Pacifiers are known to be widely used by babies. They have been used for many years and are also approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This is because the advantages of a pacifier outnumber its disadvantages which makes it very popular amongst parents to continue letting their little ones use them.

These include:

1. Soothing a little one as sucking on a pacifier can help to calm them down
2. Helping them to sleep
3. Known to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
4. Distracting the child and to stop them from crying excessively

However, it has also been proven that pacifiers used beyond 12 months may negatively impact the toddler in certain ways.

But how do you successfully help your toddler to wean off the pacifier? It can be a challenging and tedious task as babies are known to get attached to their pacifiers.

However, certain techniques have shown to be fruitful in helping babies wean off their pacifiers. Firstly, it is very crucial that it is a concerted effort where all caregivers of your child follow the same method of weaning your child off his pacifier.

One such example is limiting the use of them to a certain time of the day such as bedtime or nap-time where your baby could use some extra help for soothing and relaxing.

Should your child protest when there’s no pacifier in sight, you can try to calm him down by swaddling, rocking and massaging him. Another great way to include your toddler in this task. This means to counsel your child on how a pacifier is used for small babies and not for big ones, or how they should give it to someone younger than them.

Engage them by beautifully packing the pacifier for it to be gifted to a younger baby who needs it. Toddlers are very receptive to small meaningful talks which can serve to be beneficial for them, as opposed to going cold turkey.

Another effective way is to cover the pacifier with a taste that is disliked by your toddler. This will make it unappealing and gradually they will start to lose interest in it.

It might take you some time to finally help your child to wean off his pacifier but with perseverance, and consistency, pacifier weaning can be done successfully.

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