Eighteen months is an ideal time to wean your toddler off the pacifier. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry specifically recommends discontinuing or limiting pacifier use around this age, when the canine teeth start to emerge, because continued use can begin reshaping the developing jaw and bite. The good news: most toddlers adjust within a week, and you have several proven approaches to choose from.
Why 18 Months Is the Right Time
Pacifiers are genuinely helpful for infants, but the risk-benefit balance shifts as your child grows. After 12 months, pacifier use increases the risk of ear infections. Beyond 18 months, it can start causing changes to the jaw and teeth, including open bite (where the front teeth don’t meet when the mouth is closed), crossbite, and overbite. These changes happen because the pacifier applies constant pressure to teeth and palate during a period of rapid facial development.
There are also subtle effects on speech. Prolonged pacifier use can lead to a raised or indented palate, creating an oral cavity that makes normal sound production harder. Oral motor skills are closely tied to language production at 21 months and vocabulary size at 24 months. When a pacifier is in your toddler’s mouth for hours each day, it limits the tongue and lip movements they need to practice forming words. The speech concerns are most significant for children still using pacifiers past age two or three, so weaning now puts you ahead of that curve.
Gradual Weaning vs. Cold Turkey
Pediatricians generally recommend a gradual approach over cold turkey. That said, both methods work, and the right choice depends on your child’s temperament and how attached they are.
With gradual weaning, you slowly shrink the situations where the pacifier is available. Start by limiting it to naps and bedtime only, removing it during daytime activities, car rides, and outings. After a few days, drop the naptime pacifier. Finally, take it away at bedtime. This whole process can take one to three weeks, and each step gives your toddler time to build new self-soothing habits before losing the next comfort window.
Cold turkey means removing all pacifiers at once. You’ll likely deal with a few days and nights of fussing, but many parents find the adjustment is faster overall since there’s no prolonged back-and-forth. If you go this route, collect every pacifier in the house beforehand. The last thing you need is your toddler finding a stashed pacifier a week later and resetting the whole process.
Making It Feel Like Their Idea
At 18 months, your child understands far more than they can say. You can use that comprehension to make the transition feel less like something being taken away and more like a milestone. In the week leading up to removing the pacifier, read simple books about saying goodbye to pacifiers, talk about how they’re getting bigger, and introduce the idea that the pacifier is going away soon.
One popular approach is the “binky fairy” or “binky hunt.” Walk around the house together, gather all the pacifiers into a basket, and leave them out overnight. In the morning, the pacifiers are gone and a small gift has appeared in their place. Some parents tell their toddler they’re collecting pacifiers to give to babies who need them. These narratives give the moment a sense of purpose and ceremony rather than loss.
Comfort Replacements That Work
Your toddler doesn’t just like the pacifier. They rely on it to regulate their emotions, and you’ll need to offer something in its place. A few options tend to work well at this age:
- A lovey or stuffed animal. A soft, familiar object with a comforting texture can fill the same emotional role. If your child doesn’t already have a favorite, introduce one a week or two before you start weaning so it feels familiar.
- A special blanket. The warmth, weight, and familiar smell of a blanket can mirror the security a pacifier provides, especially at bedtime.
- Teethers or chew toys. These address the physical need to have something in the mouth. Silicone teethers are soft and durable; some toddlers prefer the firm resistance of wooden ones.
- Extra physical comfort from you. Warm hugs, gentle back rubs, quiet singing, and whispered reassurance act as natural stress relievers. This matters most in the first few nights.
Handling Nighttime Without the Pacifier
Sleep is where the pacifier habit is usually strongest, and nighttime is where most parents hit a wall. Expect the first three to five nights to be the hardest. Your toddler may protest at bedtime, wake more frequently, or take longer to fall asleep. This is normal and temporary.
Strengthen the rest of the bedtime routine to compensate. A warm bath, a couple of books, a favorite song, and dimmed lights create layers of comfort that don’t depend on the pacifier. Hand your toddler their new comfort object as part of the routine, in the same moment you would have offered the pacifier. Consistency matters here: if you give in and return the pacifier after 45 minutes of crying, you’ve taught your child that 45 minutes of crying is what it takes to get it back.
Most families report that the worst is over within the first week. By the end of week two, the pacifier is largely forgotten.
Timing and What to Avoid
Don’t start weaning during a major transition. A new sibling, a move, starting daycare, travel, or illness all add stress that makes the process harder and less likely to stick. Pick a stretch of relatively calm, predictable days.
You may have seen advice to cut the tip of the pacifier or poke holes in it so it loses suction and becomes unsatisfying. This can create a choking hazard if small pieces of silicone break off, so it’s best avoided. Stick with the gradual reduction or clean removal approaches instead.
Finally, avoid shaming your toddler for wanting the pacifier. Phrases like “only babies use pacifiers” can create anxiety rather than motivation at this age. Keep the tone positive and matter-of-fact: the pacifier is going away because they’re growing, and they have new ways to feel cozy now.