Pacifiers have dominated young children’s lives for a very long time. Some little ones almost seem more like themselves with a pacifier in their mouth than when the pacifier is not there.

It is probably not as important to get the pacifier away from your child as we once believed. In fact, pacifiers are now frequently made in a way that doesn’t harm the teeth or your child’s jaw.

For now, it is up to the parent to decide when and if they are ready to get rid of their child’s pacifier.

The challenging part of this, however, is knowing how to make this happen. It isn’t as if you decide it is time, tell your child her time is up on the pacifier, and take it away. It is far more complicated. By now, she is used to and really enjoys sucking on this special item.

If you feel the pacifier is something that has to go, here are a few ways to try to make it happen:

• Talk with your little one about becoming a big girl and that her pacifier won’t be replaced when it is broken. Don’t worry if it gets broken tomorrow.

• Let her know that the pacifier is only to be used at certain times. Bedtime and nap time are better times for it to be used than all morning or afternoon.

• Make sure your child is not using the pacifier while she watches television. Encourage her to play rather than watch television and you eliminate some of the time she is likely to be using the pacifier.

One mom felt she needed help in eliminating this behavior. She soaked the pacifier in vinegar to discourage her little one from using it at all. It worked for her.

• After your child is asleep, take the pacifier out of her mouth and don’t return it until she asks for it the next day.

One other mom suggested a technique that worked for her. She felt the best way to get rid of this nuisance pacifier was to just lose it. Again, it worked for her.

Let your child know how her behavior pleases you. Let her hear you sharing your response with her friends or with grandma.

When she pleases you, she is happy. This is one of the things you have taught her by praising her behavior when it is something you have been encouraging. This works with far more than pacifiers.

Think of other behaviors you would like to see from her. Work on getting her to wash her hands before meals. Even have her wash her hands after playing outside. Washing hands before bedtime keeps dirty fingers out of her mouth. Make sure she knows that washing her hands is more than just running water over her hands.

Be around to make sure she uses soap and spends some time rubbing and scrubbing. This is another healthy behavior you can encourage.

Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and former executive director of Parenting Matters Foundation.