How to wean a child from a dummy is a question that could well be reformulated into "How to take away a child's favorite toy." However, some modern pediatricians, including the well-known doctor Komarovsky, believe that it is not worth weaning off the nipple either - when the baby gets tired of it, he will leave her himself. Is it really? And at what age does a child with a dummy look "not decently" infantile?
A month, half a year and even a year, a baby with a dummy looks touching and natural. And what do you feel when you see, for example, a cute three-year-old girl - in high-heeled shoes and at the same time with a nipple in her mouth? Agree, the first thing that comes to mind - maybe the girl is not healthy? Where are her parents looking?
How and when to wean a child from a pacifier. And is it necessary at all?
Little children - newborns and older children - have a very personal attitude towards pacifiers. Some get used to them instantly, others do not take in any - spit and literally turn up their nose. Some cannot live without a nipple, others need it only in case of extreme hysteria or insomnia. It is a lot of nerves for parents to wean some children from a dummy, while others absolutely calmly and “imperceptibly” experience the loss of their favorite “gadget”.
The first thing that parents need to understand about the use of pacifiers is that there are no standards, norms or deadlines that would regulate and indicate when you should give your baby a pacifier and when you should decisively take it away.
Many modern pediatricians believe that the negative attitude of parents, whose children have already gone through the six-month milestone, to pacifiers is too exaggerated.
It is scientifically proven that pacifiers do not in any way affect the baby's bite, do not slow down the development of his nervous system and do not interfere with digestion. In theory, a child can suck on a pacifier even before entering college - from a medical point of view, there is no harm in this.
Therefore, when mothers and fathers turn to pediatricians with the question of how to wean a child from a dummy, they usually justly evade the answer: they say, when you yourself think it is necessary, then wean it.
Dr. EO Komarovsky: “As a rule, parents urgently begin to wean a child off a nipple not because they themselves have decided so. But because someone has shamed them - they say, you already have a big child, but everyone walks with a dummy ... In fact, many years of experience as a pediatrician shows: the older the child, the easier it is to part with the nipple. "
There is really no reason to worry about how to wean a child off a dummy in a timely manner - not a single first grader has yet been noticed who would come to school with a dummy in his mouth. Sooner or later, everyone leaves her.
You can't argue against instincts
We repeat: when exactly the time has come to wean a child from a dummy, this is a purely personal matter of your family. But there is an age before which, in principle, it is not worth doing this - earlier than 1 year. The fact is that newborns and babies under one year old have a highly developed sucking reflex - in fact, if you do not give them a nipple, they will suck their own finger or "hang" on your chest for days. At the age of up to a year, a dummy is more than appropriate - children with a nipple in their mouth quickly calm down, fall asleep easier and stronger, are less capricious, etc. And all this precisely because with the help of a dummy they actively follow their instincts ...
The only important nuance is that a pacifier should not be offered to newborn babies who. The fact is that it is the sucking reflex and, accordingly, the frequent attachment of the baby to the breast, and is the most powerful stimulator in the process of establishing and developing lactation. And only when the mother finally realizes that she is producing adequate milk, the child has enough of it and she has no problems with breastfeeding, she can, with a light heart, replenish her baby's sucking reflex with the help of a pacifier.
How to wean a baby from a pacifier ... for the coming sleep
If you are adamant in resolving the question of how to wean a child from a pacifier, then most likely you will face the problem of falling asleep - the baby will be capricious and refuse to sleep without a nipple. There are no recipes here, except for one thing - physical fatigue for the baby, and a charge of patience for you.
To completely suppress the habit of falling asleep with a nipple in a baby, 3-5 days are enough. But during this time, you should spend the day with your child as actively as possible, and especially the evening, take a walk before going to bed, then feed them satisfyingly and put them to bed. In other words, the baby's body must spend enough energy to be ready to fall asleep, regardless of external circumstances.
And so - for several days in a row. During which the habit of falling asleep, smacking the pacifier, will completely disappear.
Give it to good hands!
Judging by the numerous reviews of young parents on our forum, one of the most effective ways to wean a child from a dummy (and, in fact, from a favorite "toy") is to invite the child to give it to someone. The "script" works best with a younger brother or sister; with other familiar kids; and if there are no toddlers in the circle of friends-acquaintances, then the dummy can be presented to a squirrel with squirrels in the park or a cat with kittens, a raven with ravens, etc. - fantasize as much as you like!
Something like this: “You are already so big, but Aunt Natasha's daughter is very small, she has no nipple, so she cries all the time, from grief ... let's give her your pacifier - let her be happy, I agree ? ". Oddly enough, but children usually not only willingly agree to such "charity", but also do it with great pleasure ... And it may very well be that this is the most painless and "humane" approach to how to wean a child from a dummy, without giving him any stress.
