Some pediatricians would rather the pacifier weren't introduced in the first place. Those who condone their use have divergent opinions about why, and when, to wean your child off of them. "Keeping Kids Healthy" says six months is a good time to quit. BabyCenter® says four years is a more appropriate age to start worrying about it. If you have determined that it is, in fact, time for your kid to give up his binky, what is the appropriate method? Do you do as Dr. Hull suggests and simply chuck it in the trash can, hoping your child will quickly forget? Or do you feel more comfortable with Dr. Sears's method: taking your tyke to the toy store and trying to convince him that an "exchange" would be in his best interest?
THE TRADE-IN TECHNIQUE: Dr. Sears "When to Pull the Plug, 3 Bye-Bye Binky Tactics"
A person should always be at the other end of a comforting tool. The breast (or the finger) has the built-in advantage of making sure you don't fall into the habit of just plugging up the source of the cries as a mechanical gesture. When baby cries, if you find yourself, by reflex, reaching for the pacifier instead of reaching for your baby, pull the plug — and lose it.
[...]
Peer through any newborn nursery window and you're sure to witness contented babies lying quietly in plastic boxes all plugged in with no place to go. Pull the plug on this scene. These babies should be plugged into their mothers.
[...]
When pacifier overuse is harming the teeth. Between two and three years of age, toddlers can cause their upper front teeth to protrude by sucking intensely on a pacifier, especially at night.
[...]
If your child does not use a pacifier long enough and suck hard enough to be causing mal-alignment of the teeth, then there is no need to break this habit. If it is beginning to bother her teeth [...] wave bye-bye to her "binky."
[...]
Here's a binky-breaking trick I have oftentimes advised in my pediatric practice. I call this the trade-in technique. Take your child to the toy store and let her pick out a toy to "trade" for the pacifier. Experienced toy store clerks are used to this trading game. By making the pacifier less convenient to use, distracting her, and substituting a treasured toy, you should be able to close the pacifier chapter of normal childhood.
QUIT AT SIX MONTHS: Dr. Hull "Pacifier"If there is an argument for pacifiers, the prevention of thumb-sucking is probably the best argument for early judicious use of an orthodontic pacifier (although I am unaware of any scientific study proving this). "Better a binky than a pinky." A pacifier can be discarded after the first few months (I recommend by no later than about 5–6 months.)
[...]
Some people get nervous about using a pacifier too long — but remember, it is the parents who allow this.
[...]
Pacifier use should be limited to initial falling asleep only. Otherwise, there is a now fairly well established association of increased ear infections with continuous pacifier use1. This use of pacifiers — just to aid falling asleep — may be OK for the first few months, but even this use should be avoided after 5–6 months because of the risk of reinforcing behavioral night waking and crying around 7-8 months.
[...]
Pacifiers were created more for the convenience of parents, rather than that of babies (who come equipped with perfectly good appendages on which to suck). The moment that the pacifier causes more work for the parents than it saves, it should go. To be specific, if you find yourself getting up four times a night to replace the pacifier, you need to get rid of it right away.
[...]
Getting rid of pacifiers is easy. Throw them in the trash. Your child cannot remember the thing for very long. If you dread this so much, just think of when you had to go to the dentist. It was probably not nearly as painful as you feared, and once done, it was done. "Well, that wasn't so bad after all..."
BABY SHOULD SELF-WEAN AT 9–12 MONTHS: University of Michigan Health Systems "Pacifiers"A good age to make the pacifier less available is when your child starts to crawl. A pacifier can interfere with normal babbling and speech development. This is especially important after 12 months of age, when speech should increase dramatically. It's hard for a child to talk with a pacifier in his mouth.
[...]
During your child's first 6 months, give him the pacifier whenever he wants to suck but isn't happy. Be careful not to offer it every time he cries. Crying has a number of causes besides hunger and a need to suck.
[...]
Try not to overuse the pacifier while you are comforting your baby.
[...]
After 6 months of age (or when your baby starts crawling), offer the pacifier less often. Keep it out of sight when not in use.
[...]
