Binkie Help

my daughter was totally attached to her binky and I would have to get up a hundred times a night to find it and put it back in her mouth when it would fall out. I finally bought about 20 and threw them in the crib with her. but then the dreaded time came, the company stopped making that kind and I couldnt get her to take any more so I finally decided it was time to give it up. I started cutting little bits off the tip of it..just a little at a time after a while she just didnt want it any more. yes she cried and it broke my heart but I think it only lasted about a week or maybe two but then she was fine. we had plenty of sleepless nights but now that i look back I had that before too when I had to constantly go back in her room to put the binky back in her mouth all night.

I was watching super nanny last week and they told the child that they needed her to help gather all her binkies because there wasnt enough for all the new babies that were coming... then they put them in a bag and hung it in a tree and the binkie fairey would come and leave her a prize for the binkies. the little girl was so excited about this and then next day she had a doll instead of binkies!
It was very cute!

I had a friend of mine who just cut the tip of the binkie off. She swears it was the easiest thing since the baby decided he didn't want it anymore...and when it's their decision, things seem to go more smoothly. :)

Good luck...I'll probably try this when the time comes!

Hi Gail,

My son was almost 3 before he gave the binky up. We told him the "binky fairy" was coming to take his binky(s) and give them to little babies who really needed them. In return, she would leave a present for him (just like the tooth fairy). It worked really well, he didn't seem to miss it too much, and we kept reminding him what a big boy he was.
Hope this helps,
B.

I have a couple of friends who went through this already. I think I'm going to combine their ways when its our turn. One just weaned their son...she put the binkies in a drawer and had him take one out for naps and bedtime. When he woke up, he put it back in the drawer. This helped their son feel a little bit of control over the whole weaning process. My other friend had a bye-bye binkie party where they tied one of the binkies on a balloon and watched it float away. (the rest went unknowingly to the trash) I think I'll start weaning with the drawer method and do the final goodbye with the balloon.
Good luck
E.

I recently got rid of the binkies for my twins who are 16 months. My son was completely addicted and scrounged for them whenever he could. He usually had one in his mouth and one in his hand, while my daughter really wanted them for naps so I was nervous also. My friend's pediatrician told her to do this and it worked well for the both of us. She said to completely take it away one night before bed then let them cry it out to get to sleep and they would not even remember in the morning. It took them a little longer to fall asleep than usual but not to bad and they have been fine ever since. My son even found one in the car and couldn't have cared less, I was shocked.

My daughter never used a binkie, but I saw an idea on Supernanny (don't laugh--I love her!). She gathered up all the little girl's binkies in a bag and hung them in a tree outside for the "Binkie Fairy." She told the child that Binkie Fairy would come and take the binkies for other babies who needed them and she would leave a special treat (new toy) in their place. Worked on the show!

I think a lot of it depends on how old your son is, at 1 year, I took my son's away, a few weeks after taking the bottle (so as not to add insult to injury!) He was also very attached so it was very difficult for me to be firm, but I knew I had to be. We had just a couple rough days, but we chose to do it on a weekend when I didn't have to worry about going anywhere or the daycare having to deal with this. Very quickly he found other ways to sooth himself, and he just seemed to forget about it as long as he didn't see one. Ultimately he did fine, and within about a month he had absolutely no interest in them at all when seeing other children who had them--I definately think the earlier the better! If it's an older child, I worked with a lady whose three year old had a "bon voyage binkie" ceremony where she chose the way she wanted to dispose of it and was allowed to carry this out herself (I believe it involved a couple helium balloons and a string). I've also heard good things about the "last package of binkies" method where when the last one is lost (and we all know how easily this happens) that is it. I hope this helps at least a little bit--Good Luck!!!

how old is your son? With my first daughter, at 6 months we lost her binkie and just said that was it and I think we had a rough week but then she was fine. With my 2nd daughter, I think it was around the same time. I think it is worth it to do it ASAP and get them use to going to sleep without a binkie. The older they get, the harder it will be.

