How Do I Get Rid of the Binky??

Updated on June 09, 2008
J.G. asks from San Diego, CA
59 answers

My daughter is 22 months and I am ready to get rid of the binky once and for all. My husband and I have started off by explaining to my daughter that she is becoming a big girl and that when you become a big girl you only use your binky at "ni-night"... so every morning and after waking from every nap she throws her binky into a drawer and claps her hands... now I am stuck as to how to get her to toss it out completely. She sleeps with them almost like a blankie... any helpful and creative suggestions would be great!

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V.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

We did the same. My daughter only used it for naps and bed time. Then on her first trip to Disneyland, she gave it to Mickey. We bought her a little Mickey Mouse stuffed doll to sleep with instead. When she'd ask for it, we reminded her that she gave it to Mickey. It was a smooth transition and worked perfectly. Good luck. I have to say, my daughter was a little older.

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S.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

J.,


there a couple of things you can try. First is when the binky starts to get funky make her throw it away. You can tell her she is being a big girl about it. Also you can try snipping a hole at the end and when the binky collapses she might not want it anymore and then you can have her throw it away. Hopefully these things help you. Good luck!!

S.

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N.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,
Both of my kids were addicted to their pacifiers. With my 1st child I just nipped the tip. All you do is cut the very tip of it off and every day you nip a little more so theres nothing left. I nipped it just once and it worked. He took it out, looked at it, popped it back in and then spit it out for good. I cut each and everyone around the house so that no matter what, they were all "broken". With my daughter, she had a dental appt and the dentist talked to her saying that it was bad for her teeth. It was a little harder for her but within a few days she was over it. Good Luck!!

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S.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

Dear J.,

I never had this problem, but my sister did - I am fortunate to have the most wonderful sister- watch her youtube video to see how she handled it. If the link doesn't work - search for "baby nuk" and you will find it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShUwgCMRxuY

Her daughter missed the nuk for a little time, but the nurses really played it up and she never cried or asked for it!

Enjoy!
S.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

My first child we put all her binky's in a box on the Christmas Eve before she turned 3 and told her Santa had to deliver them to all the new babies that needed them. that night she cried for a little bit and we gave her a stuffed animal and that was pretty much it. You always need to be stronger willed than your child or you may run into issues. The second child weined himself from them. He called them a "THAT" and would continuously loose them. One day I told him you put it somewhere you have to find it. We went 3 days without them and he was fine so we just stopped giving him his that. He would find one every now and again and I would let him have it because he did find it but as soon as I would see it on the floor I would swoop in and throw it away without him seeing. That was when he was about 2. My third child is only 1 so he still has a little more time until I take action. But I will do the same thing at Christmas time. It worked well. And they are at the age where they semi understand.

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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

I know this may sound crazy, but...I consulted the Farmer's Almanac for the "Best days" to "wean an animal/child" when I broke my dd from her binky. I simply took it away after she went to sleep on a day during that time frame and hid them all. She never even asked about it. Here is a link for that info: http://www.almanac.com/astrology/index.php. Best of luck to you!

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L.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,
We actually lost all the binkies (really lost them) except for one. When my son was about 2 1/2 he threw it away and didn't want a new one. Maybe let your daughter sleep with it a little longer. She'll probably be ready to get rid of it on her own soon since she's willing to give it up during the day now.

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P.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.-
When it was time for us to get rid of the binky, we "gave it to a neighbor baby" that my daughter knew.
She was great about it because she is now a big girl and babies need binkys, not big girls.
Whenever we see the baby she comments on how she gave her the binky and doesn't need it anymore. It's quite cute!
P.

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J.L.

answers from San Diego on

Hi J., simple, you throw it in the thrash, out oof sight out of mind, I try and get young parents not to use facifires, because they are very addicting to children, but once it's used, then you have to make the decision I'm the parent you are the child and in the trash it goes. mom for 24 yesrs, 3 kids NO PACIFIRES. J.

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J.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

What I did with my son. I had him throw it in the trash can. Then he knew it was "all gone". We all cheered and clapped. Only a few times we had to remind him it was all gone in the trash. We did the same getting him off the bottle. Good luck.

