Binky Problems

C.,
I would suggest that you find something to do with her binkies. I have three children. My 7 yr old son stopped the binkey at 8 months old, only to start sucking her thumb (and still does), my 5 yr old daughter gave it up on her own when she was about 1 and my 9 month old uses it as her lifeline. A friend of mine has two children who were both big binky babies. for her son, she had him leave his binkie for the easter bunny. She told him that if he left them in his basket for the easter bunny that he would get treats. It worked and when he asked for a binky she showed him something that the easter bunny gave him and her got over it. maybe a stuffed animal or doll might be something that can be carried around for a little while your child is going through "withdrawl". With my friends other child she was getting her off the binky right around the time my youngest was born. when she came to visit us after the baby was born she had her daughter put all the binkys is a gift bag with tissue paper and even a card and she gave them to the baby. If course I threw them out, but she thought that she was doing a great thing for the new baby! Both of these really worked and I would suggest trying one. I know I will when it is time for my baby to get ri of her binkies!! good Luck
C.

1 mom found this helpful

The "binky" issue will resolve itself when your child is ready to let it go. No need to push nor to stress over it as all children give them up when they're ready. The teeth issue is not legitimate and the "binky" issue usually lies with Mom and not the child. Haven't seen any children with them past 5 years of age.

1 mom found this helpful

With Easter coming, I would explain to my toddler that the Easter Bunny is coming and we should leave our binkies for the bunny to take to a little baby that needs them and if he/she leaves his binky for the bunny, the bunny will leave them an extra special treat. It worked with my son at 2.

When My daughter was 2 she had her binky and I had a birthday party for her and I hired a clown that she really liked alot and when she was busy with him he told her she was to big for her binky and she gave it to him and he gave it to me and I took all her bottles and her binkys and threw them out and when the clown left she asked for her binky and I told her that he had taken them that he thought she was to big and she never looked back again because she was a big girl now.That is how I got my two year old off her binky.

hope it helps
T.

A friend of mine had the same problem. She made a cut with the scissors at the tip of the binky. A few days later her daughter threw it away for good.

Good luck,
Margarita

I think two is a little young. But, if you really really don't want him/her to use it, you might ween first. Say, 'only use it at night', then see if this works and gradually work towards total weening. My 4 year old nephew sent his to all the babies who didn't have their own binkies. That worked. My daughter had hers (used only at bedtime) until 7! I didn't feel the need to force her away from it because it gave her security. By the way, she was the only one in her class of 7th graders who didn't need braces, so that myth is down the drain. Good luck.

We bribed (cough!), I mean, rewarded my daughter by promising her a doll house if she gave up her binkies. I was desperate b/c my daughter was seriously dependent on needing not one, not two, but three binkies (one in her mouth and one in each hand which she then rubbed on her nose, eyes, etc.) to sleep. I talked to her about it a couple times, showed her some online, then one day we were shopping and we went over to a dollhouse on display and she wanted one right then and there, promised to give up her binkies, etc. I told her she had to give them up first. Still, I thought she wouldn't be ready but that afternoon, she grabbed a binky from her bed, walked over to the garbage and put it in. From there we threw them all out. The first three nights were hard. She had a hard time sleeping but she never asked for them back (okay, I'll admit, I had a couple emergency binkies on hand just in case!). She got her dollhouse a week later (it's been about 3 or 4 weeks now) and is so proud of herself. She tells everyone, "I gave up my binkies b/c I'm a big girl now. And I got a dollhouse!"

Good luck!

My 2yr old son carried 3 binkys at all times and we never thought he would let them go. One day, my husband cut the tip off of one and told him it was broken. Each day we did another until they were all "broken". The last day I dreaded bedtime, but to my surprise, after only about an hour of asking for the binky, he fell asleep and never asked about it again.
I think that every child is different, but as long as whatever you choose to do, you stick with it and don't give in, both of you will be fine.

