For a lot of babies, pacifiers can soothe and help fussy babies float off to dreamland, without the help of a sometimes-exhausted mom. But when kids start to depend on pacis — or binkies — to fall asleep or for comfort, often up to the age of 4, then it’s time to start thinking about helping the child quit the binkie. Weaning a small child from using a pacifier can, well, suck. So how do you make the process less painful for your child and you? Well, it depends on how quickly you want to do it – and how much grief you can handle. Some experts believe you can wean the child in just three days. Day one would be when you explain how you like to see your child doing big-kid things, and that in three days, it’ll be time to get rid of all his pacifiers on the way to being a big kid.

Keep the speech brief and don’t allow for debate, or make it sound like a request. Use the same speech the next day, telling him that tomorrow’s the day. And on the last day, make finding pacis into a scavenger hunt. If throwing them in the trash in front of the child seems too painful, then put them out front for “recycling.” That way, the child knows his pacis will go to good use. Kids usually don’t miss the paci after about 48 hours – if you can tough it out that long. A more gradual approach would be to make a rule that pacis don’t leave the house. Then limit them only to the child’s bedroom, then just the crib and so on. Reward the child with a special toy if he gives up the binkies entirely, or make it a trade.