Do not use the pacifier to help your child fall asleep. Never use a pacifier as a sleep transition object (except in cases for calming a colicky newborn).
[...]
If pacifier use has been restricted to times you are holding your child, he will usually lose interest in it by 9 to 12 months of age. If he has been allowed to use it frequently and is very interested in it, your child will usually agree to give it up completely by the age of 3 or 4 years. Pick a time to give it up when your child is not coping with new stresses or fears. Sometimes giving up the pacifier on a birthday, holiday, or other special occasion is easier for your child.
If you want to break your older child's sucking habits, the first step is to ignore them! Most often, they will disappear with time. Harsh words, teasing, or punishment may upset your child, and the habit will get worse. Punishment is not an effective way to get rid of habits.
[...]
Rewarding good behavior is the best way to produce a change.
[...]
If your child's teeth are affected by the behavior and you have tried all the methods described above, talk to a pediatric dentist.
[...]
Severe emotional upsets or stress-related problems might cause your child to suck his thumb or use a pacifier for a long time. It is also possible that your child may be one of the very few who cannot seem to stop. However, most children stop daytime sucking habits before they get very far in school. This is because of peer pressure. These same children might still use sucking as a way of going to sleep or calming themselves when they are upset. This is usually done in private and causes no harm either emotionally or physically. Putting too much pressure on your child to stop this type of behavior may cause more harm than good. Even these children eventually stop the habit on their own.
AVOID PACIFIER PAST AGE TWO: Toddlers Today "Pacify the Pacifier Habit"When it comes to diminishing a child's pacifier attachment, Dr. Black says providing encouragement and a sense of independence for children is most effective. "Let's give children the decision to stop using a pacifier, just like you may give them the choice to wear the blue shirt, green shirt or yellow shirt when they are learning to dress themselves," he says.
For many parents, helping their children realize they no longer need the comfort of a pacifier can be the most difficult stage of the weaning process. Although Dr. Black does not pinpoint a certain age at which a child should stop using a pacifier, he does warn of the sociological issues that are often involved. "If a child is over the age of 1 1/2 to 2 years, using a pacifier in public can carry with it a negative impact," he says. "We don't know why people have such negative feelings about older children with pacifiers, but it is an issue that can be brought up by other family members or even complete strangers.
[...]
Not only are there sociological effects that can arise from prolonged pacifier use, there are also developmental considerations. Remember Mom's advice to not talk with your mouth full? That not only makes polite sense at the dinner table, but it also applies to pacifier-toting toddlers who are learning to talk.
"It is possible that the longer a child keeps a pacifier, the longer it may delay their speech development," says Dr. Black. "Although the subject has not been studied enough to say whether or not there are clear negative effects on speech development, I would say it may affect how they communicate. If a child is over the age of 1 1/2 to 2 years and always using a pacifier, there is often little communication coming from the child."
[...]
Whether it's called a pacee or a ninny, the rubber-nipple pacifier has a universal calming effect that is a saving grace for many babies and parents. Let's hope breaking the habit in a year or two comes with at least a taste of that treasured peace and quiet.
ENCOURAGE BABY TO QUIT BY AGE OF FIVE: BabyCenter® "Pacifier Use"Monitor the habit. While pacifier use is generally considered harmless, it isn't if your child is developing speech and language problems. Sucking on a pacifier may make difficulties worse because it locks his mouth in an unnatural position, making it hard for him to develop and strengthen his facial muscles normally, says Patricia Hamaguchi, a speech-language pathologist from San Jose, California, and author of Childhood, Speech, Language, and Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know. If he's just learning to speak, talking around a pacifier may distort his speech, causing him to replace "t" and "d" sounds (which require the front of the tongue to brush up against the teeth) with "k" and "g" sounds (which emanate from the back of the throat). Limit its use. Pacifiers, for the most part, won't damage your child's teeth and jaw, but you'll want to encourage him to stop if he hasn't done so on his own by age 4 or 5, when permanent teeth begin to appear. And if using a pacifier seems to be affecting his speech, willingness to talk, or social skills, you may want to cut down on pacifier time well before that.