To get my son off his binky, I trimmed the tip of the binky off. I kept cutting the end off until there was nothing left. I had to do this with each consecutive binky he has managed to hide around the house, but after the first few, he started throwing them away on his own. Good Luck.

I have a slight variation to the Easter Bunny idea in that I had my 3 y.o. daughter leave one binky each night for the "Binky Fairy" who left her little presents in return just like the Tooth Fairy will someday. That way I got her used to the idea over about a week and then we gave her a bigger gift when she left the last one. She's been great except she won't nap now without me sleeping with her and I haven't had the energy or willpower to try forcing the issue yet. She's also at an age (according to the Dr.) where she made need less sleep anyway.

My 19 month old son is addicted to his binky too and I'm not so sure he'll be as cooperative so let me know what works for you, they're all different!! Good luck and expect a few sleepless nights at first.

This is the very same age I took away the binky for both of my children. well I'll start by saying that this will be a rough week but if you stick to it(help from your partner is a must)it will be a distant memory. Talk to your two year old and explain the reasons that you need to take away that bink(dental..too old...they get dirty). Talk her/him up as such a big boy/girl. Get him to agree on this before you bring up the bink then BRING IT UP. Be firm, kind, understanding and don't forget to turn off your sucker switch. Good luck and just go for it!

I don't think there's any better way than just throwing them out. Things will be ugly at first but your child will soon learn it's just not an option. Another trick I heard once was to cut the tips off. I've never tried this but I guess it helps them loose interest because it feels funny. Good luck!

When we were trying to get my son off his binky we invented Binkyman. Binkyman comes to your house and brings your child the toy or whatever they really want. In our case it was floam, for what reason I have no idea, but my son loved floam and talked about wanting it all the time. We explained to him that Binkyman told us that he would bring him floam, but he had to take away all the binkys for all the babies that didn't have them. We went around the house and collected all we could find, put them in a plastic bag and put them outside the door and in a few hours the binkys were gone and the floam was there. The 1st night without them was a little tough, but after that he never mentioned them again.Good Luck!!

We just did this with my 3 year old daughter. We decided that after her 3rd birthday it would be time to get rid of the pacifiers. At 2 1/2 she was only using one at night but closer to 3 she wanted to use them during the day again. We told her for about a month before that "fudgie" (that's what she called it) would be going bye bye. We told her the "Fudgie Fairy" would come and take them away and give them to the babies and in exchange for the pacifiers, she would leave my daughter a "big girl present". We chose to start on a Friday night (so we had the weekend to rest if we didn't get any sleep!) and kept telling her that the "Fudgie Fairy" was coming on Friday. That Friday night we went to Build- A-Bear workshop and she built a stuffed animal and put one of her pacifiers inside. She gave it a kiss and in it went! When we got home, we hung the remaining pacifiers from the dining room chandelier. When she went to bed that night, she had her stuffed animal to cuddle (she could feel the fudgie inside too) and knew that when she woke up there would be a big girl present waiting for her. We let her sleep in our bed that night. It was a little rough but she did it and never asked for "fudgie" again. I was expecting it to be a horrible experience but it wasn't for us. Hope you have the same success!

I did it cold turkey when my son turned 2. Just took them all away and said that they were lost. He was only using them to sleep at that time so he cried himself to sleep for a few nights and then got over it. It was much simpler than I thought it was going to be. Make sure your child has a favorite blankie or stuffed animal to latch on to instead of the binky.

We just fininshed the taking the binky process about two days ago. My daughter is two. I wish you luck! All the advice everyone has given is great. Find one that works best for you. The main thing to remember, once you take it away, do not give it back. Make sure YOU are ready to take it, mentally and emotionally. Expect tears, tantrums and tons of guilty feelings for you. Hopefully you won't have to deal with any of it but if you are ready it won't be as bad. Good luck.

