Pacifier advice

After my latest column on the girls regarding little Kaci and her pacifier, I received a ton of e-mails from readers with advice, which I plan to try soon. I'll let you know if anything works. Here's a few experts from the letters and e-mails.

They won't take it to college!

Just read your woes with weaning from the binky... The good news is my eldest didn’t go to wsu with his two weekends ago. :-) He was pretty attached to his, AND his blankie.What I finally did was start clipping the end off of them. It took about three clips, and there was little, if anything, for him to hold onto.Then I had to convince him we’d lost all three of them, and they no longer MADE binkies anymore. (all gone!)Good luck. :-)

Lose them for good

I raised a family of 4 children along with my husband. Obviously most of us do whatever we need to do to have peace and quiet and especially like you said when you are at restaurants, church, public outings etc..

Our son was the most addicted to his pacifier but as he approached 18 months of age I decided as he lost them they would not be replaced. He had lost the last one and had gone almost 6 weeks without one. We had come in late one night in June from harvesting wheat and I was on the phone when my 4 year old daughter came running down from her room waving a pacifier and shouting "I found one, I found one". I hurriedly got off the phone and grabbed that pacifier and proclaimed to her to absolutely not let her brother see that thing--he'd gone 6 weeks and we weren't starting in again.

Really I don't have any sure fire methods other than if she really seems not ready maybe wait another 3 months or so and try again. I have to chuckle now that I have daughters going through the same thing with their babies. My daughter weaned her son off his pacifier pretty much cold turkey and really didn't take very long--2-3 days and he was doing OK. Good luck and have fun.

A been there, done that mom and glad it's history. (I love my kids dearly but glad God made seasons of life for a reason) The season of grandparenting is wonderful.

Cut the nipple (the most popular advice from readers)

When I was breaking my twins of their "chewie" habit, I cut a little slit in the nipple, not enough that they could chew off a piece, just enough that it was deflated; they didn't like it and they just quit using them at that point. They made the decision which made it easier on me!!

They don't make new ones?

Just had to write and tell you how we weaned our twin girls from their pacifiers. Our girls are now 48 years old, but I remember it well.. I think your girls are a bit young for this. When our girls were 2 years old and their pacifiers were getting a bit chewed up and with a little help from me tearing them up a bit more. We told them the pacifiers were broken {at that age they don't realize you can buy new ones} Had no trouble during day but for a couple of nights they woke up with 'Where's my "pacifier?' I would go in and remind them it was broken and they would soon go back to sleep. It only took a couple of nights and they forgot all about their pacifiers. I do think your girls are a little young to have their pacifiers taken away. Wait till they are two.

Vinegar, Yum!

We broke our oldest daughter of her pacifier dependency by dipping it in vinegar before giving it to her. "Ki-Ki" (it was a pacifier with a kitty face on it and we had to buy several because those were the ONLY ones that would make her happy!) then tasted yucky and SHE made the decision not to put it in her mnouth. We praised her for being a "big girl" and this took about 3 days. She didn't have the anxiety of not having it (therefore we didn't have anxiety over a crying, panic stricken child), but she realized she didn't want the yucky taste in her mouth either.

No rush ...

What a struggle you are having!!! please don't hurry and pressure Kaci to give up something that is obviously so important to her. each child has special and distinct needs--even if they are twins. i had on daughter who sucked her thumb--the dentist told me to just leave her be--i could do more harm forcing her to quit than any harm to her health. i know that goes against the current thought, but she didn't go to kindergarten sucking her thumb, and Kaci will not go to kindergarten with her pacifier. these years are so fleeting--let her be--you will have much bigger battles to fight in the coming years--just wait until she is l3!!!! you will survive this, and so will she. enjoy while you can.