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Our baby boy was two years old before he fully gave up his Nuk pacifier.   I heard from so many people “Don’t you think that he is too old for that?”  or “He doesn’t need that anymore, does he?”    I can tell you, that as a play therapist, I know that it is best to give it up before one year of age, but as a mother, it was the best thing that we ever used!  I tell everyone to give their baby a pacifier from infancy.  It was wonderful and here is why we loved it…

why I didn't take my baby's paci away

Hear me out on why I didn’t take our son’s ‘paci’ away sooner:

When Jack was about two months old, he was introduced to this (his favorite) pacifier.  It was his favorite “paci”   He only used one brand, Nuk, for the whole two years that he took his paci.   I was OK with that because they have the pacifier that is shaped different to allow his little nose room to breathe.  Plus, they are orthodontic shaped pacifiers, so they fit the baby/toddler’s mouth better.  They are BPA free and made in the USA.  Plus, they have a thin neck, so they apply the right amount of pressure to the jaw.  You can Download a coupon for $1 off NUK products at Walmart when you take the Pacifier ABC’s Quiz here.
Oh… and Jack only liked one color, too (white with a green handle).  It was hilarious!

  • It kept him calm.  When we would go out, I would hear over and over “You have the best baby!”   Sure I did… because if he fussed, he was given his pacifier and all was right in his world.   He loved it and he used it to pacify himself.
  • It distracted him from just about everything. If something didn’t go his way, he would use his pacifier to distract him.  If he had a checkup at the doctor’s office that ended in shots, he used his “paci” and hugs from his mommy to help him.
  • He fell asleep quicker.   It was the best way to get him to fall asleep.   It helped because I had made the mistake of nursing him to sleep, so once I realized how hard that was going to be to keep up, I switched to using the pacifier to help him fall asleep and it worked like a charm.
    Here he was, propped in our bed for a picture on vacation… 
    pacifier 3
  • It helped him stay asleep.   I would hear him wake up and fuss for a second, then he would find his pacifier and go back to sleep.  I kept one in each corner of his crib.
  • A pacifier could reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Sucking on a pacifier at bedtime (or nap time) can reduce SIDS, so we always did it for this reason.
  • You can throw it away when you are done (unlike the thumb)!  This is what we did – when we were done, we just threw it away!  That was it.  No crying or confusion.  It was “broken” so mommy had to throw it away.  We transitioned to this by only using it at bedtime for a few months before we got rid of it.

    paci 4

  • Tip~ if you are breastfeeding, wait to give your baby the pacifier until he/she is a month old and breastfeeding is going well.    Now you can enter here to win the The NUK Baby Summer Bundle Sweepstakes  or click the image below to take the quiz and grab your $1 coupon & take the quiz (I bet you’ll be surprised by some of the answers!)
    Sweepstakes Banner
    If you ARE ready to take away the pacifier … try this method (my niece did this)
    How to get rid of a pacifier using a stuffed animal

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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4 Comments

  1. My daughter had no interest in a pacifier until she self weaned at around 16 months. A week later she found one from when she was smaller and it was instant love. I let her keep it for a lot longer than many people thought was socially acceptable, but I figured if it had been any other comfort object I wouldn’t have just ripped it away from her because it made some people uncomfortable. And I agree, it is much easier to throw away a paci then it is to chop off a thumb!

    1. hahaha!! Our youngest (4th child) NEVER took a pacifier and then she found a plastic baby doll pacifier & used it for like 3 weeks in bed until we finally hid it! LOl!
      Oh- and when we would hang out at my niece’s house, she shared her Nuk, too! lol!

  2. Yes! We were doing it to reduce the risk of SIDS too & because it makes bed time soo much easier! Our son is 12 months old. We’re not sure how long to keep using it, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Plus he’s got “binkies” hidden all around the house, so even if we were to take them away, he’d just pull another out of one of his hiding spots lol

    1. Smart! Our doctor told us to do it for that reason, too.
      I love that he has hiding spots! That cracks me up!