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My daughter (now 13) went through her first year without a pacifier but on a family beach vacation with a raging fever I desperately offered her one to try to calm her.  It was love at first suck.  When she gave it up at 2 1/2 years old, I cried with her because it was so symbolic of babyhood gone.  My middle son (now 10) chose his thumb.  This was a habit MUCH more difficult to break and I wish he had used the binky instead.  My youngest son (now 8) also took to the pacifier like a bee to honey and needed at least four in the crib so that he could sample each one for a few seconds deciding on just the right fit.  When he gave it up, I did not cry but rather I celebrated that there would be no more pacifiers in my house to lose, clean or trash.

Ultimately, your decision regarding the pacifier is a personal choice.  However, let’s look at the positives, the negatives, some basic considerations and some ways to move on once the time has come.

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