Until the baby is ready to voluntarily give up the nipple, you will not be able to organize this "parting" without tears and hysterics.
However, a very important point: if your child is against the act of giving - in no case take the dummy from him by force, do not morally press, do not call him greedy, etc. It is very important that your staged “performance” of weaning your baby off the nipple does not turn into a real tragedy and drama for him. Any negative emotions should be avoided! If the child is categorically against parting with the nipple, it means that the time has not yet come. Just be patient.
By the way, there are a few more "not" -cautions associated with weaning a baby from the nipple.
How to properly wean a child from a dummy: the main "not"
- 1 Don't get angry or scold your baby for still sucking on the nipple. The baby is unlikely to consciously understand the reason for your screams and irritation, but instead will be very scared. Remember that children in many ways copy our own behavior and reactions: if you yourself scream and tantrum at the sight of a nipple every time, then your child will do the same. But if you are kind, gentle, calm and patient, then the child will be less emotionally worried about parting with his beloved pacifier.
- 2 Do not smear the pacifier with various unpleasant tasting compounds., such as mustard, levomycetin ointment and other bitter drugs. In addition to the fact that you deliberately deliver unpleasant experiences and resentment to your own baby, you can develop a persistent fear in him: after all, in the first year and a half of life, babies very actively learn the world precisely "on - they pull into their mouth everything that comes their way ... And just imagine: one of the things he was used to, which he used to take in his mouth without fear, suddenly became unbearably bitter - such stress can cause a certain fear in the child of other things familiar to him from the cradle.
- 3 Do not scare or frighten the child with "horror" about the fact that some negative incident can happen to him if he continues to suck the pacifier. Like “Babayka will come at night and take you to the dark forest!” ... Again, you deliberately expose the baby to stress, and this is definitely not worth doing if you are trying not only to wean your child from a dummy, but at the same time to maintain his emotional balance.
- 4 Don't shame your baby. Especially when comparing with other children. “Just look! Neighborhood Mitya has been walking without a pacifier for a long time, and you are still like little, right? Mitya will soon go to school, but you will stay - you will sit at home and suck a dummy ... ”. Whatever pedagogical experiments you are fond of, one thing must remain unchanged - you must be a source of positive emotions for the child, he must feel the most reliable support and support in you. Therefore, before trying to shame your baby about the dummy, try the "let's give it to a cat with kittens" trick.
- 5 Don't change tactics. Even if everything went wrong for you, and the child is throwing a tantrum after a tantrum about "losing" his pacifier, be decisive and persistent (but do not get angry!). If you have already taken the pacifier - do not try to give it back, breaking under the children's screams. Thus, you will clearly make it clear to your baby that one or two sonorous tantrums can "fork out" you for anything ... Do not give in!
Although sucking a pacifier does not pose any threat to the health and development of a baby, in the minds of most ordinary people, a child aged 4-5-6 years with a pacifier in his mouth looks at least strange ... "Compassionate passers-by" can scold the mother of such a baby - they say , where are you looking? ... But in Europe and the West, there are no problems with this - no one would even think of paying attention to a child with a pacifier in his mouth, just think! ...
A small child is not only the all-embracing joy and boundless happiness of parents, but also a lot of worries and troubles that take away almost all their free time. Feed, lay, take a walk, entertain, comfort - your head is spinning! Therefore, often, in order for the baby to give parents the opportunity to rest a little, they choose an ordinary pacifier, popularly called a dummy, as their "allies".
Days and months go by, the child is happy to pull the pacifier into his mouth day and night, throwing tantrums about her absence, and the mother finally understands: it's time to wean the child from the pacifier. But how can this be done if the kid actively protests against such a "bad" proposal? Indeed, he spent days and nights with her, and now they want to deprive him of such a sweet and pleasant-tasting friend.
And here the real war begins! Mom scolds the child, trying to wean the child from a dummy, and tells him terrible tales: they say, if he does not stop doing this, then the teeth will grow rare, like a wattle fence, and the terrible Barmaley will bite him by the nose. Yes, only the child “listens and eats”, or rather sucks, and is not going to end his friendship with the pacifier.
Moreover, he not only hides it under the pillow and in the stroller, but also “steals” the pacifier in the yard from other babies. Seeing this, moms grab their heads, but they still can't do anything!
So when is it necessary to wean a child from a dummy so that such problems do not arise? How to do it correctly? What mistakes should not be made in the weaning process, and what tricks, on the contrary, can help mothers on this difficult path? About this and much more in our today's article.
Why does nipple addiction occur?