My daughter is two years old and still sleeps with her binkie. I first took it away a few months ago from her for rides in the car and everything else except sleeping. If she asked for it or cried, I would distract her with something else. This weekend, we're actually gathering up all the binkies and putting them in a gift bag and hanging them in a tree in our yard. We're telling our daughter that the "Binkie Fairy" needs them back for the other babies. Now that she's not a baby anymore, it's time to give back her binkies to the fairy so she can give them to the other boys and girls. The next morning, we'll have a special gift for her in the gift bag for being so brave and giving back her binkies. I'm sure she'll cry a little and protest some, but I've had friends who have used this same method and they say it only lasts a few nights of some crying. GOOD LUCK!

I have 2 boys 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 yrs old. I tried to snip the tip of my older sons binkie it didn't work he cried for 3 days about it being broken. so I gave in and got him a new one. A few weeks later about a month ago now I took both of my sons binkies after there afternoon nap and put them out of sight. They didn't even ask for them since they couldn't see them. At bedtime when my older son asked for it I told him I had to find it and I would be right back. He actually fell asleep waiting for me to bring it back. My younger son cried himself to sleep but it was more of a winey cry not the screaming I expected. The next day at nap time they actually fell asleep faster without them. I think they would suck on them to keep themselves awake longer rather then fall asleep. What I think helped make the transition so easy for me was only giving them the binkie at nap and bedtime for a few days first. So don't be afraid of the screaming and crying it only lasts for the first night. Oh I would make sure you had the following day off you might not get much sleep. good luck

My sister and brother in law had a binkie "funeral" when they took the binkie from my neice at 2 1/2 years old. They took a shoe box and put all the binkies in the shoe box and got rid of them. There was about a week of headache with her being fussy but then that's all.

Hi Gail,
My daughter was a hardcore binky girl when she was small. The way we finally got rid of it was we started by snipping just the tip off of the binky. A couple of days later, we snipped a little more. Each day...snippity-snip, until she finally lost interest in it. We let her think she gave it up. She was two and half when we tried this method.

Good luck!
J.

My daughter is glued to her binky as well. We are slowly taking it away and it is hard. We only allow her to have it in the night and put it "night,night" during the day. She still wants it and asks about it, but the idea of it not being there during the day has deffinately helped. And then taking it away at night is a whole different battle - and I too will be there with you! Good Luck

My son loved his binkie too. What we did was slowly take it away. First we only let him have it at nap time and bed time and then after a month or so we took it away for nap and then for bedtime. He cried maybe a couple of nights but got over it quickly. We also tried to give him a special stuffed animal or something to sleep with to make it a little easier. Hope this helps.

Fortunately its really not that bad if u do it early. its when they are 2, 3, 4 that it gets tough. fortunately with my daughter i had no choice but to take it away at 6 months cold turkey. she got it stuck in her mouth! so yea it was scary and really had no probs with her. we are in the process now of gettin rid of the bottle. so far so good! she went most of the day yesterday last night and all day today without it! good luck!

How old is the child? If he is old enough to understand you might try what my peditrician suggested for us - it worked well. She was 3 and we told her the only time she could have her paci was in her room at home. She did not like staying in her room much so that limited how much she used it. When we went out to dinner or to run errands she would cry for a moment and then we would remind her that we aren't home so we didn't have one for her. She accepted this. Then about three months after we started this we went on a two week vacation. We told the paci bye. She asked for it on the flight and we reminded her and she never asked for it again. I called a friend asked them to search our house and dispose of all paci's before we returned. I reminded her on the trip a couple of times about what a big girl she was and what responsibilities that big girls have, yada yada, and she never asked for a paci again.

My friend told her child that the paci needed to return home and attached them to tons of helium filled balloons and said bye as they flew away. This helped her child. I wasn't sure where home was ? Maybe heaven? I am not religious so I didn't use this method - but it worked for her.
Hope this helps,
Take Care,
Tam

My son was just turning 2 when we took the binkies away. He had to have his night and day and was a mess without it. We were expecting our 2nd child and we told him that since he was growing so big and was going to be a big brother he wouldn't need a binky anymore. but that babies use binkies. We did this for a few days and tried to encourage all the big boy things he could do. Then we got a plastic baggie and asked him if he could find all his binkies and put them in the bag to save them for the baby. He quickly gathered them up and we put them away. The next day he asked for a binkie and I reminded him that we put them away. He said "oh ya, cause I'm a big boy. Binkies for the baby" Hes been free from them ever since.

