https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:21:21 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2869418 Tue, 29 Jan 2019 11:44:32 +0000 MrsADS 2869418@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 3y4m son still has one at bedtime! I know we need to get rid of it. I think it's probably affecting his teeth but he will probably need braces anyway, so IDK if it's a huge deal or not.</p> <p>He is very high strung and it's gonna be a disaster taking it away. I am not even sure what to do. Bargaining with him to get a toy or something in exchange is not gonna work. If he wakes up during the night and he can't find it for some reason, he starts bawling. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2869416 Tue, 29 Jan 2019 11:38:31 +0000 Mrsbells 2869416@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@annem1990: Our pediatrician always told us to work on removing it before or by the 1st birthday to minimize damage to teeth as well as speech. so thats always been our goal and we start weaning from it around 10 months. I also think it gets harder to take it away from them once they are older. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2869257 Mon, 28 Jan 2019 15:06:25 +0000 Ajsmommy 2869257@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>NO guilt......My DD had one and she used it for car rides, naps and night time and if she got really upset. It never bothered me bc my parents lost mine when I was young so I became a thumb sucker and that MESSED my teeth/mouth/jaw up sooooo bad that I'd rather have my DD suck a paci until shes a teen!!! Anyway, I never thought about taking hers away and never made any plans too...</p> <p>About one month after she turned three she started to bite it more than suck on it.. and when she was 3 y and about 1 month she went to bed and she held the paci in her hand. Didn't put it in her mouth at all. No coaching or anything from us. She did that for a few nights and then she was done. Just like that!!! I believe that if you let kids get over these things on their own that they will eventually.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2869238 Mon, 28 Jan 2019 14:42:22 +0000 kayla0416 2869238@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have a 2yr 9mo old that still uses a paci at night and is VERY attached to it. I haven't been in a rush to get rid of it at all, but I'm finally starting to feel like it might be time soon... But at this point I'm scared that she'll stop napping if we get rid of it! I'll let her keep it forever if it means she'll keep napping. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2869149 Mon, 28 Jan 2019 01:47:33 +0000 agold 2869149@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My girl is 28 months and I haven't stopped it at all. She has 8 in her crib right now! I don't let her have it in public, but I actually still carry one in my diaper bag. I figure she won't take one to preschool. I don't know when I will drop it. Luckily baby sissy doesn't take pacifiers so when we are done, we are done. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2869045 Sun, 27 Jan 2019 09:31:03 +0000 MrsSRS 2869045@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Another vote for keep it with no guilt. As long as it lives in the bed and doesn't get used during wake time, keep it until three when you can explain it. We talked it up for a bit then traded it for a new stuffed animal. Bedtime took a few minutes longer for a bit, bit we were able to keep that nap until kindergarten. A pediatric dentist told me that if you remove it when a kid still wants to suck then they are more likely to turn to sucking their thumb anyway, and that's worse for your teeth because of palate pressure and bacteria. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2868947 Sat, 26 Jan 2019 09:19:21 +0000 BadgerMom 2868947@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>These guys are my sleep gurus. They advocate if you kept it past one, keep it until around three. Otherwise they’re afraid the nap will go with it. Worked great for us. I think it helped DS stay in his crib, which allowed us to keep a good bedtime and naps longer. And if I remember correctly it was a pretty easy transition when we took it away because he could understand/reason a bit more. </p> <p><a href="https://www.babysleepscience.com/single-post/2014/05/03/Pacifiers-and-Sleep" rel="nofollow">https://www.babysleepscience.com/single-post/2014/05/03/Pacifiers-and-Sleep</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2868945 Sat, 26 Jan 2019 09:13:38 +0000 wrkbrk 2868945@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@annem1990: Congratilarions! Yeah with a baby on the way this transition can wait!!!!! We took DS to build a bear (I think I got that idea on here!) and he put one symbolic paci into a bear. Now he sleeps with that every night. Like PP said, one bad week and it was done! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2868943 Sat, 26 Jan 2019 09:07:07 +0000 annem1990 2868943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wrkbrk: @SweetiePie: @lady baltimore: Thank you this is reassuring!!!!<br /> I’m very early into my 2nd pregnancy. DS will just be 2 when baby#2 is born. I feel like transitioning him before/after baby would be too hard. Glad it seems that experts you’ve talked to agree I can wait until 3. I love the idea of him being able to pick out a toy too when it’s time to give up the pacifier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2868923 Fri, 25 Jan 2019 22:41:59 +0000 lady baltimore 2868923@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We dropped the sleep pacifier just after LO turned three. We had seen the dentist for the first time right after her birthday, and she recommended it, so that was the kick in the pants that we needed. I was dreading it, and kept wishing we had done it sooner (especially before we moved her out of the crib at 2y9m), but it was much easier than I expected. As others have mentioned, she was old enough to understand when we talked about it in the days leading up to it, could interact with the books we read about it, and was just able to be much more of a participant in the process. LO picked out a "no binks" present, and was actually the one to initiate the first night of sleeping without a pacifier (which she made it through with her pacifiers within easy reach, amazing the hell out of me). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2868922 Fri, 25 Jan 2019 22:27:08 +0000 castilrm 2868922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We took it away when our daughter was just a bit past 2. We’d heard before 3 for dental health but we had a baby on the way and wanted to get rid of the pacifier we’ll before the baby came because didn’t want her to associate the loss of her beloved pacifier with the baby (esp if the baby had a pacifier herself). It actually ended up being much easier than I thought and she was over it after about a week. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2868918 Fri, 25 Jan 2019 22:06:48 +0000 SweetiePie 2868918@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My ped and dentist both said that there’s no harm until 3yo. I was surprised but dentist said as long as it’s sleep time only and not all night (like just to fall asleep and maybe pop back in once over night) it isn’t a problem till closer to 3. Actually she might have even said 4 was ok. But DEF wasn’t earlier than 3. </p> <p>For that reason, we waited till he was 3. At 3 they can really understand and you can explain things/reason. They respond well to rewards.<br /> I was so scared since mine is a great sleeper but it barely made a difference. </p> <p>My 2nd is 11 months. We took it away at 4 months when we sleep trained. We figured he was going to cry anyway and he wasn’t as attached as my first was. I have to say it’s really nice not having to worry about it later. </p> <p>I think if you don’t do it super early, later is better. In between lets say 6mo and maybe 2.5yo they are dependent on it AND dont understand why you took it away. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2868912 Fri, 25 Jan 2019 20:55:28 +0000 wrkbrk 2868912@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@annem1990: I was the same - you guys are fine!! I took my son’s away at 2 yrs 10 months!! My ped (and the dentist) said before 4 is ok for teeth. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-stop-pacifier#post-2868908 Fri, 25 Jan 2019 20:33:19 +0000 annem1990 2868908@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS is 16 months. He's used a pacifier since birth. It stays in his bed and therefore he only gets it during nap and bedtime.<br /> Is it bad that I have no desire to get rid of it? Is there a time when it needs to go? I obviously don't want to do any damage to his teeth or overall ability to cope. </p>