First, let's see why the child is so attached to a simple dummy. The fact is that the sucking reflex is one of the main reflexes of the newborn, which is checked by pediatricians immediately after the baby is born. After all, it is in the sucking reflex that the baby's further ability to develop correctly and even eat well and with appetite lies!
Most babies satisfy him when they latch on to the breast, and therefore calmly do without a nipple. But the rest of the children cannot control the reflex and begin to behave restlessly, sucking everything that comes to hand into their mouths: the edge of a blanket, a toy, and even their own finger, thereby increasing the risk of contracting some nasty infection.
Which babies are most difficult to wean from the nipple?
It is impossible not to mention the category of children whose nipple weaning is not only difficult - it is simply impossible! Let's look at them in detail.
"Undernourished"
"Sosalschiki"
Let's say right away that there are few such children - somewhere around 2-3%. Their peculiarity is that they taste the world: they put a rattle in their mouth, or a bear's paw, or a piece of paper. This is not a whim, but a natural need that they satisfy.
Trauma Survivors
After a long illness, the baby can become very attached to the nipple. In difficult times, she calmed him down, so after solving "problems" she remains a true friend for him.
Is a pacifier harmful to a baby?
Some mothers are afraid that a baby who does not part with a dummy will face speech problems in the future, since it will be wrong to pronounce the letters. Also, many of them assume that the child's teeth will grow crooked and ugly because of this.
What do doctors say about this?
They do not confirm the original theory, but they warn parents about something else: a child who is accustomed to a pacifier is not very interested in what is happening around him, and therefore can grow up to be a rather reserved person.
And doctors also say that a simple and harmless-looking dummy can really ruin a baby's bite. Therefore, the mother should wean the child not only from the nipple, but also from the desire to push fingers into his mouth and suck them (and this is sometimes much more difficult than fighting a pacifier).
When to start weaning?
Typically, many babies stop sucking on their own when they turn a year or two. However, you should not rejoice at this, because it is necessary to wean the baby from the nipple much earlier: from 3 months to a year.
Moreover, most children are completely ready to part with a dummy from 3 to 6 months of age, only mothers do not notice this. And, most importantly: during this period, weaning from the nipple is less traumatic for the child.
Therefore, if you notice that the child has ceased to be actively interested in the pacifier, having switched his attention to something more entertaining, but not harmful to his health, support his "decision" and hide the pacifier away.
Four methods of nipple rejection
Today, there are several effective ways to wean a baby from the nipple.
Smooth failure: for children up to 1-1.5 years old
Smooth abandonment involves getting rid of the pacifier in a few weeks.
According to this technique, it is necessary:
- do not take the pacifier with you outside;
- hide the pacifier away during the day;
- teach a child to drink from a favorite cup;
- to keep the child occupied with exciting games;
- put a favorite toy in the child's bed to make him feel protected;
- do not leave the room until the baby falls asleep.
After some time, after taking these measures, the baby will forget about his not so long ago beloved "friend".
Abrupt refusal: for children from 1.5 years and older
Abrupt rejection is a way to get rid of the pacifier for babies who already understand their parents well.
For it to work, you must select one of the options:
- solemnly hand over a pacifier to a newborn baby. Since your child already realizes that he has become an "adult", then it will not be difficult for him to give his girlfriend to a lyalek who needs her more;
- send a dummy on a long voyage: a small fish or a gray bunny need it so much! After all, only a nipple can protect them in a dark forest from Barmaley;
- throw the pacifier out the window or trash can. True, this option is not suitable for all children, but only for the most calm and flexible.
After the goodbye to the nipple takes place, it is necessary to give the child something very good, while making sure to notice that only independent children play with such valuable toys.
Cancellation in a week - is it possible?
Some mothers share their stories on forums about how to wean a baby from a pacifier in just a week.
We cannot but tell you about this method. However, only practice will show how effective and applicable it is for you.
Scheme of actions:
- Give the baby a pacifier for 5 days 2 times less than usual (not 30 minutes, but 15, not an hour, but half an hour).
- For the next 2-3 days, offer the pacifier only at night. In this case, it is better to give it for a few minutes, and then replace it with a breast.
At the same time, do not "push" the dummy into the child's mouth just like that, but only when he really needs it.
STOPPI for kids from two years old
Modern medicine has come up with another effective way to wean from the nipple, which is simply called: "STOPPI" (STOPPI). This is a special orthodontic plate that must be given to the child in exchange for the pacifier.
Manufacturers claim that just a few weeks of using this plate can permanently wean the baby from the nipple (the use of "traditional" pacifiers during this period is not allowed).
