Getting Rid of Binky.... - Modesto,CA

Well, I had a binky addicted 2 year old and had sworn I would let him have it till he just threw it away....but than he developed a SEVER open bite because of it and after talks with his dentist and the threat of double braces...I decided to help him transistion to another lovey. He actually was a double blanket AND binkie baby so he still has his blankets that he takes EVERYWHERE with him (however they have to stay in the car when going to functions).
Anyway, this is what I did, and it seemed to work really well, but it took about a month, month and a half. I sniped it...and than he was confused but understood it was "broken" and so we used it broken for a while, and than it got more and more broken over the weeks....it was hard the first night but he adapted and than he just got used to that it broke more and more.....and than it got so bad that there was NO part to suck, so he would hold the outer plastic part to his lips and smash his face in the bed so it would stay on his lips ha ha, I thought he would sufficate and than one day he woke up and couldn't find it...it must have slipped between the mattress and the wall..we looked all over the house for it...but it got "lost"...

And than we were done.

just one idea.

Oh and his teeth moved back to the "normal" position within 2 mths!!! Can't wait to see the dentist next week!

Good timing! Her birthday is coming up. Start talking up her birthday now, and with all the good things, talk about how she'll be a big girl and won't need her binky any more. With excitement.

"You're going to have a birthday! You'll be two years old! We'll have a party! Grandma will come over! We'll have balloons and cake and presents! You'll be a big girl and won't need a binky anymore!"

We repeated it all the way up to her birthday, and then after the celebration and bed time, we took them all and tossed them. She whined for it once when she got up, and we reminded her. Then she accepted it.

We explained that binkies are for little kids, and she's about to be a big girl (we got rid of the binky for our oldest at this same age -- and were worried we'd left it too late -- not so!). We actually took her to Build-a-Bear (like another poster did), but we told her that the store people would give the binkies to little kids who need them. Our child collected all her binkies in one small box, she selected her bear and built it (as a birthday present too), and then handed over the binkies to the cashier. The cashier didn't even blink -- probably not the first time it had happened! So we left all the binkies at the store for them to throw out, and she got to sleep with her bear that night (a sort of bedtime binky replacement). She complained a little the first night, but not as much as we expected, and was able to go to sleep just fine. Didn't really ask for it after that. We wanted to get rid of the binkies completely so we (the grownups) wouldn't be tempted to give in. I have to admit, it was so easy (compared to what we feared) that we realized it was as much a crutch for us as for her (maybe more!). Good luck!!

I realize this may sound cruel but I really think the only way to handle it is to simply throw out the binky and let her know she's not going to have it any more. Give her something she can use for comfort in it's place.. just not something she can pop into her mouth. This will probably cause you a couple of days of having to put up with some whining on her part, but I believe the pain of giving it up will actually be over faster this way than if you try to wean her from it slowly.

Throw it in the garbage. Then redirect, comfort, and change the subject every time she asks for it. I promise she will not spontaneously combust when she doesn't get it nor will she take the keys out of your purse and drive herself to the store for some new ones. LOL...a few days and it will be a distant memory--trust me. At this age, you call the shots. If you are done with the pacifier (and she is plenty old enough to be done) just make the decision and that is the end of it.

Hi there, just did this with my girls (3yrs & 23 mos) at the same time. 3 yr old used it at nap & bed but my 23 mos old always seemed to have/want it. We went to Build-A-Bear, they picked out the stuffed animal they wanted, stuck the bears inside, had a little naming ceremony, and watched it get stitched right up. First night they whined/cried for it for awhile but not as long as I thought. The 2nd night was better and by the third night they were kind of used to it. My older daughter did want to rip it open at one point. We let them take their animal with them on a few errands too at first. Overall, it went very smoothly and not nearly as miserable as I thought it would be. So glad we are done w/ the binky!

