for sleeping, and slowly weaning from there....but bedtime has become an hour-long production of running in to replace the lost pacifier! She does okay at naptime, I maybe have to replace it once, but bedtime is an altogether different story (although, once she's asleep, she's down for the night) If I pull the plug altogether at once, what can I expect? I am envisioning some loud shrieking and screaming for a prolonged period of time :cry: , and will probably have to separate the babies so that the other is not disturbed. When you got rid of the paci, did you replace it with something else...like a lovey? Did that help?

I am still wavering as to whether or not I am ready to do this...it is so easy to calm her by "plugging her up," so when they're both screaming, it's nice I can easily soothe one...but I don't want to be dependent (her or me!) on it for the prolonged future!

Thanks!

 

None of mine took a paci and I SOOOO wanted them too. Personally at 6 months, I wouldnt worry about it. If it helps her self soothe then I would let it be for now.

 

QUOTE(DATJMom @ Jun 28 2009, 08:55 AM) [snapback]1372121[/snapback]
Personally at 6 months, I wouldnt worry about it. If it helps her self soothe then I would let it be for now.


Same here. If you are concerned I'd call and ask your pedi about it. Mine says paci's are fine until the age of 2.

 

Both of mine love their paci and won't go to sleep without it. I have no desire to take it from them this early! I will personally probably not try until closer to two years old.

 

I'm with Aimee & Rachel, none of mine took a paci no matter how hard I tried to get them to, so I'm not sure. At 6 months, I wouldn't worry too much, but if you really want to get her off of it, I would think gradually reducing her time with it would be the way at this age. Maybe try getting her off of it during the day first & worry about the night later. ardon:

 

Mine had them all the time until they turned a year. At a year, I weaned them to nighttime/naptime only (and the occasional long distance car ride). After they turn 2, I suppose I'll start to take them completely away.

 

It wont be long and she will be able to find the pacifier all on her own and you wont have to help her. for now I think its a great soother and you should let her keep it

Once my DD started walking (at 1 year) she was so busy running around etc we left the pacifier in her crib. The only time she had it, was in the crib. Then about 1-2 months after that, I just took them all away one day. she never really noticed. With that being said, I now have a thumb sucker!
But again shes only doing it at nap/night time so for now Im letting it go. I tell her that sucking her thumb is yucky and for babies and she will usually stop sucking and smile at me.
things seem to go easier at our house when I let it happen at their pace without too much fuss.

 

Are they chewing on anything? Once I realized mine were chewing on their lovies more I just stopped giving them the paci...although they weren't really attached to it bc we didn't really offer it to begin with...but they would chew on the lovie instead at night. Still do actually

 

With my first son, we let him have the binki until about 1 1/2 because he was a late teether and we didn't want him to suck his thumb. However, before he turned one, we weaned him to having it only in the crib. It was kind of a pain because we had to get up in the middle of the night to go find it when it fell out of the crib. We started introducing a "lovey" because we wanted that to replace his comfort item. He was so attached to the binki...we tried cold turkey but that was a screaming nightmare. So we went with a suggestion from my daycare lady (a trick that has been tried and true by several people I know now). We gradually cut the tip of the binki off little by little. After a couple of weeks or so, there was nothing left to suck on. He would hold the base in his hands at night because that was his comfort item. When he moved to his toddler bed (a few months before turning 2) the binki stayed in the crib. I told him he was sleeping in a big boy bed now and didn't need it. That was that - he didn't have a problem with it and now just sleeps with his stuffed animals.