A small disadvantage of "Stoppi" is that it can be purchased only in pharmacies, and it is suitable only for grown-up children (2 years or older).
All children are different, and therefore there is no single recipe for weaning a child from a pacifier. However, thanks to the observation of mothers and the experience of doctors, it is much easier to do this today than 50 years ago.
So, general advice on this matter would be:
Do not impose a pacifier if you don't need one
If your child from the first days of life feels wonderful and without a pacifier, does not pull a finger in his mouth and falls asleep well, you should not impose it on the baby at all.
Communication is the mother of weaning
If you will how to communicate with the baby during the day, demonstrating the beauty of the surrounding world and its features, he simply will not have time for friendship with the pacifier.
Drink - do not harm health
If you teach your child to drink from a mug at about six months, he will quickly master the swallowing reflex and lose the need for bottles and a nipple.
Bedtime Story - Problem Solving
If you tell your child fairy tales before bedtime, then by the year the dummy can be replaced with a whole series of fascinating stories.
Daytime games are so exciting!
If the child plays with cubes and pyramids during the day, he will not be distracted by simple sucking.
Out of sight, out of mind
If you yourself do not persistently offer the pacifier to the child and begin to remind of its existence, he may well forget about it in a couple of days.
What should not be done during the weaning process?
Some mothers make a lot of unforgivable mistakes on the way to getting rid of the nipple. So what shouldn't you do in the weaning process?
Spoil the pacifier
Under no circumstances should the nipple be cut. Imagine what would happen if the kid bites off a piece of this "chamomile"? It will either go into his stomach or cause a spasm in his throat.
Lubricate it with food compounds
Do not smear mustard on the nipple. Not every adult can endure this "muck" in the mouth, what can we say about a small child! Plus, it is not entirely safe, since mustard causes swelling and spasm of the throat in children.
Also, under no circumstances should you smear a pacifier with syrup, since sweets not only spoil your teeth, but are also highly addictive.
Scream at baby
In no case should you yell at a baby if he urgently asks for a pacifier. The child does not understand why the mother is so angry with him and begins to be even more harmful.
Start weaning during illness
Finally, you shouldn't deprive your baby or start the weaning process when he is sick or teething.
What to do in case of "relapse"?
When you get rid of the dummy, be prepared for the fact that the child may be capricious for several days and again miss his "girlfriend". Perhaps he will even wake up at night and demand that she be returned "to her homeland."
If the whims continue for a very long time (more than 10 days), and you notice that the psychological state of the baby becomes restless, just buy the baby a new pacifier and after a while repeat the “weaning” procedure.
Do not be afraid that your child goes with a pacifier until retirement: almost all children by the age of 3 completely forget about the pacifier.
When is an emergency dummy rejection necessary?
Excessive nipple attachment
Sometimes it happens that already a fairly adult baby does not let go of the pacifier from his mouth: day and night he procrastinates it and screams loudly if he suddenly loses a pacifier somewhere. In this case, an urgent response is necessary: \u200b\u200bdo not wait for the "appropriate" period, it is better to start weaning right now.
So, how to act if time is lost, but you still need to do something?
Explain the situation
Tell your child what harm the nipple does to him: it spoils his teeth, interferes with talking, makes him drool ... Anything, just for the baby to understand you! Just do not scold him and do not laugh at him, pointing at the child with your finger.
“Lose” the dummy
Hide the pacifier. Yes, just like that - get out of sight and that's it. Get together to visit your grandmother, and leave her at home. The baby won't run after her through the forests and fields?
"Spoil" the nipple
Cut off most of the nipple (just don't cut all of it!). The baby, taking "lyalu" in his mouth, spits the pacifier in bewilderment: why did she become so full of holes? If the child begins to ask about what happened, explain: a big bear came from the forest, wanted to try a pacifier, but accidentally bit off.
Defects of hearing or speech
Also, do not wait for the moment when the baby will solemnly give the pacifier in your hand and refuse it if he has problems with hearing or with speech.
It is better to solve the problem once and for all, enduring a river of tears and a week of sleepless nights, than then reaping the fruits of your "compassionate" maternal labor.
Summing up
Weaning your baby off the nipple is that easy. At 1 year old, some babies find new interests for themselves without any problems and forget about the pacifier after a week or two, while others are still looking for a pacifier months later, throwing regular tantrums to their parents.
Therefore, the age at which you will wean a child from a dummy is individual not only for each baby, but also for each family. Even cultural values \u200b\u200band traditions play a big role in this: if in Italy a four-year-old child with a pacifier in his mouth does not surprise anyone, then in Russia, in Russia, his mother will be looked askance at.
