When pacifier training your little girl,
it’s important to start small. Offer it to her at the slightest sign of discomfort or inconvenience. She may refuse at first, finding it too silly, but consistency is key. Once she begins to accept it, be sure to shower her in praise and affection as positive reinforcement for this type of behavior. There are days she may regress in her training and claim she doesn’t need it. Use these moments as learning opportunities for her by strapping her pacifier in her mouth for as long as is deemed necessary to help settle her down. As the dependency takes deeper root, keep her pacifier clipped to her top, so it’s never too far from her fussy, little reach. Soon she’ll be lost without the comfort she takes in nursing on her pacifier.
Encourage her to make her suckling obvious. The puffy cheeks and loud, greedy, wet smacks emitting from behind her pacifier shield provide her caregiver with the much needed proof that not only does baby have her pacifier securely in place where it belongs, but also that she is adequately acquiescing to her new accessory even when she’s out of sight. Sure, she’s guaranteed to have a chin that’s permanently drenched and dripping with drool, but that just means it’s time to add another accessory to her repertoire - her ✨bib✨
If she thought relying on a pacifier to regulate her emotions was humiliating at her age, just wait until she’s forced to have the shameful, spit soaked proof of her undeniable immaturity tied around her neck, on display for all to see.
