Weaning two-year-olds from a pacifier. How to wean a baby from a dummy

17.09.2019

The appearance of a baby in a family is almost always accompanied by a lot of controversial issues. Not the last example is the question of a pacifier - how to wean a child from a pacifier and is it necessary at all? And if earlier our mothers and grandmothers believed that the baby would throw out the pacifier himself, now doctors advise to get rid of this habit as soon as possible.

The sucking reflex is a natural necessity for every baby, his main need. Normally, it should be present already from the first days of life, otherwise neonatologists state physiological or neurological disorders.

Breastfeeding is necessary for the baby to survive: we cannot get away from this natural instinct. Some babies, to satisfy the sucking reflex, can "hang" on their mother's chest for an hour, even if they have already eaten for a long time. However, everyday life makes its own adjustments and the mother cannot constantly be near the baby, therefore she offers him a silicone breast substitute - a pacifier. With a dummy, the baby becomes much calmer when mom is not around. A crying baby calms down faster when he is given a pacifier. In addition, there are several other positive aspects of using it:

Arguments for using a dummy

A dummy is a great substitute if you need to quickly calm your baby down. A toddler who has fallen on the pavement or is slightly feverish in his crib can use the pacifier to distract himself and become less restless.
The dummy will become an indispensable assistant for a mother who wants to limit the baby's consumption of breast milk or formula (for example, if the baby is overweight) without disturbing the sucking reflex.
If the baby, satisfying the sucking reflex, pulls a blanket, diaper or fingers into his mouth, then of all these "evils" it is more correct to choose the smallest - a dummy.
According to doctors, a dummy protects a child during the first months of life from sudden infant mortality syndrome. This is due to the fact that her ring will allow air to penetrate, even if the baby is covered with his head.
Anatomically correct pacifiers (with a sloping top), according to orthodontists, do not affect the bite and the formation of the dentition. But there is an incorrect bite due to the extension of the jaw at the time of sucking the bottle, and not the pacifier.

The harm from sucking a pacifier

Despite such powerful arguments in favor of a pacifier, doctors note the negative consequences of the "silicone friend":

Violation of the natural habit of chewing food;
Frequent colic, belching;
Incorrect tooth growth;
Delay in speech and the appearance of its defects, which become noticeable when the child pronounces hissing sounds;
Delayed intellectual development;
Provoking psychological immaturity;
The appearance of frequent infectious diseases of the oral cavity (stomatitis, thrush);
Distracting the child from the perception of the world around him.

The negative consequences of the use of pacifiers are rather arbitrary, they have been studied for a long time, but it has not yet been possible to give accurate statistics.

The well-known pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky also insists that the pacifier does not harm the child, and the desire to wean the baby from the pacifier is dictated from the outside: by the mother-in-law, neighbors, passers-by who reproachfully look at the mother and the baby with the pacifier.

The reason for the negative consequences listed above, the doctor sees in poor ecology, heredity, individual characteristics of the child's body. For example, if an anatomically narrow jaw is inherited to a child, then the dentition will one way or another be formed with deviations, and the dummy has nothing to do with it.

Is it worth it to teach?

A pacifier, like a diaper, is needed more by the mother of the baby than by the baby itself.

Therefore, it is not worth introducing a dummy into a baby's life if:

The mother has enough time for the baby to satisfy the sucking reflex, arriving at the breast as much as he wants;
The child spits out the pacifier himself;
The kid knows how to calm down and be distracted by himself after crying, for example, seeing an interesting toy.

If a dummy makes life easier for mom, then why not? But time passes, it is time for the child to develop and forget the dummy. When is it time to do it?

When is it time to unlearn

The older your baby gets, the more difficult it is for him to part with the nipple. And this means that it is the mother who should take a principled position and make this separation as less painful as possible. At what age can you wean from a pacifier?

Pediatricians consider the age of up to 1 year to be the optimal age for weaning from a dummy.

It is easier to wean a baby from a dummy at 1 year old than at 2 or 3 years old, because it is easier to switch the baby's attention to another object. And psychological dependence is not yet so strongly formed. Even a child of 1.5 years can still be weaned "painlessly". But as experience shows, the easiest way for babies to say goodbye to the "silicone friend" during the introduction of the first complementary foods: at about 6-8 months. During this period, the baby's life changes, new taste sensations, feeding rituals appear. At this age, it is easy to switch the baby's attention from a dummy to baby dishes: spoons, plates or a new sippy cup.

