Dr. Scott Bialik

Serving Brookfield, Bethel, Ridgefield, Newtown, New Fairfield, New Milford, Sandy Hook, Southbury and the Greater Danbury, CT area. Also serving Carmel, Patterson, and Brewster NY

How can I get my child off the pacifier?

Breaking the pacifier habit is often easier than that of the thumb. The toughest part is to get your child down to sucking on only one pacifier. Usually this is tougher on the parent than the child. If your child is constantly throwing the pacifier on the ground or getting it dirty, clean off the pacifier and then give it back. This will help the child learn to cope without the pacifier for short periods of time. Once your child is comfortable with only one pacifier then they are ready to continue onto the next step.

The next step is to break the child’s dependence on the pacifier. This is done slowly over a period of time. All you have to do is simply get a scissors and snip off a very small part of the tip of the pacifier (Approximately 1mm). Make sure that there are no sharp edges. Then give the pacifier to your child. If you proceed slowly, your child will not even realize that it has been altered. Every couple of days snip off more from the tip. Eventually only the hub of the pacifier will be left. When that happens, the child will no longer receive any pleasure from sucking on the pacifier, and will throw it away. The important thing to remember is not to push them to quickly. Otherwise, their finger or thumb will become a natural replacement for the pacifier.