I had the same dilemma. My son LOVED his binky. But the doctor told us we should nip it in the bud sooner than later. So we stopped cold turkey at 5 months. We went in and soothed him by patting his back every so often. It was tough for 3 nights, and afterwards it was like he never had it. The doctor didn't want us to get into the habit of putting it back in his mouth if it fell out during the night. Which it did a few times and getting up at 2am to insert a binky that may fall out 15 minutes later is tiring. At the same time we did buy him a small Luvie, a little Pooh Bear with a blanker attached. He sleeps with it now and he knows he only gets it at bedtimes and during long car rides where he may sleep.
Looking back, it wasn't so bad. You'll be happy you did it. Nobody wants a toddler walking around with a binky in their mouth.

Our pediatrician gave us this suggestion (although we never got the chance to try it, because I became her paci at 4 months and she never wanted it again LOL)

He said to take one of those straps that are used to hook the paci's to their clothing... only attach a stuffed animal. A stuffed animal that is large enough that it's very difficult to keep the paci in their mouth without holding the animal.

They don't get a paci unless it's attached to the animal. They soon learn that doing tasks is more fun than holding the stuffed animal, so that starts the weaning process of them not needing it so much. Do this for a month or so and then take the paci away. Over the last month, they will have developed a comfort bond with the stuffed animal, so when the paci is gone, they still associate that comfort with the stuffed animal.

It seemed like a wonderful suggestion to us, but as I said, we never got the opportunity to give it a try.

Gail,

My great aunt said she would cut the binkie a little bit at a time until her granddaughter didn't want it anymore. Mainly because it was a stub and nothing left of it. She didn't want it at all and didn't even ask for one.

C.

all you have to do is cut just the tip of the binky and it loses its suck. then every week or how many days you decide cut a little more off until they can barely grip it at the end. i did this with my first two and it worked great! when i did it with my oldest, she looked at it after trying to suck on it and said "broken" and that was it. my second took a few more cuts but eventually it was just too hard to suck and gave up. i'm about ready to break my 3rd child from it with the same method. good luck!!!
L.

This might sound really silly, but the best advice I've seen is on "nanny 911." The nanny found a tree out in the back yard and the mom and the little girl tied all the binkies in the tree so that the "binkie fairy" could come and get the binkies and in return like the tooth fairy left a goody bag for the child. The mom said the binkie fairy needed the binkies for little babies that needed them. Since the little girl was a big girl she could maybe donate her binkies. I thought that was a cute idea. It's worth a shot...

I thought I would have the same problem with my son. He LOVED the pacifier and slept with it every night. I thought there's no way he'd give it up - and he totally surprised me. For about a month I started taking it out once he was deeply asleep. Then one night I just put him to bed and didn't give it to him - and that was that! I still can't believe it. But I've heard of other things that work. My friend poked holes in them, so you still give it to them but it's not as satisfying so they stop using it themselves. Also some older children understand that things break, so you can cut off the nipple and show him "it's broken". Let him hold it and see that he can't use it anymore. I've heard that works too, with 3 yr olds.

My oldest son was the same way. When he got a little older and still wouldn't get rid of the binky, we had people in our family start saying "that's icky" if it fell on the floor. Because he knew what "icky" meant, he would throw it away. He then went slowly down in the number of binkies until he didn't have them at all anymore.

Hello there,
My son is 3 now, but I had the same problems. How old is yours? I wouldn't worry unless your little one is older. If he's still a baby...I'd back off and maybe he'll give it up himself. When it came time for my little guy to give up the binkie...it was time. That was it.I didn't try to reinforse w/ anything additional. I didn't try to give another "thing" to replace the binkie. It's hard at first!!!! Maybe a lot of positive praise. All I know is if you just stop it's a lot easier. Then you don't have to try to get the child off of another "thing" ie: bottle. I hope this helps and doesn't sound too harsh. Remember: What works for one doesn't mean it works for all! :)

Hi Gail-
Binkies! We made a binkie box (checkbook box decorated)...he can only have one at night. he's very good about putting them in his binky box in the morning. He is very picky about his binks, if he can't find his fav I'll tell him to go look-half the time he goes to bed without one because it's not his favorite. I also heard of someone tying the binks to the tree for the binkie fairy who will leave a small gift for every binky she gets. Good luck-it'll happen just try to replace the bink with other comfort item....out of sight, out of mind

