Introduction

It never fails. You are about to take your child on a short car trip. You have finally managed to secure your child properly in a safety seat. Since you will be unavailable to comfort your little one, you provide them with their favorite comfort item: a pacifier. Just after you turn onto a major highway, it happens: the pacifier falls out and your child begins to cry as if the world is coming to an end because he cannot reach his most prized possession. As you wait what seems like hours to arrive at the next exit, it occurs to you that it might be a good idea to break your child’s addiction to the pacifier. At the same time, you recognize that it might be easier to climb Mount Everest without oxygen than to break the bond between your child and her favorite security blanket. With a little patience and a basic game-plan, however, you can wean your child off of a pacifier while preserving your sanity.

When is it Time to start Weaning my Child off the Pacifier?

Most parents know that children like pacifiers because they enjoy sucking. Babies feed by sucking, and they explore the world with their mouths. A pacifier, then, is the next-best thing in your child’s mind to a breast or bottle. Between the age of four and six months, most children undergo an important transformation. Their muscles get stronger, they begin to sit up, and they gain the ability to grasp and hold onto things. This is normally the time when parents begin to gradually introduce solid food into their child’s diet. It is also a good time to lay the groundwork necessary to eventually phase out the pacifier. By the age of 12 months, many children are effectively weaned from breast milk or formula (although all children are different). By this point, it is time to put your plan of action into high gear.