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M.E.

answers from Honolulu on

deleted (I thought you meant a blanket binky, not a paci)

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C.I.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J., hope all is well with you. She is still a baby. What is the harm of her having her binky, especially at night. It seems to give her comfort. Don't be is such a hurry for Maya to grow up. Enjoy the fact that she enjoys her binky.

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S.L.

answers from San Diego on

We had great success with this idea!! Our daughter was a little over 2 as well. So we picked a night for the "passy-fairy" (or binky fairy in your case) to come. That night, we put all the passies under her pillow and said that the passy fairy will come and take them and leave you a special big girl gift. The fairy will bring them to the babies that need them, since she didn't. We made a HUGE deal out of it the next day and got her some big girl stuff - a purse, fake jewlery, etc. No more passies, just like that! Good luck!

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S.M.

answers from Honolulu on

I got my son to get rid of his binky by explaining to him that in order to be a really big boy that it was time to throw away the binky and then had him actually throw it in the trash...
Of course you may have a couple of times that she will melt down and want it, but explain to her that she's a big girl and big girls don't need the binky to make them feel safe that they are strong enough to handle anything... good luck and I hope this helps...
S. m

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N.N.

answers from San Diego on

I had a bincky until I was about 17 years old, and I consider my self a very centered and outgoing person. I am now 42 years old, two kids, 11 and 6. She will get over it eventually. I don't think is nothing for you to worry about.

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T.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,

The best but not the easiest way is to throw it away! I know it is hard & she will probably cry about it when it isn't there. The other more kind & gentle ways fail to reap the outcome you want. You can say that the binky fairy came & took it away because she is such a big girl now - away to a place where it is happy & doesn't ever have to miss Maya. Good luck & God Bless!

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K.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

I don't remember how old my daughter was, a year and a half? Two? That was a long time ago, but she had lost quite a few and chewed a hole in others. So one day, when I gave her one, I told her when it was gone, chewed through or lost, that was it. I wasn't buying any more. She did find a couple that she had lost, and I reminded her a couple times that I wasn't buying any more, and when we threw the last one out, she was fine with it.

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T.V.

answers from San Diego on

We just did this with my daughter, she is just over 3. We did the same thing of only for sleeping. Then we talked to her about giving away the binkis to a baby since babies need binkis and big girls don't. We did this for a few months as prep. At the same time we had been giving away other things that were our baby things. Then we had something in the near future which was a big girl thing to do (Sea World opened the rides with Elmo) and we said we were going to Sea World in 2 weeks and before we went on the big girl rides she needed to give the binkis away. She has been asking to go on rides so it was something she wanted to do. At the same time we had 2 playdates scheduled with babies and she could choose which babies to give them away to. Then she packed them in a bag and away they went, all of them! I tried to have her have as much control over the situation. We talked about her hugging her stuffed animals when she wanted her binkis at night. My daughter is older, but it worked, no tears.

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E.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

I, like Joanna, got rid of the binky on a spur of the moment type thing... we were watching supper nanny, and on that show the kid tied his binky on a balloon and let it go into the air. Not sure how my daugther and I got to talking about it, as much as you can talk with a 2 1/2 year old. lol. But I got her to throw her's in the trash. I should say she threw out all 6-7 of them. I was scared to death I'd be up all night... but when she went to bed, I told her over and over how proud I was of her. That she was getting to be a big girl. A Good Big Girl. For several days/nights she would ask about them, and I would just tell her, remember... we threw them away because you're a big, a very big good girl!! And she'd go about her day or night.
The funniest part was, a week or so after they were gone, when she would do a no-no, and she knew I was about to get really upset. She would say... "I'm a Big, Good Girl Mommy." LOL! It was soooo hard to stand by the big good girl speech, and still discipline as needed, but the spur of the moment thing worked for me.
I'm sure you'll get lots of responses to this, and hopefully you'll find an answer or combination of answers that work for you and your little one!! Good Luck!! :)

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K.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

We also cut a small slit in the pacifier so that there was no satisfaction to the sucking, and when our two year old questioned it, we just said, "Uh oh, it's broken". So it was not really us taking it away. We'd give her another one and it was the same, broken. Eventually she just stopped asking, and it became out of sight, out of mind... It took about two weeks. Give her some alternatives for the feeling of security... a new blankie or stuffed animal, etc. Good luck.

