Renu Kalra

It is undoubtedly true that pacifier for newborn make great baby soothers. Yes, I gave her a baby soother but as soon as I realized that it was becoming more of an addiction for my baby, I made sure that I stopped its use immediately. Not only was it disadvantageous for me as a mum, but for my daughter also. In this article, I will talking about how to deal with pacifier addiction.

I’m sure you must have read our article on pros and cons of using a pacifier. So I’ll straight away get to the point on what you should do when your baby is addicted to his pacifier.

ALSO READ – Advantages & Disadvantages of Using A Baby Pacifier

If your baby uses his pacifier only for a short while and when taken away from him, he is ok, then his use of the pacifier is only limited. However, when a baby simply rejects the idea of letting go of the pacifier that is when the real problem arises. So, here is what you can and should do –

1. Let your baby find the pacifier himself

Now if you have a toddler addicted to the use of a pacifier, the best thing you can do is let him get it for himself. Most babies only find comfort in the fact that they get it whenever they want without making any effort. If you stop slipping the pacifier in his mouth yourself, he’ll slowly want to discard the idea of fetching it for himself.

2. Limit the pacifier time in mouth

Getting a baby to get rid of his pacifier may be difficult but not impossible. Start by slowly reducing the pacifier time with the baby. If your baby takes a pacifier in his mouth for an hour at stretch, reduce that time to 45 minutes. Play with him, feed him, and talk to him. during that time. The idea is to keep the baby’s mind distracted.

3. Use it only for sleepy time

Yes, you will have to work harder than you thought for this! A good trick for a pacifier addicted baby is to show him the pacifier only during bed time and let him use the same. Initially, yes, it will be difficult. But gradually, he will understand that he will get the pacifier only during bed time.

4. Give him something else to suck on or play with

It is a known fact that if something comes to babies easily, they do get used to it and a paci is no less. Try to alternate between a pacifier and a toy of his liking. The more you do this, the easier it will be for you to reduce the pacifier time in baby’s mouth.

5. Make it difficult to suck on the pacifier

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Give your baby a pacifier that is either too small for him or too big. If the pacifier is not comfortable for your baby, it will keep slipping from his mouth and gradually just the thought of using one will put him off.

ALSO READ – Why Is My Baby Crying So Much

Whatever you do, don’t bring any sudden changes to your baby’s pacifier use. He will become all the more cranky and difficult to manage. The best thing you can do is ensure that changes in his routine usage come only slowly and gradually.

Have you been successful at bringing your baby’s addiction of pacifier down? What trick did you apply? Let us know in the comments below.