Hello Gail,
My daughter started the pacifier at 13months and continued until she was four (so late due to PTSD). For the last year or so, she could only have it in her room. She placed it under her pillow for safekeeping. She mostly used it at night (we would remove it once she fell asleep, on most nights). Some days / nights, she wouldn't use it. Probably four months before her birthday, we started telling her that when she turned four, the pacifier would go bye-bye. The day before her birthday, she spent almost the whole day in her room!! On the evening of her birthday, she asked for it. We told her she was now four and she couldn't have the pacifier. She accepted that. She never asked for it again.
Christmas is around the corner. Perhaps tell your child that as of Christmas Day, there'll be no more pacifier. Every so often, remind him that on Christmas Day, he will be too big for it. (Or something like that). If there's a sooner date, which he can relate, use that date.
Good luck.

YES! I just ditched my daughters about 2 months ago (she'll be two in a couple of weeks). She was SO addicted to it. I was afraid of what would happen whenI took it away but I was so sick of her using it. I was actually embarrassed when we would go out in public.

What I did? I took it one day and never gave it back. I gathered them all up from around the house and trashed them. There was never another discussion about binkies. It was a cold turkey kind of method and it worked beautifully! When I saw her looking for it the first couple of days I would distract her and get her interested in something else. For about 3 days at night she was wrestless. Then it was all over... she moved on and it was no longer an issue! Recently she came across one she found and she handed it to me.

Cut the top off. Start out with a small hole, then get bigger. If he's like my son, I had half of the binki cut off and he still wanted it! Mostly you have to be patient. Limit the binki for naps, car rides and bed time, then after a few weeks, take the car rides out, then after a few weeks only give the binki for bed time then eventually take it away. You'll have a crying baby between limiting the binki, but you have to let them cry it out. It sucks to hear them crying when they want it, and it would be an easy way to solve the problem by giving it to them, but just tell them what your doing and eventually they'll get it.

All three of my kids had binkies and we did the same with all three of them and it worked. Around 18 months, I started cutting one of their binkies at a time - a few days apart (my kids all had about 4-5 binkies each). Then I would act sad, "Oh no, you're binkie broke! Time to throw it away." Then let the child throw it away and encourage them to say, "Bye-Bye Binkie!" By the time the last binkie gets cut they love the "game". They may struggle a bit here or there. I just kept sippy cups in the car with water for them and a stuft animal close by for comfort. But this worked for us!

When my daughter, who is now 4, was 2 we decided it was time to take her pacifer. I was a nervous wreck!! We were seeing a behavior specialist (my husband works for Boystown, so we have alot of great support) at the time and he suggested to just do it. Take it and when he tries to look for it, help him look. Then when he can't find it. Just simply tell him, "we can't find it, sorry". I suggest doing this on a night that you do not have to work or get up early the next day. The first night was so bad, she cried and cried for what seemed like forever. My heart was broken and I wanted so badly to just "find" it for her. We held strong through that first night and the second wasn't so bad. She asked and whimpered a bit, but nothing at all compared to the first night. I dont' think she even asked for it by the 3rd night. It was that simple. One night of hell and then almost nothing. We just lost it and never found it again. The younger they are the easier. My husband and I had alot of anxiety about doing it, but it was fairly easy. Good luck!

How old is your son? My mom said that when she took my brother to his 3 year old doctor appointment she had the doctor take the binkie away and explain to him that now that he is three he doesn't need one. Then when he would ask for it she would say the doctor has it. Just make sure you acutally get rid of all the binkies so you are not tempted to give in.

Hello neithe one of my children have ever had a binki but i have taken care of serverl children with them...The one boy i watched 2 years of my highschool and his mom just couldnt get him to let go...So finally she told me to try something that i had learned from my grandmother so i did an it worked...I no this sounds very mean but u may want to give it a try...Take the binki and cut an x in the tip of the nipple with a siccors? spelling?...I did this with chandler and he went to suck on it and it pinched his tongue he never once took it again...His mom was shocked its mean but it sure works...Hope this will help you...

My son was 2 when we decided he was done with his binkie. I cut the tips off of every binkie we owned and told him they were broken. He didn't even put it in his mouth to try it, he was just done. He had a little harder time than usual going to sleep that night, but did it and was fine the next night. I always expect the worse with things like this, but it seems like I worry for nothing because things usually work out fine! Good luck!