An interesting option for replacing a pacifier can be a nibbler. This is a mesh (or a silicone container with holes) and a convenient handle for introducing complementary foods. You can put grated or chopped vegetables and fruits in the nibbler, the baby will suck, receiving vitamins, while large pieces of pulp and seeds will remain inside. However, for safety reasons, the presence of adults while the baby sucks the nibbler is mandatory!

Svetlana, Alisa's 1 year old mother: “I started introducing raw apple complementary foods at 7 months using a nibbler. I cut them into pieces, put them in a net and gave them to my daughter. Lisena herself refused the nipple, began to ask for a nibbler. I especially liked to nibble on a quarter of a banana in a net. "

If up to 2 years old the baby did not have time to part with the nipple, then the farewell process becomes more complicated. To wean a child from a dummy at 2 years old, you need to remember about such a difficult stage in a child's life as a "two-year-old crisis." This period is characterized by whims, tantrums and the desire to do the opposite. Therefore, requests to refuse a dummy at this age are likely to be ignored.

At 3 years old, weaning from a dummy will already be easier, since you can already agree with the baby. It can be explained that the nipple is needed by small children, and he is already big. Or tell a fictional story about another baby whose nipples began to ache from prolonged sucking.

Statistics give specific figures on how old the children abandoned the pacifier:

6% of babies never got to know the dummy;
about 7% - refuse a pacifier before the age of one year,
20% - in a year and a half
19% - in two years
46% do it from two to three years.

Indeed, it is rare when you can see a toddler walking at 3 years old with a dummy. Therefore, you should not torment yourself with the question of how to wean a baby from a nipple at 2 years old. Your baby is likely to part with a silicone friend on his own and painlessly at two or three years of age.

The main thing is not to turn the presence of a dummy in a child's life into a problem and not to focus attention on it.

You can find many ways to help your baby get rid of the nipple painlessly.

How to wean a baby from a dummy

It is possible to wean a baby from a dummy at any age, the main thing is that the parents have the patience to go through the whole process from start to finish. Here are some tips to help your baby break the nipple-sucking habit.

Attention Switching Method

To quickly wean from a dummy, you can use physical and emotional stress. Take a few days of vacation and devote them only to the baby. Spend the first day with your child in active rest and with positive emotions, then bathe him in a bath with lavender herbs and put him to bed. In this case, close contact with parents is required. Tired, the child will not remember about the dummy, and the morning of the next day should be started just as actively. Psychologists say that after five to seven days the baby will forget about the dummy.

Elena (25) says: “My daughter, 1.5 years old, while walking with us in the zoo, dropped her pacifier herself, but did not cry because of the loss, because there was someone to turn her attention to. We threw the pacifier into the trash can, and Dasha forgot about the loss. Strange, but since then we have not remembered the dummy. "

Music as medicine

Another option for switching attention is to present the child with a musical instrument on which you can play with your mouth: a harmonica, a pipe, even a simple whistle. A little noise, but the goal will be achieved. In addition, psychologists have proven the effectiveness of stress relieving through sounds. Even just screaming loudly will be useful to throw out the negative.

Smooth dummy rejection

In order to gradually and stress-free wean a child from a pacifier, you need to follow the rules:
Remove dummy from sight during daytime. So that the baby does not remember about her during the day, come up with different activities in advance. Creativity and active play will work great.
Do not take the pacifier for a walk. If the baby burst into tears on the street, he can be distracted by a lot of interesting things or events happening around him: the bird flew, the dog ran. You cannot shame the child at this moment, otherwise it will be even more offensive to him.
Try to keep the child and learn to fall asleep without a nipple. While preparing for bed, he can hold the pacifier in his mouth, and while you are reading a fairy tale to him, you will sing a lullaby. Children over 2 years old can be told a cautionary tale about the baby and the nipple. Let your imagination run wild, just don't tell horror stories. After such rituals, invite the baby to take out the nipple and put it next to it. If the baby refuses, ask to exchange the pacifier for a favorite toy that will help him fall asleep. If the baby still fell asleep with a dummy, remove it. Every day, invite your baby to try to fall asleep without a nipple, sooner or later, he will agree.

You cannot forcibly remove the pacifier from the child's mouth if he does not want to part with it. Apart from hysteria, this will not lead to anything.

