10+ Simple tips to make your child drop the pacifier

It is not new that the pacifier is an object that has been helping fathers and mothers to calm their young children and, at the same time, ‘teach’ the child to suck.

It is believed that, since the Neolithic period, cloth balls that imitated the shape of the mother’s breast were already used to make children calmer. Going forward in time, in the mid-nineteenth century, the first rubber pacifiers appeared, more similar to the ones we know today. But it was in 1900 that the object was patented for the first time, already with the outer safety ring to prevent the baby from swallowing the object.

With regard to the use of a pacifier, specialists differ a lot, but, in general, what most pediatricians say is that it is okay to give a pacifier in certain situations, such as crying spells, to calm the baby down. baby — and give parents some peace of mind.

But, of course, prolonged use of a pacifier can do more harm than good to the child. Therefore, the incredible.club consulted a number of experts to help you, mom or dad, make your child say goodbye to the pacifier.

This ally when calming the baby has always been seen as a solution to reduce constant crying (so much so that, in English, it is called a ‘pacifier’ or ‘pacifier’), but there are a number of consequences of using it in the long term:

Disrupts breastfeeding Impairs speech, chewing and breathing Changes the structure of the mouth and face Changes the position of the teeth.

Next, we will show you a step by step to remove the pacifier:

Gradually start decreasing the time the child has the pacifier; it’s a way for her to let go little by little and make it easier to let go. Agree with the child that he will use it, for example, to sleep, but that you will remove it during the night and leave it close in case he wants to use it. This is a long-term way of showing her that she doesn’t need the accessory.

Of course, the first orientation of the dentist is to remove the pacifier as soon as possible so that there are no deformations in the dentition, dental arch and palate (roof of the mouth). But the dentist and the speech therapist are professionals who can give tips to help drop the pacifier.

A good tip is to avoid changing and buying new pacifiers. After all, over time, the material tends to “lose its good taste” and this will help a lot in the letting go process. So, the possibility of the child dropping spontaneously is great.

A fun and ludic option to get the child to give up the pacifier is to have a “goodbye pacifier party”, as some parents have done. Of course, it is important, first of all, to talk to your child and explain that he will say goodbye to the object. The parents of little Scott Burnett, from California (video above), filmed the pacifier farewell on his second birthday. They tied the pacifier to balloons and the child was already prepared for parting.

Another option in this sense is to arrange that, at Christmas, Santa Claus will take the pacifier and, in exchange, he will leave a present; or that the Easter Bunny will leave chocolate eggs to take away the pacifier in return.

Doctor Gerson Matsas, a pediatrician at Hospital Samaritano in São Paulo, recommends that you agree with the child that he should remove the pacifier to talk; this is a very effective method, which means that as she starts talking more, she ends up putting the object aside. Do not strive to understand what the child is saying with the pacifier in his mouth; this can get in the way of the whole process and it’s important to force her to take it off whenever she talks.

The child stopped using the pacifier after much effort, but to his surprise he discovered that the finger is also ‘tasty’. And now? No panic! Avoid fighting or saying it’s ugly, try to occupy the child’s hands with toys or other objects that he likes.

Saying that using a pacifier is ugly or throwing the object away without talking can cause more stress in the child and this can make the situation worse. Talk and expose how good it is to grow up, stop being a baby and become “big”. Stress in learning is never good, experts warn, everything must be done calmly and with a lot of patience. And it is important to make it clear that the child is capable to overcome the challenges alone, knowing that you have the support of your parents, but on your own.

Prolonged bottle-feeding can also have its downsides. Therefore, experts recommend removing the object gradually. Start giving milk in cups and spoon food; this helps the child to eat right and avoids the inconvenience caused by these accessories, in addition to the difficulty of taking them off later.

After six months, the child can already have other foods introduced in the diet in addition to milk, this is the time to change the pacifier for fruits and vegetables that he can suck and experiment with the consistency. In this way, your little one can forget about the accessory and start discovering flavors. This can be done even after feeding has started.

Keep in mind that this will be a big step forward for your child, so take note of these tips:

Don’t offer again if she doesn’t ask for it, especially at transition time Encourage using a calendar and mark with a heart or star the days the child didn’t use the pacifier Give a small reward for their achievements like a walk or ice cream. But only in the bigger conquests. Giving prizes all the time and every time there is a small breakthrough can be harmful. Give something else in place of the pacifier: lap, naninha, toys, fruit…

Did you like the tips? Will you try it? What was your recipe for taking the pacifier away from your little ones? Tell us.