Trying to wean your older kid off their soother can be a little tricky as they are of an age where they will know what is happening. 

• "Tell her the tooth fairy is going to come and collect it. Sprinkle fairy dust 'glitter' in the spot she leaves it and then leave a €5 note or something she would like in exchange."
• "We had the dodo fairy too. Worked well with all four children. Exchange soothers for presents. Second night bad but forgotten after that (first night a novelty)."
• "I used the Easter bunny last year when my son was 3 1/2 - he had given his bottles to Santy, brought them in himself in a bag. He was happy that the bunny was leaving him an egg instead, he only asked a few nights after that. l knew he was ready at that age, didn't force him and let him be involved in d decision & it worked well."
• "Hang it on the clothesline for the tooth fairy."
• "Tell her she needs to give it to the Easter bunny for an Easter egg. She picks out what egg he then brings her."
• "We did a star chart only for 5 sleeps without it and told her she was a bigger girl now. If she got the 5 stars we would bring it to the fairy tree and she could leave it there so fairies could give it to a baby. We then brought her out for a treat after. She did it no problem delighted getting stars and trip out at the weekend."
• "We brought our oldest the doddy tree in the nearby forest in Donedea, it’s full of soothers and bottles. He was about three at the time, he loves pointing it out when we go walking there even now when he is 5 but it didn’t bother him at the time. He was grand by the following day."
• "Dip it in mustard. Worked or both my now 18-year-old and five-year-old. Told them it tastes horrible as they weren't babies anymore. They never wanted a doody again."
• "My daughter had just turned four when we went away for a couple of days. I told her we left it behind and that was that - no dramas - easier than I thought."