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Pacifier: 5 tips to help your child get rid of it
Baby chews on his pacifier, relishes it, with relish. Where others prefer their thumb, a blanket, or just suck food, has set its sights on this silicone nipple that evokes so much Mother’s breast. Like many cubs, he fulfills his need to suckle and feels a lot of appeasement with her. She is the accomplice of her joys, the consoler of her sorrows, sometimes even the confidante of her secrets. And here he is now addicted, he refuses to part with it. Are you worried? Dramatize. There is no need to worry too much until your child is 3 years old. Of course, this mania can, in the long run, generate speech and orthodontic problems, but these are generally reversible when the toddler wears off early. Follow the guide to help him.
Why are you using a pacifier?
Your toddler fidgets in his stroller, gets angry and starts to cry. Reflex: you unsheathe his pacifier. Here he is reassured. However, is this the best answer you can give him? If, like many tired parents (and sometimes distraught at repeated calls from their little one), you have found a miracle solution to calm or occupy them with the pacifier, you may have become as addicted as him! Change your habits and learn to master the use of the “tototte”. Avoid automatically straining it at the slightest cry, cry, or worse, all the time. Except in special cases, such as in premature babies for whom the pacifier is recommended in order to stimulate the sucking reflex, an infant does not need it from morning to night. It is therefore forbidden to screw it, like a stopper, in its mouth 24 hours a day. This increases the risk of instilling a real addiction in him by forgetting that your arms and your words are his real comfort.
Pacifier: set limits
At 6 months, the non-nutritive sucking reflex is no longer physiological. The pacifier provides only psychological pleasure. This does not make it any less important, but it is an opportunity to learn to do without it from time to time, especially when everything is going well. Is it so essential, for example, when Baby is playing and chirping on his play mat? Take the test. Take it away, put it nearby and watch. Is he still babbling like nothing has happened? So he’s not that dependent. You can start to reserve the tototte only for the blows of depression. Also ask your child to remove it from their mouth when they try to say something to you. It will thus integrate that it slows down its articulation and therefore your understanding.
At what age should you separate your child from the pacifier?
Difficult to define the ideal age to separate completely from the tototte. All the more so as some little ones turn away on their own, naturally, over the months. If yours is still very dependent at 2 years old, explain your approach to him: he is growing and you are going to give him your support to succeed in detaching himself from this object intended for toddlers. Pick a quiet time for it. Initiating weaning against the background of moving or the arrival of a little brother or sister would be a very bad idea.
Stopping the pacifier: follow the steps
Above all, no radical withdrawal. We are going very gradually. First, introduce your child to the advantages of a life without a pacifier: he will enter the world of adults., acquire more autonomy, more easily bring other wonders to his mouth (his blanket, a ball…) and explore the world around him. He will also be able to communicate better through language and will have pretty teeth. In a second time, invite your loustic to set challenges for himself : “From now on, I leave the pacifier at home”, “From today, I only use it in my room”, “Tomorrow she will stay in bed”, “In a month, I stopped !”
Stopping the pacifier: don’t make him feel guilty
At each step taken, congratulate him. If he fails, don’t blame him. It is out of the question to make guilty comments or to call him, even jokingly, “Baby”. This type of comment would have no other effect than to increase his stress and his need for comfort… Relapse guaranteed! Rather, tell him that all his efforts count, that he is on the right track, and makes you proud. If he seems distressed, help him talk about what’s wrong. And above all, respect his rhythm. No matter the pace, the main thing is to move forward on the path to success.