If you think the weaning approach would work best for your child, you might want to use some of these 'take-it-slowly' tips. The best way most experts say to start is by only letting your child have the pacifier in their bed. If they want their dummy then put them in their bed, most kids will want out after a minute or two, then you leave the dummy in the bed. Most kids will catch on pretty quick that this is the new rule and soon they will only be using it at bed-time. After they are only using it at bed-time, some say that cutting half of the nipple off, will make them want to stop using it altogether, making the weaning process much easier.

How about bribery?

A lot of parents have found success in bribery for getting rid of the dummies. There are a lot of stories out there about the 'magic fairy' that comes and takes the dummy back to dummy land, or back to their mummies, or whatever, and in their place leave a new toy for the child. This works well if your child is old enough to understand what is going to happen. Another strategy is to explain to your child that they can pick out a toy at the store, and the cost of the toy is their dummy. Most shop assistants will play along, if you explain to them the situation, (as long as you actually pay for the toy when your child is involved with their new toy).

What worked for mother Sheree Anderson though, was not any of this. She took her two-year-old to the dentist, for a cleaning, not to get rid of her dummy. He told them both that it was time to throw it in the rubbish, and to blame him, if she asked for them again. She went home and threw them all in the bin, and it worked like a charm. Her daughter would sometimes bring up the sad fact to anyone who would listen about the dentist who made her throw away her dummy, but she never asked for them again.

The key in getting rid of the dummy for good is that once they are gone, they're gone, and not to give them back no matter how much you want to.

Article by Rachel Goodchild

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