Farewell ritual

For some children, the "goodbye to the pacifier" ritual will be interesting. If the parents see that the child does not suffer without a pacifier, but out of habit cannot part with it, you need to explain to him that parting with a pacifier is inevitable, but we will do it as a holiday. To do this, you can:

Buy an envelope, write an address on it, for example, "a hare in a dense forest", put a pacifier in an envelope, seal it and give it to dad, who "will take it to the post office."
If the baby does not want to share the pacifier with anyone, the option "send the pacifier on a trip" is suitable. The design option is suitable both with an envelope and a simple throw into the river.
After this ritual, you can arrange a small "celebration". If the baby suddenly remembers about the pacifier, it is worth telling him that he is already an adult and he will no longer need the pacifier. This will once again strengthen the child's faith in himself, and will not injure his psyche.

The abrupt weaning from the nipple is not encouraged by doctors, however, some parents successfully apply this method in practice. To do this, you just need to remove the nipple from the baby's field of vision once and for all. If the baby is crying a lot, the parents should not be led and return the nipple - after a while the child will not remember about it.

How can you wean from a dummy

The decision on how to wean a baby from the nipple should not only be made on time, but also correctly implemented. You cannot decide for no reason when to wean a baby from a nipple, because the baby does not obey your wishes. Otherwise, parents can harm the psyche of the child, and the process of weaning itself can be made more painful for the crumbs and problematic for themselves. So what can not be done when weaning a baby from a dummy:

You can not wean a child from a pacifier when he is sick, overextended, emotional decline is felt. During this period, any disturbance in the inner balance of the little person can lead to an even greater aggravation of the problem.
Do not offer to give a pacifier to another baby. Children at a young age are very jealous of their property. The child considers a dummy, like a mother, a favorite car or a doll, to be his own. Therefore, forcing a baby to give a pacifier to another "lala" is to cultivate a feeling of hatred for another child, even if it is an imaginary one. Greed in a child is a natural feeling, driven by the instinct of self-preservation. When the time comes, the baby himself can proudly give away the pacifier, but not under pressure from the parents.
Do not lubricate the pacifier with bitter or acidic products.(mustard, pepper, lemon, aloe juice), as this will only cause tears, excessive drooling and unpleasant memories. After the baby calms down, he will begin to demand the pacifier again.
Don't humiliate your child taking the dummy from him. It is not worth pointing out that he is a crybaby, small and should be ashamed of his behavior. In this case, nothing but an inferiority complex can be brought up. And do not compare the child with other children, because every person, even the smallest, is an individual personality.
Don't cut the nipple... There is such a method - gradual cutting off the tip of the nipple. As a rule, children become uncomfortable, and they themselves throw the pacifier. However, the method has a drawback: a damaged silicone nipple can scratch your baby's tongue or gums. Worse, he can bite off a piece of the nipple and choke. Therefore, this method is not safe!
You should not offer your child a gift for a dummy. This technique is actively used in practice, but it has “side effects”. The kid will understand that the parents are ready to buy cars, chocolates, a trip to the circus, in order not only to get what they want, but also to please the kid. In this case, the practice of exchange can become a tradition and only then it will be difficult to explain something to the child. If you want to reward your little one for giving up the pacifier, give a gift after a while without making the pacifier rejection dependent.
You can not wean to fall asleep with a dummy when a child is teething. Teething is a hectic and painful process for most children. Therefore, when teething, the child begins to squeeze the pacifier, trying to alleviate his suffering. In addition, the baby concentrates less on pain when holding the nipple in his mouth.
Don't be manipulated if you are determined to take the pacifier from your baby. You should not return an old pacifier or buy a new one after the first tantrum. The kid should not feel that his cries and tears influenced the decision of the parents, otherwise the parents will become the eternal fulfillment of desires, and relations in the family can go to the consumer level. But if suddenly the psychological state of the baby became unstable, he began to cry more often and this does not go away within several days, then it is better to buy him a new pacifier. Otherwise, your desire to wean the baby from the nipple will lead to psychological trauma for the baby.

A dummy for many mothers means almost the same as for their children - a magic wand in moments of children's tears and resentment, a great opportunity to calm the baby and get a long-awaited respite, at least for a few minutes. Therefore, giving the baby a pacifier from birth, we are primarily guided by our own interests, not at all thinking about the fact that soon we will have to look for ways to wean the baby from the pacifier.