My kids (twins were in love with their binkies...) By the time they were 3 we had to get rid of them. So, we made a game of going around the whole house and collecting them (they were everywhere). We packaged them all up in a box. I told them we needed to send them to a new baby (our cousin) who needed them.
The kids made little cards for the new baby. They went to the post office with me. My cousin received the package and loved the cards and later gave me back the binkies so I could put them away as a little keepsake. The twins cried for 2 nights and the whole ordeal was over. It was so not a big deal, even though I thought they would suffer terribly without them. Two nights... that was it! Good luck.

we told my children that the "binky fairy" was going to come and take their binky to little babies that need them because they were big kids now. And when the "binky fairy" comes she will leave you a prize in its place.

We used Christmas time to get rid of our daughter's binky. Santa Clause took them in exchange for a few extra gifts. I got the idea from my sister, who used the easter bunny. I've also heard of people doing the "binky fairy". Good luck!

Christine,
Just gave you some GREAT suggestions!!! Flower for her! Just try and do it asap! Easter is comming. Good luck

Cold Turkey! My son used his binky so often that the area around his mouth was raw from all of the saliva. He cried himself to sleep for two nights and I cried with him. I thought I was a terrible mother to allow my child to hurt this way. Be strong and it will be over by the third night. Throw them allllll away, just in case you want to give in. And you might be lucky, your child might not care as much as mine did. Best wishes.

CUT THE TIPS!!

That's how I got my daughter to quit using them. There were no tantrums and she lost interest very quickly - she tried sucking on them but hated the feel of it. She would ask for it - I would gladly give it to her (already cut) and she HATED it! She gave them up on her own instead of me taking them away.

Simply throw it in the trash. On the second b-day of both my children we took away their binky (nuka in our house). We simply told them they didn't need them anymore. Tucked them in with their favorite blankie and stuffed animal and done deal. If you show the confidence in the child that they can handle life without it they will feel that about themselves.

Hi,
I recently wrote about getting my baby off a binky and got tons of responses. A few of them mentioned "The Binky Fairy" where you tell your little one that the Binky Fairy comes, collects Binkys from children that don't need them anymore, and then gives them to babies that do. Then the parents put them in an envelope and "sends" them to the Fairy, who leaves the child a small reward in the mailbox the next day. I saw this on tv too and to really emphasize that the Binky Fairy stopped by, the parents left glitter and feathers around the mailbox.
I am still figure the whole binky thing out with my baby but maybe this will help with your little one. Good luck!

I took the binky away from my boys when they hit two yrs old. I thought I would be in for such a horrible time especially w/ my second one. To my surprise, I threw them ALL out and made sure they had their other special night-nights (blanket). Only one day each of asking for it but nothing more than that. Good luck.....

My daughter had her binky till she was 3 and I kept telling her that by her 3rd birthday she had to be a big girl and that the binky had to go bye bye. But if she really really needed it Mommy would keep it safe for her. She was ok when the time came. I did have to lay with her until she fell asleep the first week but then she was fine. Good luck. :)

C.,

Take it and throw it in the garbage! She'll cry for a bit and get over it. You should do it now, or you will regret it later when she is older. =)

My daughter was 2 when I took away her mimmi (binky). She loved it. We had told her that the Easter bunny(it was around that time) was coming and he would be taking her mimmi and giving to to all the new babies. We explained that that is how she got her mimmi when she was a baby. In return the Easter bunny will leave her an extra gift. Well the next morning I forgot to take it away,luckily she woke up and forgot about it in her crib. I was quick to grab it without her seeing it. When she asked for it I told her a new baby had it now. I thought it would be horrible with many sleepless nights, but it wasn't. It was easy. No crying at all. Every once in a while she would ask for it and I would tell her a new baby has it and she would say oh ok.
Good luck with it. It may seem like it will be rough, but you may be surprised with how easy it is. I was.

Celebrate the departure of the binky. Make it a pleasant transition. Cold turkey is just.....so cold. I agree with Joanne's response and what better way than with Easter around the corner. Good Luck.