While pacifiers do what their name suggests—soothe babies and toddlers—you should start weaning your child when they’re a year old. Consistent pacifier use between the ages of two and four causes dental problems: sucking it creates a vacuum that changes mouth shape and baby teeth alignment, resulting in open and overbites among other oral health issues. Gently help your child break this habit using these tips.

4 Ways to Stop Your Child’s Pacifier Use

1. Wait Until the Right Time

Don’t take the pacifier away during a stressful time, such as when you’re moving to a new house. Allow your child to use the pacifier until they’re at least one year old to decrease the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This risk lowers when they reach six months.

2. Try Cold Turkey

Try removing the pacifier and see if your child notices it’s gone. Since memory takes years to fully form, your little one may completely forget about the soother, especially if they only used it occasionally. If it seems like they’ve forgotten about the pacifier, don’t reintroduce it.

3. Offer It Less & Less

If the cold turkey method doesn’t work, offer the pacifier less and less to prevent baby teeth and gum problems. Only provide it at nap time or when your child goes to bed. Depending on your child’s age, you can use the popular “Binky Fairy” method, and tell your child the fairy needs the pacifier to help other kids. Another option is to provide a pacifier send-off where the tool is placed in a box and replaced with a toy by the fairy the next day.

4. Provide Distractions

Praise your child when they turn to other comfort sources that don’t affect their baby teeth. Provide plenty of distractions to help your child forget about the pacifier whenever they get fussy, such as stuffed toys, soft blankets, and hugs.

Help your child develop healthy dental care habits by working with Pedodontic Associates. Featuring two locations on Oahu and one on Maui, this pediatric dentistry service has taken care of baby teeth and gums to provide strong foundations for adult teeth for over 25 years.  Call (808) 735-1733 for Honolulu, (808) 487-7933 for Aiea, or (808) 877-0066 for Kahului to schedule your child’s first dentist appointment, or visit the infant oral health center online for more new patient forms.