5 Tips to Help With One of Parenting's Most Dreaded Struggles: Taking the Dummy Away
The dummy is a vital and amazing parenting tool. It soothes
babies when they're cranky, keeps them calm during car rides, and distracts
them during sometimes daunting public outings like grocery shopping.
It gives your nipples or arms a much-needed break from
nursing or holding your baby when they need comforting. It also gives your
little one the ability to drift off to sleep in their crib without a ton of
help from you.
Keep the habit brief. Removing the dummy
sooner rather than later will help make the whole ordeal less of a mountain to
climb. Trust me; removing the pacifier from a toddler is much more difficult
than removing it from a 10-month-old or a 6-month-old.
- 5 Tips For Good Parenting
- 5 Tips For Good Parenting
Give it to the "Dummy Fairy." Get creative with how you're giving away the pacifier. You can
explain to your child that you gave the binky to the "Dummy Fairy,"
who brings them to new babies in need. And as a reward for their generosity and
ability to share, they will receive a prize, or something special to graduate
them to official "big boy/girl" status.
Make it taste bad. Ask your pediatrician and
pharmacist about what you can use to "flavour" the dummy safely to
make it taste undesirable to your child. Your kiddo will cut the habit quickly
for sure!
Try the cold turkey method. This won't be
easy, but you can explain to your little one (if they're at an age where they
can understand) that on X date, the dummy goes away. No excuses or delaying.
Just suck it up. It might be a headache in the beginning, but it'll all be
worth it once your baby forgets all about their dummy.
Go slowly and pick certain times. If you're
not into the cold turkey method, try picking certain times to let the baby have
the pacifier . . . and eliminate others. Maybe they can't have the dummy during
the day, but can use it during naps and at night. Then, drop the dummy during
naps, etc. This will make the process go more slowly, but perhaps with fewer tears for baby (and you).
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