Even if your baby is the most peaceful in your loving arms and in your presence, you also have a friend to rely on, other than yourself, to calm your baby down: Pacifiers. This friend that is always within arm’s reach, ready to help, is also recommended due the fact that it reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome during the first few months of your baby’s life. However, when it is time, you must part ways with this very useful tool for the sake of your baby’s jaw structure and dental health.
So long pacifier!
There are many easy ways of weaning your baby peacefully off pacifiers. These tried-and-tested tactics can break your baby out of his/her habit and you can peacefully say your farewells to your baby’s pacifier. To begin with, you must try to break your baby out her habit of pacifiers in the shortest time possible. Your success rate will be higher if you act early. In this process, you should keep in mind your baby’s deep attachment to the pacifier. You should show the same care and sensitivity in weaning your baby off the pacifier as you did when you were weaning him/her off breast milk, and from bottle to cup.
Do not forget… Not every tactic will suit every baby. If you think the best way for your baby to be weaned off the pacifier would be going cold turkey, then do so. After all you are the person who knows your baby best, and what is good for him/her.
Positive suggestions
Take an easy step into a pacifier-free world. Don’t fret about it. After all, your baby won’t be using a pacifier when he/she turns 30. He/She will eventually break out of this habit, maybe not today but soon.
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You can start the process by restricting the use of the pacifier to certain times. To give an example, you can let him/her have the pacifier only when he/she is in bed for sleep. To begin with, you can limit the use of the pacifier to the afternoon nap and nighttime sleep and then allow it only during nighttime. This way your baby will gradually get used to being separated from his/her pacifier.
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You can earmark a specific day like his/her birthday to say goodbye to the pacifier for good. You can explain to your child that she is now older and only young babies need a pacifier. Draw pictures similar to writing an address on an envelope and place the pacifier in the envelop and tell your baby that you will be sending the envelop to babies without a pacifier.
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Replacing a beloved item that your child says goodbye to with something new will reduce the pain of separation. So you could hand the pacifier over to, say… a “Pacifier Fairy”! You can tell your child that it was time for the pacifier fairy to take back the pacifier but in its place the fairy will be leaving a surprise present. Tell your baby to place the pacifier under her pillow at night and when she falls asleep quietly replace the pacifier with a special gift under her pillow to be discovered by your baby upon waking up in the morning.
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Or you can say your goodbyes ceremoniously. You can tie the pacifier onto a flying balloon and tell your child that the pacifier will soon be on its way to discover the clouds or even Space (or anything that will convince him/her) and tell him/her to let go the string of the balloon. Your child may even derive some joy out of saying goodbye to his/her pacifier when it starts making its way up to the sky, and if your child wishes, you can also send paper mockups attached to other balloons to accompany her pacifier.
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You can tell your child that doctors, fire fighters or people from any profession that your child is in awe of, have been collecting pacifiers from older children and drop her pacifier off at a hospital, fire department or any other center you may choose.
Content provided by: ZNN Network www.znnnetwork.com