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S.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Sorry for the late response, you may have heard this one. We cut the tips off of our son's pacifier's and told him that they were broken and then had him throw them away. That night he asked me to fix the paci but I said I couldn't fix it. He accepted this answer and was fine. He was about the same age as your dtr at the time. Good luck!

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T.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

You already have a head start with putting it in the drawer. We told my son that the binky fairy would be coming soon to pick it up because he was old enough to be done with it. and one day he went to get it and they were all gone. He was very excited that she had come to get his binky. very similar to the tooth fairy. Good luck
T. O

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T.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

I think my daughter was a little older when she went to her first dentist appointment. She was inseperable with her binky and we tried everything.

The dentist told her that the binkiy was making her teeth grow wrong and now that you are a big girl you need to throw all binkys in the trash.

We had tried it and it didnt work coming from us, but after the dentist's comment she ceremoniously got every binky in the house and threw it away.

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B.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I hate how everyone who has a kid thinks they know everything about kids. Most babies need pacifiers. The need to suck is both a physical and an emotional need, and depriving them of that just to make life easier for you later is selfish (I'm responding to an earlier post if you couldn't tell). It's easier to get rid of them at around a year (the same time a bottle should go), or sooner if the child's need to suck decreases, because by this time they are less emotionally addicted to them.

I agree about getting rid of them- let her throw them away, or let her mail them to someone, or something like that, as long as she is involved in the process. Don't just throw them away when she isn't looking. You probably won't have much problem after that, she may just ask for it a few times. Try to help her by finding something else to sleep with and use as her attachment item- a blankie or soft toy she prefers. And if she does become upset just remind her that she is a big girl and she sent/ threw them away.

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K.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

mabey if you take the binkly befor she wakes up or when you are doing something and happen to walk pass her rooom take and put it in you room some where safe and if she ask for it tell her she a big girl now and big girl dont want binkies

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H.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

if it's not hurting her teeth and it's giving her comfort then why not wait till she's totally ready? you can always set a milestone, like on the 3rd birthday she will get to gather them all up put it into a cute canester of some sort and give it to needy kids they did that on jon & kate plus 8 on their 3rd birthday and i thought that was cute.

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M.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

We just went through this with our daughter a couple of months ago when she was almost the exact same age as your daughter. One morning after she got up and did not have her binky any more, I asked her if she wanted to have a "Big Girl Day." She was so excited about this before she even knew what it was. I told her that on "Big Girl Day" that she would need to throw out her binkies since she doesn't need them anymore. You coul also buy her a small "Big Girl" present or do something special to make it more like a special occasion. We talked a lot about how they are for babies and that she is a big girl. She seemed to be on board with the whole situation, so I put them in a ziplock baggie (this part was important because I wanted to be able to get them out and hide them away in case of an utter meltdown later...it never happened though!!) and let her throw them in the trash and say goodbye to them. We clapped and cheered for her and made her feel really proud for doing it, and she loved it. She checked on them a couple of times that day, but other than that didn't seem upset by the situation at all. I think it was really key that I let her have a say in it, and that she was the one to actually throw them away. After that, she never asked for them when it was time for bed, but she did have a more difficult time falling asleep and woke up earlier for about a week because it wasn't as easy for her to soothe herself back to sleep if she woke up. She got the hang of it super fast though, and we have never looked back. I am so glad we did it when we did...I felt like it was starting to affect her teeth, and that the longer we waited the harder it would be to break it. Good luck!!

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G.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Have her pick out a balloon, and tie the balloon to the binky and have her let it go! I did this for my son, but keep in mind, have a spare tucked away-just in case of an emergency.
Good luck!

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D.M.

answers from San Diego on

That's the age both my daughters got rid of the binky. We told them in advance that we had to give them to the binky fairy because they are getting too old. They seemed fine with that. Then we collected ALL of them so we couldn't get one in an emergency, and they threw them in the trash outside. We told them the the fairies got them out at night and took them to fairyland. The first few days were hard, but they got used to it real fast! I am so thankful that they used binkies instead of their thumb since you can take binkies away! Just don't give in when they cry for one - they get over it real quick. You have to stand firm. Good luck! (P.S. I wouldn't wait until they fall apart because that could pose a choking hazard.)

