It seemed like a great idea at the time. Pop the pacifier (binky, bink, paci, soother) in, baby stops crying, mommy relaxes. Fast forward a few months or years, even. Your once soothed baby is now a running, drooling, whining, crying, screaming toddler who holds onto that pacifier as if someone wants to take it away from him. Little does he know...

Weaning your child from the pacifier is not as daunting a task as you may believe. In fact, we as parents are quick to believe that our children are not as resilient as they actually are. We think they will crumble if any part of their perfectly routine day is out of whack. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sometimes it's harder for us than it is for them.

Before you pull the plug, so to speak, consider if this is the right time to take away something that soothes your toddler. Are there any changes on the horizon that may be stressful for your toddler, such as a new baby or house move? If so, you may want to leave the situation as is and revisit the weaning at a later date.

Next, you may want to consider a pacifier taper. If it's in 24/7, try limiting the pacifier use to the bedroom, for naps and bedtime only. Take it out of the car and get rid of the extras in your diaper bag. Give your child a week or two with limited bedtime use before taking it away completely.

Think about a reward for good behavior. If you started with a taper, let your toddler know that if the paci stays in their bedroom for a week they get a certain book or toy at the end of the week. When they realize that you are rewarding this good behavior, offer a further incentive when they completely wean.

There are several ideas floating around about how best to completely wean your child from pacifier use. I've read about parents attaching them to helium balloons and releasing them into the sky as some sort of ceremonial goodbye. I heard it being discussed at a playgroup that the parent explained the pacifiers were being passed down to the new baby.

Me? I timed it with when my then 3 year old son gave up his nap. I was holding onto that nap so desperately that I didn't care if he used a pacifier as long as he got to sleep and I got my mid-day break. When that nap started to disappear, I took the opportunity to just take the pacifier away one day. Yes, he asked for it the first night, but he was so tired from his napless day that falling asleep for him was easy. Yes, he asked for it the second night, but he was so tired, that yet again he fell asleep without any problem. He did not ask for it the third night and that was it.

After a week, we did get him a toy he'd been asking for. We told him we were proud of him for giving up his pacifier and that this toy was his reward.

Looking back, over a year later, I'm very pleased with the way it all went. I probably shouldn't have felt so much anxiety at the time over whether or not he really needed it. I've let it go. Now please excuse me while I happily put his baby brother down for bed with his precious pacifier. And knowing they are so small for such a short time, a little comfort never hurt anyone.