Unfortunately, there are no perfect methods, because each child is unique in its own way, and what helps one say goodbye to a pacifier does not work at all on other babies. About when exactly the time has come to get rid of the nipple and the right approaches and methods, each mother chooses intuitively, since only she knows her baby, his character and temperament. However, the opinions of psychologists, pediatricians and speech therapists should not be discarded on this score, since they are based on many years of practice in working with children.

Times change, and with them opinions on the methods of upbringing and caring for children change. In every generation there is a genius pediatrician who writes a dissertation on how, for example, it is harmful to give babies with water, or how dangerous it is to give birth in maternity hospitals, you do not need to be vaccinated, how harmful pacifiers are. Time passes and his arguments are refuted, only mistakes made by parents who blindly followed the new trend cannot be corrected.

Likewise, the long-suffering pacifiers are sometimes praised, then consigned to oblivion, revealing the many consequences of their use. But as they say, there should be a golden mean in everything, and if you choose the right pacifier and do not leave it in your child's mouth for three years, then there will be no harm from it as such. Consider all the moments of harm and benefit from this irreplaceable invention of mankind, a magic button that creates silence.

Opinion of speech therapists about pacifiers

According to speech therapists, early and transfer to the method of feeding from a spoon does not allow adequate development of the facial muscles, and the muscles of the tongue that are involved in the process of speech. Thus, by not giving a dummy, the parents deprive him of the opportunity to satisfy his natural instinct - which later affects his ability to articulate and pronounce some syllables, especially those in which the tip of the tongue is involved.

At the same time, prolonged use of a pacifier leads to the fact that the child begins to try to speak through the nipple, which leads to incorrect formation of his speech.

A pacifier in the eyes of a psychologist

Psychologists have no unequivocal opinion about the dummy, which, incidentally, is not surprising. Some say with confidence that it prevents children from learning about the world by tasting it, others declare the need for a nipple for those children who do not get proper attention and love due to the constant busyness of their parents. And really nipple sucking is the only way for a baby to distract from grievances and turn his attention to this process.

Dentists' opinion on this matter

Up to about six months, babies retain the sucking reflex, which can be satisfied when breastfeeding, from a bottle, as well as when sucking a pacifier. In the event that the parents categorically do not give the child a pacifier, experiencing a deficiency in sucking activity, he can pull various accessible objects into his mouth, including a finger.

At the same time, the load when sucking a finger is not evenly distributed on the jaw, as is the case with a pacifier, the bite is disturbed, and it is not as easy as separating it from the nipple, since it can simply be hidden in extreme cases, which cannot be done with a finger. At the same time, long-term and constant sucking on the nipple, the same can lead to malocclusion.

When to start weaning from a dummy

For each child, the time when they have to part with the pacifier comes at a different age, it mainly depends on the reasons prompting the habit. With the elimination of the reasons, the need for a dummy also disappears. Of the reasons leading to its use, the main ones can be distinguished:

Unsatisfied sucking reflex.
Lack of parental attention.
Habit.

As a rule, the need for a nipple disappears by six months, it is during this period that the craving for sucking weakens and the baby often spits out the nipple from his mouth.

If you do not miss this moment, you can give up the habit without hysterics on the part of the baby. The whole catch is that it is the parents who are not ready to give up such an excellent sedative during this period of growing up.

After six months, when the baby's teeth are actively beginning to erupt, it is not at all advisable to take away the pacifier from him, it is at this time that the baby will need your support and understanding.

After a year, habits and traditions are already formed in the child, and the pacifier may be associated in some children with sleep, in others with mother's care and affection, or a strong attachment is developed just to always walk with a pacifier in your mouth.

From one and a half to two years, this is exactly the period when you can agree with the child or explain to him the reason for the disappearance of the nipple.

Dummy Weaning Technique

And so you decided on such a difficult event as weaning the baby from the nipple. First you need to figure out why now, and whether this period is right. If you go to this step only because your friend has a baby without a nipple, or they make comments to you, then these are not the reasons.

The child is teething
The child is sick
The family has a stressful situation
You are not at home with your child (traveling, traveling, moving)
You leave the child to another person (registration in a nursery, nanny)

How to wean a child from a dummy sharply or gradually depends on the nature of the parents and the baby himself, in this case there is no reliable recipe, there are only general tips that you can use, or just take note.

