Children should end their pacifier use by age 2…but I advise parents to end its use by age 1- the sooner the better! Prolonged pacifier use has been shown to have negative impacts on a child’s dental growth and speech and language development. Negative dental effects include: Significant overbite, cross bite, and open bite (a gap between the upper and lower teeth when the jaw is closed). Studies have also shown that prolonged use of a pacifier is linked to an increase in ear infections. In addition, pacifiers reduce children’s opportunities to babble, imitate sounds and words, and engage in conversation.
1. BINKY FAIRY : Tell your child that the binky fairy is going to come at night and replace his binky with an exciting surprise.
2. BUILD-A-BINKY-BEAR : Keep the pacifier close but out of reach by taking it to Build-a-Bear with your child, and having him put it inside of the stuffed animal he chooses before sewing it up.
3. PAY WITH THE PACI : Take your child to his favorite toy store and let him pick out a toy. When you go up to the cash register to pay, have him pay with his pacifier.
