babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Sesame Street Calls for “Put Down the Pacifier Day”
So did you hear? November 4 is officially Put Down The Pacifier Day. Are your kids ready?
Sesame Street has put out a call to make this November 4 The Day to kick the habit — there’s even an online countdown to get your kids ready. They’re offering tips, daily video clips, and tools to help you get rid of the plug. Will you be you joining in this no-more binky initiative?
My babies never took to a pacifier — and believe me, I tried — but I guess it was nice that we never had to worry about them getting too attached (mine just nursed forever instead.) I’m not sure I’m into forcing my toddler to quit on a certain day or that I even think there needs to be a cut-off age… but I guess letting your child participate in planning for it might be helpful.
What do you think? Did you have a hard time getting your child to kick the paci habit?
Read Stephanie’s posts at Strollerderby and her personal blog Adventures in Babywearing.
Check out the new Van Gogh and the Sunflowers Storybook App for the iPad and the beautiful HBO special A Child’s Garden of Poetry.
Go Back To Strollerderby
10 Comments
Carolyn Vaughn commented on Oct 29 11 at 7:13 pmMy kids never took to a pacifier either. They wanted the real thing. Maybe breastfed babies, even those who have only breastfed for a short time, don’t need a pacifier.
jboogie commented on Oct 29 11 at 7:41 pmMy son was breastfed till 14 months and he loves that stupid thing. He’s 22 months now and only has it at nap and bedtime, and rare times when he is super cranky. We don’t give it to him unless he asks for it, but really? I’m not willing to fight a war over it. He will give it up eventually with some more prodding, but I’m not going to yank it altogether (at least not until he tries to go to college with it or something).
anon commented on Oct 29 11 at 10:25 pmI can vouch for a formula fed baby who spit out all attempted pacifiers from day one. It’s not a breast vs. bottle thing. Some kids just don’t like them.
anon commented on Oct 29 11 at 10:28 pmNot to mention that the most pacifier addicted kids I know (two pairs of siblings from different families) were exclusively breastfed. But it never occurred to me that breastfeeding had anything to do with it.
Stephanie Precourt commented on Oct 29 11 at 11:21 pmI didn’t mean to imply that breastfeeding had anything to do with it- just in my experience, my kids preferred to breastfeed and never showed interest in pacifiers! Just my one opinion. Didn’t mean to make it sound like a sweeping statement.
Steph
Erin commented on Oct 30 11 at 6:35 amI just saw Stroller Derby tweet this and didn’t realize you wrote it. Good article! From someone who had one baby who refused a pacifier and one who loved it, it truly is an individual kid thing. Tommy used me as a pacifier often, but when we were in the car, a non-me pacifier kept him from screaming the entire ride. In other words, it was a lifesaver. I know that at two he doesn’t still need one; however, he’s a high strung kid. When he gets really wound tight, a pacifier will soothe him. It helped him get through an awake MRI without panicking. They’ve helped him after seizures. I just don’t think pacifiers are all that bad, you know? I’m a little confused at why Sesame Street is making a point of this, but we definitely won’t be putting down the pacifier.
CW commented on Oct 30 11 at 11:41 amMy 2nd child I called the “Binky King” when he was an infant because he always had to have one in his mouth unless he was nursing. I was super-worried about him becoming dependent on the pacifier because I cannot stand seeing toddlers running around with them. But over time, he used them less and less and by the time he was about 9 months, he had given them up on his own. Had he not, I would’ve done the “binky fairy” thing at a year.
Rosana commented on Oct 31 11 at 11:13 amMy two kids were breastfed for 12 months each. My son, the first born, refused the pacifier but my daughter loved it. She only use to soothe herself to sleep and it broke my heart when I started trying to wean her. She fought a little but I did followed her pace. However, she still has her milk at home in a bottle, only three times a day, but still, ugh.
bob commented on Oct 31 11 at 4:02 pmI can’t believe Sesame Street condones this, but here goes:
Your mother is gutter caulk!
Alison commented on Nov 01 11 at 1:32 pmMy LO didn’t like a paci either (still breastfeeding strong at 17 mos). I am curious though, why do parents take away the pacis and bottles? Is it for dental reasons or just because it is strange to see an older child with a paci or bottle? I had heard it didn’t make any difference with teeth, so I’m genuinely curious about why parents take away a soothing thing from a child.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
10