When to remove the pacifier and how to do it without trauma?

When to remove the pacifier and how to do it without trauma ?

When to remove the pacifier: at what age and how to remove the pacifier without trauma, what are the consequences and how to remove the pacifier to fall asleep

We know for a fact that prolonged use of the pacifier can cause problems with the teeth and mouth. But what is the right age to remove the pacifier and how can we do it without causing trauma or difficulties to our baby?

Pros and cons of the pacifier

Unlike what we are commonly told, the pacifier is not "evil"! Let's see the pros and cons:

Pros: the pacifier is very useful, for example when the baby suffers from colic or has difficulty falling asleep; it is a tool that serves to relax and feel reassured when the mother is not there; it can be removed around the age of 3 more or less without much effort, while the "vice" of sucking the thumb can be more difficult to remove;

· Cons: prolonged use can cause problems with the dental arches that will be resolved later by the dentist; it is often used inappropriately, that is, to silence the crying child, without wanting to understand the real reasons for the discomfort; it is used with sugar, milk or honey, a bad habit that increases the risk of tooth decay and also of incorrect eating habits.

At what age to take off the pacifier?

Studies conducted on this subject confirm that children who continue to use pacifiers or suck their fingers after the age of 4 are more likely to experience problems with dental malocclusion in the back of the mouth. So most educators and experts recommend taking the pacifier off by the age of three.

When to try to take it off?

If we realize that the baby is ready and we see him already old enough and sure of himself, we can take the opportunity of the holidays, a move or Christmas to remove the pacifier: the baby can, for example, give the pacifier to the birds seen that Santa Claus will bring beautiful gifts if he realizes that he has grown up, or we can say that the pacifier has been lost during the trip or during the move.

Of course we cannot think that everything will go smoothly: the baby will probably be very irritable in the first few days, will have difficulty falling asleep alone, will ask for the pacifier several times during the day. But in two, three days he will get used to this absence.

Removing the pacifier: consequences

There are no serious long-term consequences: all babies have at some point been forced or invited to abandon the pacifier. The difficulties are related only to the first days, when the child has to get used to the absence of the pacifier, to the inability to relax and reassure himself in the only way he knows and will have to find others.

Remove the pacifier at 18 months

Babies so young who have used the pacifier from the first days of life may have great difficulty detaching from their beloved daily companion at one and a half years: sucking allows the baby to calm down, relax, feel safer and deprive a small child of this habit can lead to some sleep problems, irritability and tantrums.

If the child is a passionate "sucker" removing the pacifier so early is not advisable, it is better to wait until he gets older and has developed greater safety in himself and in the environment that surrounds him. In short, the best age to remove the pacifier is around three years as the child becomes more self-confident and begins to master his skills.

Remove the pacifier to fall asleep

The pacifier represents a routine in the day, usually the baby looks for it at the time of bedtime or separation from the mother, and in general when you want to relax, calm down or simply feel more peaceful. It is therefore a very reassuring habit of which it is difficult to suddenly break away. If we realize that doing without the pacifier can be very difficult we can tell him that he can keep the pacifier in the evening before falling asleep but he will have to leave it at home during the day: there are three-year-old children that we see walking on the street, going to school. or play with the pacifier perpetually in the mouth. Eliminating this habit can be a first, important step towards complete autonomy from the pacifier. Buy a delicious box that will become "the house of the pacifier" in which the child will arrange the pacifier in the morning to take it back only in the evening when he goes to bed.

At some point, when you realize that your little one has gotten used to spending his days without a pacifier, you can move on to the “take off the pacifier at night” stage.

Set up a new sleep routine: read a fairy tale sitting on the child's bed, hold him hugged and give him lots of cuddles, or give him a piece of soft and pleasant to the touch fabric (many go from sucking to rubbing the hand on the fabric or pillow case. pillow, to pamper yourself and relax before falling asleep).

In any case, at some point, it will be necessary to force things a little and make the pacifier disappear: you can say that it has been lost or that a mother mouse stole it for her little puppy.

The first few nights without a pacifier can be difficult: the baby may come to your bed, fall asleep later, say he can't sleep without a pacifier, but at some point he'll collapse and after a couple of nights he'll realize he can do it even without it and he will find himself a new way and a new routine to relax before falling asleep.

How to remove the pacifier without trauma

What not to do

· Make the pacifier disappear at any moment without giving explanations; the little one may not adapt to this sudden change and become nervous and impatient.

· Make fun of the child saying "so you never grow up" "all your friends don't use it, only you still have it". In this way we would create a great anxiety in the baby and a further addiction in the pacifier.

Never begin to remove the pacifier in conjunction with important events (birth of brothers or sisters, entrance to the maternal etc ...)

· Never give in and establish a course of action. A single second thought teaches the child that you can go back ... and the next time it will be even more difficult ...

What to do

· Compliment him when he doesn't use it and gratify him often.

· Start gradually and involve the child by establishing a "secret pact" with him

· We establish a special gift with the child to buy together if they manage to do without the pacifier for a certain amount of time (1 week, 5 days, it depends on the child's "patience")

· When the baby can do without the pacifier during the day, it is time to start at night too.

· We prepare the child a little in advance and encourage all family members to congratulate the child on his "great undertaking".

We celebrate the first nights without a pacifier so that the baby feels proud and confident of himself, feels big and less in need of his pacifier.

dear mothers after reading our article we advise you to take a look at our LUXURYKIDS site where you will find many items for your child.