Now that my son is 14 months old, my doctor has advised me to wean him from the pacifier. My son is very attached to his pacifiers and has been using them to help him sleep at nights and during naps. I usually have 5 pacifiers in his crib so that they are within easy reach whenever one falls out of his mouth while he sleeps. This has been working beautifully but alas, I agree with my doctor that it is time to say good bye to the pacifier.
I've done a great deal of research and the message is consistent:
1. There might be an increase in the risk of middle ear infections with prolonged use of the pacifier.
2. Toddlers who use pacifiers throughout the day do not have opportunities to talk, laugh, or make sounds and it can affect their language development.
3. Prolonged pacifier use might lead to dental problems such as tooth misalignment.
4. I've also heard from other parents that the longer a baby uses a pacifier, the harder it will be for him to get weaned from it.
During my research, I also stumbled upon a technique that is more gentle on the baby than going cold turkey. Here's the link so that you can read the technique yourself: http://www.bye-bye-binky.com/Bye-Bye-Binky.pdf It is based on changing the association with the pacifier from a positive one to a less pleasurable one. I think this technique makes sense and sure hope it will work! I will begin the process tonight. The reason I've chosen to start at night is because my son tends to fall asleep easier at night, so it will probably be less for a struggle than introducing changes to his pacifiers during nap times. I will provide updates tomorrow as to how things go tonight…
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