We weaned slowly too - starting with just in bed for naps and bedtime. My aunt (who's a pedi) said that we could let them have the paci in bed at first if they got really hurt/stressed/....but it had to stay in bed. That proved more problematic for us. We started a box that the paci goes in as soon as she gets up. She gets it right before bed. All the in between time it is out of sight. I'd at least start with that and then solve the nighttime part in a bit.

Just snip the tip and then hand to her!

I went down to naps and mornings in bed only, and than it was like ripping off a band aid. I made sure he understood that he was a big boy, and that it was time to sleep like a big boy without his bink. He still had his lovey for comfort (a stuffed elephant), and he did great. Of course every child is different. Once you do take it though, stand your ground, because otherwise he may learn that if he just cries long enough you will give in to him, and that could penetrate into other areas as well. Best of luck!

We had kids that were attached to binky too! And friends that did. The one way we took care of that problem was to let them only have it at night time or naps. So we would tell our child are you ready for sleepy time? If you are going to go take a nap then you can have it. And then we would do our regular routine of getting ready for nap or bed time. Sooner or later they will realize they don't want to take a nap all day long! Another friend came up with the binky fairy. Where the child would give up their pacifier and then in return she would leave a small new toy or something cuddly in return. My son bit a hole in his last remaining pacifier and I told him it was broke. He took it to the trash and well no more binky after that. Well ok one night of whimpering but I reminded him it was broke and he seemed ok with it. Good luck!

"Raising children who understand that the world does not revolve around them, does not mean that we need to strip them of security objects before they are ready to give them up, just because someone else dictates an arbitrary timeline in which to do so."

i saw this quote somewhere and thought it was great. we give these objects to our children and then rip them out of their mouths when WE are done with them? nonsense. children normally give up pacifiers between the ages of 2 and 4 years old. i don't buy the dental thing - personal experience. with my daughter i gradually transitioned her to naps and bedtime use only at this age. maybe boo boos are a good reason for her, depending on her response to injury. all children are different and respond to life's issues differently. she will not keep it forever! if she doesn't shed it today she will soon. my daughter gradually gave it up on her own. i like some of the ideas where parents make it the child's choice. just don't freak out about it having to get done today, this happens a lot to parents but is just not logical. i also have to say time-out for whining would completely miss out on an opportunity to teach a child how to express negative feelings.

We started by breaking the habit the following ways:
1. It stays in the bed. You can only have it IN bed, IN your room.
2. Whining gets a warning, then a timeout, not the "reward" of the binky or of my attention. Of course, this isn't mean or punishment, moreso teaching her that whining is not acceptable and used to help them get a grip and relax and cope instead of using the crutch.
3. Once you can contain the binky to bedtime only, we decide that on a trip to grandma's that we would "forget" the binky. She learned to go without, and sleep. When we came home, there were no binkies left anywhere. We told her the Binky Fairy must've come taken them all since she didn't need them anymore, and that she gave them to the new, little babies who did.

I tried to break the habit once at about 15 mos and lasted about two weeks. It was awful. She was miserable and no one slept! I gave it back. We tried the "trip to grandma's" a few months later and it worked great.

Best wishes.

I never had to personally deal with this problem but a few people told me that they would cut it a little every few days and eventually their children would stop using it or throw it away themselves

After a dentist visit with my binky boy (22 months) the dentist showed me how bad the binky was effecting his teeth, also his speech, I threw the binky out the window on the way home (sorry for littering) but cold turkey. It was a rough week 1/2, which he only had troubles at nap time, but its the best thing for her. I didnt want to make my little baby sad and take something away that made him feel so comfortable, but I HAD to. Im also wondering if it could have caused his ear infections......We will see. Good luck!

Cold turkey. I done it that way with both my kids. Throw them all away so then you won't be tempted to give her one when she cries for it. Tell her big girls don't use pacifiers.

I just recently went through getting rid of the beloved binky haha I told my daughter the babies needed the binky and so we put in a box and left it outside the back door and the babies picked it up and left a gift. Best of luck