However, when thinking about how to wean a child from a dummy, you should remember: you should not be equal in this matter to the advice of neighbors and relatives. It is better to do everything so neatly and correctly so that the baby will abandon the nipple on his own and feel just amazing at the same time!
I have friends. Amazing people who have an amazing little daughter. And all would be fine, only she did not let the nipple out of her mouth until 2.5 years.
Most likely, I would have loved her further if, during the medical examination in the garden, the doctor had not sent her to the orthodontist because of an incorrect bite. The problem is due to the nipple. How to solve it, read the article on how to wean a child from a dummy.
The controversy around the pacifier does not subside for a minute. Moreover, not only experienced and novice mothers argue, but also the specialists themselves. On the one hand, the nipple is evil. It spoils the bite, which in turn leads to incorrect pronunciation of sounds. In addition, the psychological aspect plays a role: it is believed that a child who is occupied with her needs less knowledge of the world and develops worse.
On the other hand, the dummy helps to realize the sucking reflex, thereby improving the child's appetite, and this is its main advantage. Also, all children love to fall asleep with a pacifier. If it is not there, the chest is used. This is not always convenient, mothers assure from experience. For example, if a child wants to sleep on the street, you will have to look for a secluded place to feed and calm him.
Summing up all of the above, I would like to note that it is necessary and important, but for the time being. Do you know when to wean from her? According to psychologists, you should start as early as 3 months. Then, provided the efforts are correctly applied, the baby will completely abandon the pacifier already in a year. Previously, it is impossible to deprive him of his favorite toy. Teeth will crawl, and the crumb will pull into his mouth everything that comes to his hand.
By the way, these recommendations cannot always be implemented in practice. There are children who are just beginning to actively take the pacifier by 2 - 3 months. There are even more recent ones. There were precedents when children took a pacifier at the time of teething to scratch their gums.
Interestingly, when it comes to a dummy, it's never too late to work against it. So, the optimal time for failure is up to a year. If you could not or did not have time, you can extend it to one and a half years. The deadline for weaning is 2 years. There are, however, children who cannot part with a pacifier later, but you should not be equal to them. Otherwise, history, like that of my friends, may repeat itself.
It is believed that the main danger of too long a crumb's love for a pacifier is a spoiled bite and various dental problems. You can clearly see this in the photo. 
How to wean at different ages
According to psychologists, it is impossible to take away your favorite toy until one year old, otherwise the child will experience severe stress. Teething teeth will aggravate the situation, because of which neither the baby nor the mother will sleep at night. At the same time, it is these experts who argue that the first signs of readiness to refuse rejection are observed at the age of 3-6 months. What are they like?
We are talking about situations when the baby drops the pacifier as soon as he falls asleep, or does not remember it until he sees it. Of course, this does not mean that you need to deprive a baby's pacifier overnight. He will feel the need to suck, but less often. As a result, it will not be necessary to give him a pacifier so often. It is important to prolong the time without it every time.
To do this without harm to your own nervous system, it is important to keep the baby occupied with other things: a fairy tale, a lullaby, stroking until he falls asleep. During the day, you can distract with games, walks. It is believed that this is exactly the period when it will be possible to quickly and easily wean a child from a pacifier. If the moment is missed, it's time to be patient, you will definitely need it in the future.
From 6 months to 2 years
At the age of six months to 2 years, it is harder for a child to forget about the nipple. He understands a lot and perceives her sucking as a mandatory ritual before going to bed. In order not to harm, in no case should you take your favorite toy abruptly. This can cause a lot of stress in the baby, which is not surprising. 
Now the dummy for him is part of the familiar world. By taking it away, you destroy this world and cause serious unrest and anxiety. The baby does not think about the fact that the little thing can do harm, especially since his mother herself gave it to him once.
The key to success is gradualism. To achieve it, psychologists recommend:
- Slowly remove the bottle as soon as the baby has learned to drink from the cup. This usually happens between 7 and 8 months of age. The nipple will be forgotten with the bottle.
- Give your favorite toy only if absolutely necessary. There are situations when the baby is capricious and the parents, in order to distract him, put a pacifier in his mouth. Do I need to say that this is wrong, and we need to get rid of it.
- Provide your baby with enough toys to play with. Children in 1.5 years can take a pacifier out of boredom. If you now occupy them with new things that can be learned by touch or even taste, the dummy will lose its paramount importance.
It is also important, as before, to make changes to the usual ritual, distracting from the sucking of the pacifier with other activities.
After 2 years
Feedback from mothers on the forums suggests that the easiest way to dare from your favorite toy is when you reach the age of two. At this time, it is easy to come up with a story explaining the loss, and the baby will believe in it. My acquaintances, whom I talked about at the beginning, did just that. The pacifier was given to the mouse by mutual desire: she asked her very much. In return, the mouse brought a new doll. Everyone was satisfied and happy and "cried" for only a day or two: they liked the doll very much.
