Pacifiers for 3 year old?

[Anonymous]

Hi DC. My daughter is turning 3 next month and still adores her pacifier.

She doesn't have it daycare but wants it when she's a little more tired after daycare. We're also let her have it in the day on weekends. It's not bothered me in the slightest but had a comment when out.

I wanted to ask or just have support. Do you have a little one who is still a pacifier addict. When did you get rid of the pacifier? Also if anyone has recommendations on any new pacifier which are great for a 3 year old as the ones she currently has are starting to be a little worn.

I'm not looking to remove the pacifier for the next few months at least. We're moving house which means a load of changes for her so I'm not in a rush. It's also not impacting her speech and teeth. So please don't say I need to be getting rid tomorrow as that won't happen. I just want to know that I'm not the only one who has a 3 year old with a paci who still adores it.

[Anonymous]

You are not the only one. I removed the pacifier from my kids right before turning 3. I made little holes in it. They hated it and complained for a day or so and then dropped without too much drama. I think past 3 it starts to look ridiculous in my opinion, but I have seen 4 year old kids with pacifiers before so your daughter is definitely not the only one.
Why do you think changing house will be such a big adjustment? We have lived in different places and moved once and I never thought of it as a big adjustment for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Braces for 4 year old?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are not the only one. I removed the pacifier from my kids right before turning 3. I made little holes in it. They hated it and complained for a day or so and then dropped without too much drama. I think past 3 it starts to look ridiculous in my opinion, but I have seen 4 year old kids with pacifiers before so your daughter is definitely not the only one.
Why do you think changing house will be such a big adjustment? We have lived in different places and moved once and I never thought of it as a big adjustment for my kids.

OP here- I don't think it looks ridiculous with it. We're moving house and daycare and everything is currently unfamiliar and in boxes, so keeping this same comfort is important for us. I don't want to leave it yet, but can keep that idea in mind

[Anonymous]

My kid loved his, and then around 3 he lost a lot of interest, and getting rid of it was easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid loved his, and then around 3 he lost a lot of interest, and getting rid of it was easy.

OP here - thank you, this would be ideal, as I don't want to take it from her

[Anonymous]

Mine stopped thumb sucking around 2.5 with no real interference from us. Just some...oh take your thumb out of your mouth so we can hear you better. That said, I might not replace the ones you have. Let them get worn, once they are gone there are no more. We need to let the babies have the ones in the stores.

[Anonymous]

My younger one went a bit long because we were divorcing and there was a lot of upheaval (and I was an emotional wreck and didn’t want a fight.) when we got past the worst of it, I just told him that we weren’t going to buy anymore because he was a big kid now. So as they got lost, or worn out, they got tossed. I helped the process along by making the occasional hole in one. He only used the to fall asleep, not during the day. There was one rough night when the last one was Tossed and then he was fine.

[Anonymous]

Parent of 3 here. We let our oldest (now a teen), use the pacifier a loooong time. I think until 4.

She suffered no problems from long term pacifier use!

We weaned the next two kids much earlier, like at 1 or 2. No big deal.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is dentists say anything beyond 12 months is too long. Two years old is when it starts looking ridiculous…3 is just bad. I assume special needs if I see a 3 year old with a paci. In terms of stopping, you should go cold Turkey asap

[Anonymous]

A lot of kids would have loved to suck the pacifier for longer, but we took them away. Sometimes you think your kid needs something and they don't, you let them rely on it for too long because you're afraid of upsetting them. But here's the thing, it's your job to help your children grow up. What if your dd doesn't just give it up like that pp said? Maybe her teeth and speech are fine now, but prolonged pacifier use will do something to it. But also you aren't giving your child any credit. You're not giving them the confidence that they can self soothe without this inanimate object. What will that tell them in the future? Avoiding frustration and giving kids what they want to avoid sadness will NOT make their lives happy. It makes them unable to handle the inevitable frustrations that will come in life.

[Anonymous]

New teeth?

[Anonymous]

Save money for future dentist visits

[Anonymous]

You could set a date at which the pacifier fairy will come and take away the pacifiers. You tell her it’s the date on which “her transition to becoming a big girl” will be complete. Talk about it beforehand so there are no surprises. She can pack up the bag for the fairy to take away.

[Anonymous]

We "forgot" to pack it for vacation. DS was so tired he had no issues falling asleep without it and by the time we got home the habit was broken. He asked about it for a bit and we just said we didn't have them anymore. He quit asking after a few days and that was that. Age three.