Abrupt refusal

A sharp rejection of a pacifier does not mean that one day you simply pull the nipple out of your mouth and throw it out of the window, such an event will be regarded by the baby as a betrayal and will remain in memory for a long time. No, a sharp refusal means that afterwards you will not give a pacifier, under any circumstances, but the child should be prepared for this.

First, check how ready he is to part with the nipple, hiding it for a while, if panic and tears start, you can try to look for it together and explain that the mouse (cat, magic fairy) took the nipple away. Next time, the mouse will take the dummy to its children forever. During this period, it is important not to let the child feel the indispensability of this device, if he could not sleep, try stroking his hair while singing a song. During the daytime, you can play with the baby, offering him new toys and rewards, thereby switching attention from the bitterness of loss to positive moments.

Graceful failure

In the event of a gradual refusal, the use of a pacifier should be gradually minimized, and given to the child only when he simply cannot do without it, for example, he cannot fall asleep for a long time. Over time, the number of cases when a nipple is needed gradually decreases, and then it is completely forgotten about its existence.

During this period, the main thing is not to leave the pacifier within sight and not to remind of it.

Over time, the child perceives the dummy as a part of himself, therefore, in no case should it be destroyed in front of the child by throwing it into the fire, out the window, into the pond. For a child, this will be a very big loss and trauma, much better when the end of a dummy, a happier one, is solemnly presented to another baby of a smaller age, receiving a reward in return, or the bird carries it away to its babies. And, of course, what you should not do is smear the nipple with bitter, sour or sharp, or cut it with a knife.

When to wean from a dummy and what is the best way to do it? It seems to be a pity for the baby, he loves his "nanny" so much, but the wrong bite scares. The surrounding people shake their heads reproachfully "Such a big baby and with a pacifier!" What time to wean a baby from a pacifier and is it worth waiting until he throws it out himself?

What role does she play in the life of a toddler? While he lies in the crib, jerking his arms and legs, the dummy is a "mum substitute." It helps to calm down, satisfy the sucking reflex, especially if the baby is bottle-fed. And most often the question "When to wean a child from a dummy" arises closer to the year. It seems to us that if the child is already walking, it means that it is large, therefore, the nipple is not needed. In general, the sucking reflex fades away in the second half of life. And the dummy becomes not a vital necessity, but a habit. But are we adults so easily and joyfully parting with our habits?

By imposing our directives, not wanting to take into account the needs of the little person, we risk accompanying our (and his) life with problems. If you are determined to get rid of the dummy, then prepare some kind of substitute.

First, notice when the baby increases interest in the nipple. This can happen during physical discomfort (constipation, teething, fell), mental (scared, upset), before bedtime. Suggest an alternative depending on the cases identified. Before going to bed, you can read books, hug more, kiss. When falling asleep, give a small toy so that it fits into the palm of your hand and is not too fluffy.

Secondly, if you can agree with the little one, do it. There are a thousand and one options: to tell that little mice cry without a mother and wait for Mitya to give them his dummy. Or inform that the dummy went to other kids, and Sofiyka gave a gift and a letter. It all depends on the interests and characteristics of the children.

Third, be firm and consistent. If you clean it in the morning and pull it out in the evening, succumbing to the roar, the weaning process will drag on.

As you ponder when and how to wean your baby from the pacifier, you can gradually try to minimize the use of the pacifier. First, leave only for daytime and evening sleep, and then shift from there. It was also soft: I fell asleep - my mother carefully pulled the nipple out of her mouth. If he asks for a dummy during the day, try to gently distract with something, offer to look out the window, play.

Since ancient times, many parents have used pacifiers to calm their babies. They have become so firmly established in babies' everyday life that many people often associate babies with the presence of pacifiers in their mouths.

Whether or not to use a pacifier for their baby is the decision of the parents, there are arguments both in favor of pacifiers and against them.

But if you are adherents of a dummy, sooner or later you will have a question - how to wean a child from a dummy.

Many children easily part with this object, and for many, the loss of a pacifier, even for an hour, can turn into a prolonged tantrum, and then it will not be easy to wean a child from a pacifier.

Is it necessary to wean a child from a pacifier?

Naturally, a child will not suck a pacifier all his life, not a single adult walks the streets with nipples. This means that sooner or later the child himself will refuse to use the pacifier.

