PITTSBURGH — An estimated 60 percent of children use pacifiers, but weaning them off of them can be a battle for parents.
In response, a Pittsburgh-area dentist combined her professional experience with her experience as a mother to invent a product that is appearing in stores nationwide.
Dr. Arlene D'Alesio, a pediatric dentist at UPMC Children's Hospital, created the Lily Method Pacifier Weaning System over five years. The goal is to get children to give up pacifiers, because the development of their mouths, teeth and speech can be affected as the child grows. D'Alesio recommends starting to wean children at 18 months.
There are five pacifiers in D'Alesio's system, each with the nipple cut open wider to a precise width.
"The nipple opening increases, so their sucking satisfaction decreases. … It becomes more like a toy and they lose interest in it very quickly," D'Alesio said.
Even with fussy children, the system is designed to work in as few as five days. But before starting, parents need to commit to it and throw away all of the child's other pacifiers.
"You have to find the pacifiers in the car seat, in the crib, at Grandma's, everywhere. Because pacifiers are everywhere. They seem to multiply," said D'Alesio.
Kristen Flora tried the system with her son, Brody. By the third step, she said she could already see a difference, and said her son was less interested in his pacifier. By step four, he was going to sleep without it.
"It really took about four days for him to get off it completely, and he hasn't been crying for it or anything," said Flora.
D'Alesio said the system works, but it comes down to the parents.
"If you're not strong with it, I don't recommend starting the process unless the parent is ready. The child will be ready; the parent has to be ready," said D'Alesio.
The Lily Method Pacifier Weaning System is available at stores including Walmart and Babies R Us.