I removed it gradually. 1st no more day time use (other than when absolutely neccessary in car rides). He started chewing the ends off. I didn't replace them after a while. Then I removed it at nap time. Then I made him throw it in the trash before bedtime. He did it and never asked for one again! He was maybe 27 months when it was finally gone!
Make sure that ALL of them are gone ...none under the crib, behind the dresser, in a toy box or a diaper bag, etc.
Good luck - it was hard!

Hi Gail,

One trick I read about was taking your child to a Build-a-Bear store and have him put together his own bear. While the staff is getting it all together, have them sew the binky in the bear itself so your son sees that he's being a big boy and passing on his binky for the bear to enjoy. I don't know if it works, but I am curious....

Hello,

I am the mom of a recovered binky lover, although she didn't want it/wasn't allowed to have it 24/7 (it was tired/nap/sleep requirement for sleep). I don't know how old your son is, which makes a huge difference, but when my daughter was old enough to "get" cause and effect I just let them naturally get lost. That meant if she wanted to keep track of one and keep it by the bed that was great. Those that got dropped at playgrounds and friend's houses were quietly picked up by me and disposed of. Most kids seem to really adjust quickly if it's not a punishment and there's no "you're too big for this" or "these are for little babies." No shame and no "if you lost it it's gone." I would just say "uh-oh it's lost. Maybe next time put it in your pocket."

I pledged to myself no more binky purchases and did keep a less favored one aside for emergencies, but her strong preference for one brand made that not very appealing.

After she was binky free we even went on a flight where I wanted her to have it for her ears and I explained that the airline attendant had provided it for the flight, but it was not ours to keep. She used it casually on take off and landing and didn't ask for it again.

My son was very attached to his binky and I, too, was worried about how I was going to wean him from it. Right around his 3rd birthday, my friend and I (who has a son 2-months older)decided we would put an end to it at the same time. We took the boys to the store and let them each pick out one "big boy toy" as a reward. That night, my son and I collected all his binkies from around the house and put them in a ziplock bag. My son said goodbye to his binkies and we left them for the "binky fairy" to pick up during the night to take them to binkyland were they would be cleaned up and given out to little babies who needed them more than he did. It worked surprising well! Every now and then for about the first week, he would ask for a binky and I would remind him that they were all gone. He cried pretty hard once or twice but then it was all over! I think it helped that his friend's binkies went with the binky fairy at the same time. The boys were able to offer each other moral support! Good Luck!!!

Gail, all you have to do is snip the end of the binkie with scissors. That makes it loose it's "suction"...and then you can tell your son that it's "broken" and he needs to throw it away. Be careful not to do it too soon, because then he might revert to sucking his thumb instead. It's best if your son throws it away himself rather than you doing it.
Good Luck!

Hi Gail. My daughter was a binkie baby. I have a photo of her with a binkie in her mouth and another one in her hand-it makes me laugh when I look at it. When she got a little older-a year or so-she would just use it at night for comfort. With her, she decided she was through with it at about 16 months old. Children do need comforting things and truly grow out of "stages" when they are ready. You can gently guide them along. I just wouldn't let the fanaticals (sp?) get to you! You will both know when the time is right for your son. Nothing to be scared about. Enjoy the ride of having children. I can't believe I have a 3 and almost 2 year old. Sometimes I long for them to be "babies" again.
Take Care,
K.

A mom that I nannied for told me that one day she had noiced that her 2 yr old had chewed a hole in the nipple of her binky. She talked with her daughter how her binky had to go away. They both went to the garbage and threw it away. They talked about how the garbage man took it away. She was a little fussy over it for a while, but the mom kept reminding her that they had to throw it away and the garbage man took it away. When I visited after I had my first daughter (who had a binky), we thought that it may be a problem because it had only been a couple of months. She looked at my daughter and said, "Baby has a nay nay(binky)". Then later she said, "Garbage man took my nay nay." Then she was over it. With my 2 yr old (who was 18 mos at the time) was very easy to break. I accidentally left her binky at my dad's house and so I decided this was my opportunity to try and break her of her binky. When she asked for it, I told her that it was lost and I couldn't find it. She nevered screamed for it. She would fuss sometimes, and be alittle whiny, but no major problems. Now that I have a new baby at home (who has a binky because of the hospital and not because of my choice), she will give the binky to her little sister when she is crying to help her. Hope this helps.
~ S.