Many kids stop sucking on their pacifiers around their third birthday. After this age, if she still continues to use the pacifier, it might cause problems such as:
- affecting her social skills
- hindering her pronunciation of words
- affecting oral development
How do I stop her from using the pacifier? Here are some techniques used by our moms.
- ask your child about giving up the pacifier and how she would like to go about doing it (ie: whether she wants to do it slowly or suddenly)
- replace the pacifier with something else that will sooth her (eg. playing a musical instrument, or holding her hand when she cries)
- offering her a reward
- limit usage in stages - eg. first, limit her to using it at home, then limit her to using it only when she is in the play pen, etc...
- remove the air from the pacifier by poking a hole in it
One of our moms reports that her young girl continued using the pacifier up until primary 1. no matter what they tried, her girl refused to stop using it until one day, it "accidentally" fell into the toilet bowl, and that was the end of it - so "sudden" treatment does work sometimes.
No matter how difficult it may get, you must avoid putting your child down or calling her a ‘baby'. Instead, encourage her to "grow up". There's a difference between the two approaches!