Liberate the pacifiers

There are documented cases where two year old children have started speaking verbally but have yet to let go of the pacifier. The need to suck is a baby's most innate need - if not the thumb, there is always the pacifier.

The risk of tooth misalignment, slowed language development and increased ear infections increases if toddlers are not weaned off their pacifiers at the right moment.

There are two ways of liberating your toddler (or, if you please, the pacifier):
1. The gradual approach
2. Cold Turkey
In the first approach,
• Try restricting the pacifier consistently to certain times. This could be at bedtime as well as naptime. It is important to dissociate the pacifier from sleep in the toddler's mind.
• Substitute a stuffed toy or a favorite blanket for the pacifier
• Eventually "lose" the pacifier for bedtime It will take only a couple of weeks for your toddler to adjust to sleep without pacifiers.
If the gradual approach doesn't work, you need to go Cold Turkey:
• Have your children turn in their pacifiers for a 'big kid' item
• Try getting them to give away their pacifiers to smaller children
• Try dipping the pacifiers in something that just doesn't taste so great, such as pickle juice, so your toddlers will look forward to them less
• You can also reward them with stickers and lots of hugs and kisses when they give up the pacifier
Do not cut holes into pacifiers as this can easily create a choking hazard.