Pacifiers can be a great tool when your child is young. They keep baby quiet, help them to sleep, act as a comforter and have even been found to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS or cot death). When baby is two, three, four or even older, however there comes a time when enough is enough.

There are several concerns which parents have about their child having a pacifier, from problems with their teeth to problems with their speech development to being embarassed to just plain irritation at the noise of sucking. Whatever the reason for removing pacifiers from your child’s life it has to be said that the younger they are the easier it is and guts and perserverance are keys to success. Make a decision as to whether you are going to go for a wham bam cruel to be kind approach or a long, slow, stealth approach.

Here are some methods to try:

• Give them to the Easter Bunny, the Birthday Bunny or Santa Clause in return for chocolate or gifts
• Ban them during the daytime (perhaps get your child to put it under their pillow when they get up) then when that has been successful for a couple of weeks work on bedtimes
• Just throw the lot of them away
• Give them to the dummy fairy in exchange for a shiny coin
• Have a sticker chart for every day without a pacifier
• Replace the dummy with a special teddy (a bedtime friend), a comforter or a new night light
• Put the dummies in a high up place when they are not in use so your child has to ask for them
• Dish out the compliments when your child has gone through a day or night without a dummy
• Bury them in the garden together. When your child is not looking bury a fast growing plant in the same place and tell them that they have grown a pacifier plant.

So if you are at your wits end or if you have a success story share it with the rest of us and leave a comment.