Q. My 2-½-year-old is very attached to her pacifier. We want to try and get rid of this over the next couple of months, but she is very resistant. She doesn’t respond well to “The Pacifier Fairy” story, so we are looking for some other alternatives.

Pacifiers serve a purpose in a young child’s life, The Family Project panel said. It a way for an infant to soothe herself when she or he is upset. It is something your infant will give up when she is ready and has other ways to soothe herself.

“I’ve never seen a 10-year-old walking around school with a pacifier,” said panelist Chad Stefanyak.

The panelists were skeptical about the effectiveness of a story like “The Pacifer Fairy.” Inspired by The Tooth Fairy, the story is about a magical fairy will take the child’s pacifier in the middle of the night and replace it with a new special toy.

“The pacifier brings her comfort. The variable here is: Is the child ready to give it up? The story matters less than the process of replacing it with something else,” said panelist Mike Daniels.

“Be careful about trying to force the issue or she could switch to sucking her thumb and that is even harder to stop,” said Stefanyak.

Daniels suggested she might replace the pacifier with a blanket which could meet her need for self-soothing and she might be less likely to take it with her everywhere.

Panelist Pam Wallace wondered whose problem this is.

“It seems the parents are upset that she still has a pacifier. If it doesn’t hurt her and she will grow out of it on her own, what is the problem?” Wallace asked.

Daniels agreed, noting it is the parents who originally give pacifiers to children to help soothe them.

“She needs to address her need for self-soothing at her own pace,” Daniels said.

To help try to wean a pacifier away from a toddler, it is best to broach the idea to the child when she is sleeping well and there have been no major changes in her life, according to the panel.

Since she is resistant to giving up her pacifier, you might want to back off for a little while and reintroduce the topic at a later time, when she is calm and in a receptive mood, the panel said.

This week’s panel: Pam Wallace, program coordinator, Project Child, a program of Valley Youth House; Denise Continenza, extension educator; Chad Stefanyak, school counselor, and Mike Daniels, LCSW, Psychotherapist.

Have a question? Email: projectchild@projectchildlv.org

The Family Project is a collaboration of the Lehigh Valley Press Focus section and Valley Youth House’s Project Child.

The Times News, Inc., and affiliates (Lehigh Valley Press) do not endorse or recommend any medical products, processes, or services or provide medical advice. The views of the columnist and column do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Lehigh Valley Press. The article content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, or other qualified health-care provider, with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.