The story may have other options for the development of events: it was presented to the wizard for fulfilling a wish, lost, stolen (Carlson flew in and took a dummy for a newly born little boy). By the way, in no case should you compare the baby with older children, call him small for unwillingness to give up your favorite toy. He doesn't need extra excitement.
Interestingly, when asked about how to painlessly wean from a nipple, if history does not help much, psychologists advise diversifying the child's leisure time. Games, walks, tickling nursery rhymes will do. They will captivate and distract, replacing the baby's pacifier.
How to stop falling asleep with a dummy
As already mentioned, in order to wean the baby from sleeping with a dummy, you just need to replace the obligatory ritual. Once again, laying him in the crib, turn your attention to a fairy tale, which you need to tell in a sweet, soothing voice. Lullabies, strokes are also good. For an older child, it makes sense to offer to close his eyes and try to fall asleep without a dummy.
The main thing is to wait for the first 20 to 30 minutes, keeping calm and not breaking down on the child. It will be easier with each subsequent day. The younger the child, the more painless it will be. As a rule, everything about everything takes 3 - 5 days. To make the baby less upset during this period, it is only important to exhaust him well during the day, and then only by touching the pillow, he will fall asleep soundly. 
At 3 years old, you can take the pacifier from the baby in exchange for a toy, with which he can now sleep. It will both calm and lull, in a word, replace your favorite "antidepressant".
It is interesting that in extreme cases, if you cannot refuse the nipple on your own, it makes sense to consult a dentist. Sometimes he picks up the vestibular plate. It is a product made of elastic plastic with silicone pads for the chewing group of teeth. Its advantage is that it seems to satisfy the reflex and is not reflected in the bite.
What not to do
While searching for information on how to properly wean from a nipple, I came across a lot of articles in which parents were advised not entirely reasonable things. For instance:
- Smearing a pacifier with something bitter to provoke disgust in the baby. Doing this is strictly prohibited, since not even all adults are able to tolerate mustard, pepper, garlic and other spices that are used, and what can we say about a child. Moreover, it is also unsafe. In recent years, the number of allergy sufferers has only increased, and the above products can cause them serious allergic reactions, including swelling or throat spasm.
- Cut the dummy. In general, violence against a favorite thing of a son or daughter, and even in front of him, is fraught, because children take everything too close to their hearts. In addition, such actions can end in failure, for example, if a child bites off a piece of rubber. At best, it will end up in his stomach (you must admit, this is not the best place for her), and at worst, it will stick to the mucous membrane of the throat, provoking spasm and suffocation.
- Scream at a child or get angry when he asks to return his favorite "pacifier". This will not help the business, but only harm, and the baby will cry harder. The surest way is to distract, to lure with something else.
- Weaning off the nipple during the period of illness, colic with ARVI. When children are sick, they are especially vulnerable and they just need a nipple to relieve the condition. Give it, and postpone the weaning process until better times, and everyone will be happy.
At the same time, if once a decision was made to abandon the dummy, it is also impossible to back down. This will only further aggravate the situation.
If you can't wean
Dr. Komarovsky answered this question well in one of his messages. According to him, there are children who have too developed a sucking reflex, and they do not cease to calm down with a pacifier even after reaching the age of three. There is no need to scold them, let alone shame them. The time will come, and they themselves will throw their toy.
It is important for parents to be patient for this period, but not only in order to slowly and confidently do everything to wean themselves from the addiction. It is imperative to withstand outside judgment. Often, under pressure from neighbors, relatives who like to shame the baby and his parents because of the nipple, hasty decisions are made. But everything has its time. After all, no one has ever gone to school with a dummy.
A baby is not only a joy for parents, but also a lot of troubles that take up all their free time. Feeding, entertaining, telling a fairy tale before bedtime - all these are the standard duties of every parent, but when to wean a child from a dummy is not so simple a question. After all, for him this thing is the most interesting and calming. Thanks to the pacifier, parents can rest for at least 5 minutes in order to then satisfy the needs of their child with renewed vigor.
Why does the baby get used to the nipple
A newborn has several refrexes, the main of which is sucking. In fact, it is because of him that the baby can develop normally in the future.
Some babies calm down when they are applied to the breast, so they quite calmly do without a pacifier. But there are also those babies who do not know how to control the reflex and pull anything into their mouth if there is no nipple. With such restless babies, parents have much more trouble, because the chances of bringing an infection into a small body are quite high.
