Thursday, October 27, 2011

Good Question

One parent asked a question recently about a topic many parents have struggled with, so I thought I would share my answer with everyone on how to end dependency on the pacifier.

Some kids will wean themselves off of it naturally as they grow up and get distracted by other things. Other kids will develop a dependency and need some help. The sooner you start working at weaning them away from it (like between 1 and 2 years old) the easier it will be for both you and them. You can do it gradually and more naturally when they are very young.

However it can be harder with some kids. If the child is beyond 3 years old you will have to appeal to their
mind and help their body get used to living without it. I've outlined a process for doing this in my answer to her question on the bottom of the Parenting Page. This process can be adapted for different ages, different levels of dependency, and even different objects like a bottle or a ratty old blanket. To learn more click on the Parenting tab above or the link in this paragraph and go to the comment part of the page at the bottom.

(Keesha at Mom's New Stage has also written a great 2 part post on this topic. Thanks for sharing Keesha!) 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Cheryl-

    I just posted my humorous, traumatic, but happily ever after story about my son's saying good-bye to his pacifier. Here's a link - there's a part one and two.

    http://momsnewstage.blogspot.com/2011/10/pacifier-withdrawn-part-i.html

    Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think every child takes their own time. My son took longer than my daughter but both were well potty trained by 2 1/2. Acutally I did not have to try hard either.
    www.thoughtsofpaps.com

    ReplyDelete

I love comments and I'll do my best to respond to them all.

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