But until that time, it can lead to occlusion problems and psychological difficulties, and it will not be easier to wean a three-year-old child from a pacifier than a one-year-old, and they will also point a finger.

Often, parents want to quickly and radically wean the baby from dummies. Dangerous physical and psychologically forbidden techniques are used, which can lead to health problems.

dip the pacifier in mustard or pepper, hot sauces. This can burn the mucous membranes of the mouth, esophagus and stomach, and lead to poisoning.
tear or cut the pacifier. When sucking on such a wounded pacifier, the child may swallow or inhale its pieces, he may choke and even die.
yelling at a child for using a pacifier, spanking and scolding him
teasing the child, calling it ugly words, shaming the child ("oh, look, what a big boy and all the nipple sucks, fu, it's not a shame").
do not cheat on the child. This will undermine your child's trust in you and complicate parenting.
scare a child with babies, Baba Yaga and other scary characters. Weaning from a pacifier is stressful for a child and, when combined with fear, can lead to severe and profound neuroses.

Why wean you off a dummy

The sucking process for a baby is one of the key reflexes inherent in nature, which is formed in the womb.

Due to sucking, the child not only gets food, but calms down, falls asleep, relieves stress, copes with pain in the tummy and mouth.

Sucking is also a kind of psychological defense against worries, a way to relax and receive protection from the outside world.

Therefore, up to a certain point, sucking a pacifier for a child is a kind of habitual and constant way of calming and relaxing, from which a strong dependence can form with a lack of attention from the parents.

If, during the period of weaning from a pacifier, you give the child maximum attention and switch in his mind the method of falling asleep and calming down to another, you can quickly abandon the pacifier.

Usually, artificial people are more dependent on pacifiers; in infants, it can be replaced by the mother's breast and communication, and sleep with her.

When is it necessary to wean a child from a dummy?

Children in the vast majority of cases wean off pacifiers at the age of one to two years, which is considered a fairly late time for weaning.

According to psychologists, a baby needs a dummy during the period of the most pronounced sucking reflex, about the first six months of life.

Therefore, it is recommended to smoothly wean the child from the pacifier in the period from 6 months to 12 months, during the period of gradual extinction of the sucking reflex.

It is only important not to miss the moment when the baby will be psychologically and physiologically ready to give up the pacifier, when he can do just fine for a relatively long time without it.

You should not delay this process for a long time and carefully monitor the baby.

The exact age of rejection of a dummy cannot be indicated, for all children this is strictly individual.

Try to dispense with the baby for one day without using a pacifier, starting from the age of six months - you will understand that the pacifier is mostly needed by parents, and not by children at this age.

Gradually teach the child to drink from a cup, give food from plates with spoons, this will gradually nipples.

The sooner the child weaned from the bottle, the sooner he later weaned from the pacifier.

It is worth distracting the child from the pacifier, developing his large and fine motor skills, giving him various toys and teething toys for play. Do not remind about the dummy yourself and do not give it to the child until he insistently asks for it.

Try to wean it off smoothly, making the intervals between its use more and more.

What to do during weaning from a pacifier? Children at this age often cry, but this is not at all a signal for you to immediately give the child the cherished pacifier to calm down.

Try instead to distract the child with play, sing a song or read a book, tell a story, feed the baby or shake it in your arms.

It is necessary to create a new calming ritual in the child, without the presence of a dummy, which will eventually push it out of the child's life.

A dummy should be left only for a very last resort, when the child is completely uncomfortable and difficult without it. Moreover, as soon as the baby calms down or falls asleep, it is worth removing the pacifier from him.

She should not be in the child's field of vision, try to spend the maximum amount of time without her.

Stop taking her with you on walks, do not give her when watching cartoons or activities with a baby, try to leave her only before bed, or even go to bed without her if possible.

For older children, explain that the dummy is broken and you don’t have another, cut the dummy and give it to the child in this form. He can quickly lose interest in a spoiled and uncomfortable pacifier.

You can also talk about baby animals in the forest who really need a baby's dummy. Often, children willingly agree to give their dummy to the poor animals.

Try replacing falling asleep with a dummy for a toy (doll, teddy bear, or any other favorite). Initially, you can fall asleep with a pacifier and a toy, gradually removing the nipple.

Praise your child more often for being so adult and independent, without a dummy.