Often there are situations when it is necessary to wean a child from a dummy, but the child does not agree to this in any way. The doctors presented three main problems in which it is very difficult to part with your favorite nipple:
- Malnourished children. This category includes babies who, from birth, lacked breastfeeding or did not have it at all. Because of this, the sucking reflex cannot be satisfied naturally, and the craving for the "subject of sucking" becomes more and more.
- "Suckers". Recently, only 3-4% of such individuals have been found. In fact, such children are special, because they know the world with the help of taste. They like to put toys, paper and any other objects in their mouths - this is their natural need, which must be satisfied.
- Trauma survivors. If the baby has had a long-term illness, then he can become quite attached to the nipple, because she did not calm him down in the most difficult times. Therefore, even after recovery, the dummy remains the best and most loyal friend for the child.
In general, the baby gets used to the dummy for various reasons, but what time to wean the child from the dummy is each parent must understand independently.
Is a dummy harmful
As already mentioned, not all parents can easily wean a child from a nipple. Therefore, the question arises: "Is it necessary to wean a child from a dummy in general and is it harmful?" Overly caring mothers are afraid that in the future the child will have problems with speech and he will not be able to pronounce all the letters of the alphabet correctly. In addition, there is also another precaution, which consists in the growth of ugly and crooked teeth, which, according to the opinion of the parents, will be facilitated by a nipple that is constantly in the mouth.
In fact, doctors do not confirm these theories, although there is another precaution - children who are accustomed to a dummy are not at all interested in the world around them, so they can grow up withdrawn in themselves and less sociable than other children.
The theory about curves and of course is not true, but the bite can quickly deteriorate. Therefore, doctors recommend weaning the child not only from the pacifier, but also from the fingers that children often suck, replacing the selected pacifier.
What is prohibited during the weaning process
Not only young but also experienced moms can make a lot of mistakes during weaning. Therefore, before you understand at what age to wean a child from a dummy, you should find out what not to do:
- spoil the pacifier (often parents try to cut the pacifier, bend it, hold it on fire, etc. All this is done to make it unpleasant for the child to suck it and he learns from it on his own. But few people think that the child can accidentally bite off a bit of the spoiled soothing object, which is quite easy to do, and swallow it);
- lubricate the pacifier with food additives (the worst method of weaning is to grease the nipple with mustard, pepper, or salt). Here, love for your own baby is out of the question. After all, not every adult can tolerate such supplements. Moreover, a small organism is not adapted to such tastes. As a result, the child will experience dysfunction of taste buds, throat spasm and edema. And smearing with sweet additions will ruin your teeth and only cause even more craving for a dummy);
- yell at the baby (if the child cannot calm down in any way and demands his nipple, then you should not raise his voice to him. After all, the child feels the anger of the parents and begins to be capricious even more);
- to wean during the period of illness (when the baby suffers an illness or teeth begin to cut, a dummy is a universal way of helping. During such periods, it is strictly forbidden to restrict the child in a dummy, because this can lead to irreversible consequences).
If "relapse" occurs
Weaning from a pacifier is a rather difficult process, so you need to know all the nuances so as not to harm your baby. Many parents have already decided for themselves when to wean a child from a dummy, but not all of them considered the possible complications that often appear after successful weaning.
The most common cases - the child behaves calmly in the next couple of days, and then begins to demand his friend again. At the same time, the psychological state deteriorates, and the child's persistence becomes stronger. If he does not cease to be irritated without a dummy for 10 days, then it is necessary to purchase a new one and after a while repeat weaning.
When you need an emergency dummy rejection
Despite the fact that the parents, with the help of doctors, determined the exact time when to wean the child from the pacifier, there may be emergencies.
In these situations, you do not have to wait for the "right day"; you will have to act quickly and as efficiently as possible. For example, a fairly adult baby does not want to let a pacifier out of his mouth and is very irritated if it is lost, then you should act immediately:
- Explain the situation. Without swearing and laughing, it is necessary to tell the child in a calm tone that the nipple is harmful to his teeth, does not allow him to speak normally, and so on.
- Accidentally forget the "sedative" at home and the whole family go, for example, to visit relatives or friends. In this case, the child will have to come to terms with the loss, because he will not have the opportunity to go home and take it with him.
- Cut off a small part of the nipple (but so that the baby cannot bite off a piece and swallow), and then in a comic form explain who and how ruined it.
The best time to wean
The most appropriate time when to wean a child from a pacifier is often decided by parents on their own or by consulting a doctor. If there are no emergency situations, then the process can be started at any moment, but this should be done smoothly, without harming the still unformed nervous system.
