If you’re attempting to wean your baby from his beloved pacifier then I say, you’re a mom with a mission. Although it may not be an easy task to accomplish, you can and will wean your baby from his pacifier if you follow these proven tips.
1. Be very creative! You have no choice but to become very persuasive and creative or else you will have to suffer the consequences of an irritable baby who is gearing up for a fight once his pacifier is thrown out the window. Therefore, you’ll have to convince your baby that giving up his beloved pacifier isn’t something to frown up but something to celebrate. For instance, you can have a pacifier weaning party in his honor and then give him a special toy as a big boy/girl present when he hands over his pacifier.
2. Look for a healthier and better substitute for his pacifiers. Experts agree that pacifiers can result to dental damage so if you want to wean him from the pacifier then you must choose a substitute that should be healthier than his pacifier. For instance, you could rock him to sleep or teach him to go sleep with a sweet lullaby tape instead. Take note, encouraging baby to suck his thumb instead of the pacifier is not recommended.
3. Wean off the pacifier gradually. Allow your child to use his pacifier during specific times only like during sleeping time. However remove the pacifier once he is asleep so he will get use to not having a pacifier in his mouth when he wakes up. This can be a struggle though especially if he is so attached to his pacifier he would wake up when it is removed from his mouth so be patient because it will happen.
4. Keep your baby busy with other things. One reason why your baby keeps holding on to his pacifier is because he has nothing better to do. Introduce him to other games suitable for his age. When the baby starts to crawl he will be more interested in exploring his surroundings than holding on to his pacifier.
5. Give him more love and attention. Remember that weaning your baby from the pacifier isn’t easy and he will probably need a bit more love and attention during the weaning process. If so, give your love freely, exercise patience and don’t get frustrated if it takes longer than you expected. He will eventually get rid of the pacifier but it may take time.
If you want to wean your baby off the pacifier, you can do it. You simply have to look for healthier and better substitutes to soothe him, be patient, wean gradually, distract his attention, and administer unconditional love. You’ll soon find that your baby has stopped using his pacifier once and for all!
