When should you take away your baby's pacifier?

I don't often admit it, but I was a severe pacifier addict as a child. Every time I went to my grandmother's house, she would let me have the "bop-um" that my parents had long-since removed from my possession. I got to be babied and spoiled at grandma's house, so I decided I would hold on to my bop-um for as long as possible. I didn't give it up at 1. I didn't give it up at 2. I didn't give it up at 3, 4, 5, or 6. No -- I used a pacifier at grandma's house until after my seventh birthday.

There are, of course, no words for the embarrassment with which I make this confession. Nor are there words for the hundreds of dollars my parents had to pay for braces, since I had an extreme overbite that reflected a way-too-long paci habit. Perhaps in reaction to my own upbringing, I chose to never give my daughter a paci at all. If you're trying to determine when to take your baby's pacifier away, here are some key points to consider.

1. It's easiest at 9 months. According to BabyCenter's Dr. Lisa Dana, the easiest and most effective age for weaning a baby is 9 months. The baby's emotional, behavioral and physical development at this stage make it ideal to snatch the paci at this age. Dr. Dana also notes that kids who have their pacifiers beyond 9 months tend to hold on to them longer -- often for two years or more.

2. It's best for baby's speech if you take the paci by 18 months. If your baby keeps a pacifier in his mouth during the toddler stages, she can experience an impairment of speech development. A pacifier hinders a toddler's ability to form and pronounce words, especially if used beyond the first year and a half. To optimize your baby's speech development, toss the pacifier before she reaches a year and a half of age.

3. Pacifier use past age 2 can increase the risk of ear infections. While pacifiers appear to be ultimately harmless for most babies, they can increase the risk of ear infections in toddlers. Prolonged paci use can make toddlers over 2 years of age more susceptible to inflammation and infection of the middle ear (otitis media).

4. Give up the pacifier by age 3 to prevent permanent molding of the teeth.

Children who suck a pacifier to age 3 or beyond often experience permanent molding of the teeth, gums, and the roof of the mouth, according to the American Dental Association. If you haven't taken your child's pacifier away by 3 years of age, you are signing yourself up for years of expensive orthodontics down the road.

5. Waiting until age 4 can cause serious dental problems.

A child should give up his pacifier by age 4 at the very latest. Waiting beyond this point can cause rotting, deformation and misalignment of permanent teeth. Always take your child's pacifier away well before she reaches four years of age. Failure to do so can permanently deform her mouth, hinder her speech development, and increase the risk of long-term health problems.