Weaning before 2 years
The period when it is better to wean a baby from a pacifier starts at 2 months. From that moment to six months, the first signs of complete readiness to refuse are formed. The best option is to get rid of the nipple before 6 months, which will ensure that there are no many unnecessary problems. By sticking to a few neat rules, you will find that weaning is quick and successful:
- If a sedative is required only when it is in sight of the child, then the weaning process can begin immediately.
- You can replace the pacifier with motion sickness, songs, fairy tales, or any other activity that will soothe the same as the nipple did before.
During the period from 6 months to one year old, the energy overwhelms, therefore, if the nipple is deprived, all actions will be aimed at returning it.
To avoid trouble and worsening the situation, you should adhere to the following rules:
- During this period, drinking from a special children's cup will help to forget the skills of sucking, and you can also start feeding not from a bottle, but giving food on plates.
- It is allowed to give a pacifier only at the request of the child himself, it is not worth showing it just like that.
- Frequent games and walks will keep the baby occupied and he will forget about the need for a pacifier in his mouth. Interesting and educational toys can even contribute to the fact that the dummy will be passed from children's hands to adults without any resistance.
If the baby has already celebrated his first full birthday and is one year old, then you should not be upset. This period is also favorable for weaning, but you will have to exert more strength.
Parents should understand that it was they who showed their child a dummy, but in fact the kid trusts these people the most and during the period of weaning, he cannot understand why suddenly his best friend began to spend less time with him and why he became so harmful.
After 2 years
Sometimes it happens that it was not possible to wean off the nipple at what time. It is not always easy to wean a baby from a pacifier after two years of age. The easiest way is a regular conversation, in which it is necessary to mention the need to leave the dummy in a playful way. If this option does not bring success, then you can regularly reduce the time the nipple is in the mouth. This will take more time, but the result will be successful.
Family help
How and at what age to wean a child from a pacifier has already been said above. But these methods may not be enough if the whole family is not involved in the process. Each family member invests in the development of the child something of his own, which will help him develop further. Therefore, weaning from a dummy should take place with the participation of the whole family, in compliance with all the rules.
Recommendations and advice from professional psychologists will help in those moments when it will be necessary to wean a child from a dummy. For example, a child who requires a pacifier while in an active state says that his cerebral cortex is tense and urgently needs relaxation. Therefore, the dummy will interfere with the memorization of information. In such situations, you need to distract him from the calming object as quickly as possible and begin to explore the world with the baby.
Not all parents know what time it is necessary to wean a child from a dummy, so they are interested in other mothers who have already passed this difficult period. Some of them even managed not to teach the nipple, so these children could control and refuse it themselves. Others advise starting the weaning process at 5 months, because it is at this age that the sucking reflex itself begins to fade. The main thing here is not to miss the moment. Also, parents note that it is necessary to distinguish between crying and screaming of the baby when he needs a sedative or he just has something in pain. After all, a dummy often distracts a child from pain, but then health problems arise, which is very difficult to get rid of.
In order for the baby to grow up healthy and less moody, it is necessary to spend more time with him. Then his development will strive upward, together with his parents he will make discoveries and grow up as a full-fledged and interesting person.
Many newly minted mothers resort to using sucking helpers from the first months of a baby's life, believing that the nipple will greatly facilitate the life of the mother herself and her child: the baby is not so capricious and falls asleep easier. It happens that the baby becomes attached to the nipple, and is friends with it for up to 2, or even up to 3 years. Parents have to look for ways to wean their child from sucking a pacifier, but not all methods are suitable for babies and their psyche.
Dummy: is it really needed and why?
The main reflex of a newborn is the unconditioned sucking reflex, and its absence indicates a depression of the nervous system. The baby will be able to grow and develop only in the case of a well-developed sucking reflex.
And you will learn in detail about the development of a six-month-old baby.
Concerned parents, when their baby turns 1 year old, wonder what he should know and be able to at this age. will tell about the features of this period.
Manufacturers produce nipples made of silicone or latex. Silicone is easier to bite through, but more durable.if you follow them. Latex is softer and is often preferred by babies. If the nipple is damaged, discard it immediately.
Nipples differ in shape: round, drop-shaped and even imitating a female nipple, with a ring and glowing in the dark, designed to save time at night when the baby is crying.
Only use latex after teething... Silicone - for the edentulous.
Conclusion
You don't need to make a cult out of a dummy if you can do without it, do not introduce your child to her at all. This applies to those mothers who are breastfeeding and there are no problems with milk, as well as if the baby's sucking reflex is satisfied.
If you use a pacifier, then you can wean the child up to a year gradually, or at a more conscious age of about 2 years sharply, trying not to injure the child's psyche. Show empathy, connect your imagination and everything will work out!