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V.M.

answers from Las Vegas on

I only used a binky for the first 3 months of their lives then tossed them. But my sister didn't do the same so I told her toss it and tell the baby that the fairey came and gave it to the new babies that need it. Maybe she will understand that and it will be magical not harsh. Good Luck and next time toss it earlier! Believe me by the third child I knew better about things I struggled with the first.

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L.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

A friend of mine made a plan with her son (about the same age) that he would throw it away when it was broken/too old, etc. That day came (it actually broke!) and her little guy tossed it in the trash, said bye-bye with a little celebration and that was it. You might try explaining to her that way letting her have the honors of tossing it. Or offer (aka bribe, but whatever works, right!) her one special gift/toy/something when she can do away with it. I had this similiar talk with my 3 1/2 y/o son about 3-4 weeks ago that no more diaper at night and he could pick one special "Thomas" toy, etc. He's been dry every night since then. In fact just last night (very late!) I heard him get up, use the toilet AND even wash his hands all by himself! I was so proud of him I could hardly stand it!!! (I think I may owe him his special reward now.)
Good luck! It WILL happen soon enough!
God Bless! :-)

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A.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

My neighbor used this trick on her son:

One day she went to all the pacifiers in the house and cut the sucking piece off. She then told her son that that's the way they make them now! He accepted that as truth, didn't like the "new" binkies and gave them up. I think that was brilliant and if I end up with a pacifier-addict, I'll try it!

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C.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

My girlfriend did the same thing, but as soon as her son was really able to sleep without she and her husband and her son burried it the backyard...he never asked for it again. If he did they told him that they burried and it was gone forever.

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J.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

The binky monster came and toke it. Just make it disapear a couple of nights might be hard but after about 3 she won't even remember. If she sucks it all night go in after she's asleep and take it out, the next morning it's gone you can't find it.

Good luck! J.

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C.Z.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,

I have a 21 month old girl who just recently stopped using the pacifier. Yes it was hard, but it only took a few days when she stopped asking for it. She cried and was asking for it, but we told her "no more binky". It took one weekend and about 2 days more until she stopped asking. My daycare however was still giving it to her when she takes a nap until I told her not to anymore. She stopped giving it to her and she is fine now.
We cuddled and hugged her while she goes to sleep while she gets used to not using the pacifier.

My first 2 boys gave up the pacifier when they were 4 months old. They just didn't like it anymore. So this was new to me and I learned, you just have to do it and bear the few days of crying and getting used to. She'll be fine and you need to be strong. Keep her busy with other things. Good luck!

C.

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M.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

Obviously, you want to get rid of the binky and you got plenty of ideas for that. I just want to gently suggest that you might want to read all the requests for help on getting children to sleep well...there's a lot of them! Those parents have big problems! If your child is sleeping well, getting comfort from a little binky, and she's smart as a whip (we can tell!), why not wait for her natural development to outgrow the binky? She sounds like she's almost there! Believe me, one day she'll lie down for a nap or ni-night and be so tired she'll forget the binky. By the time she notices, the habit will be gone and you won't be the "bad guy." Just do all you can to keep sleepytime a positive thing...it's best for ALL of you!

Best wishes,

M.

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E.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

My son was around that age, maybe a little younger. Anyhow, we were down to one. He threw it in the toilet one day and I said it's dirty you can't use it now and that was the end of it! He knew he made a big mistake. With my other son it took a little more work. I just took it away during the day and eventually at night. He finally forgot about it. Just be consistent and she'll be off it in no time. Good Luck!

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A.M.

answers from Las Vegas on

Hello,

The way that I got rid of my sons Binky, is that we take all of them that we found in the house and we got a few heleium balloones (I know that is misspelled sorry) and we tied the binky's to the balloones and told our son that the babies in heaven needed them so we have to share them and we let him let it go and that was it. He did ask for them a few time over the frist few days but we told him the same thing that the babies in heaven needed them and after a couple of days he forgot about it. some of my friends and family members have uesed this method and it has worked for all of them. I hope that this has helped. Have a good day!

A.

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J.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

The pacifier Fairy comes to collect pacifiers for all of the babaies who do not have them! That worked for us!

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F.L.

answers from Reno on

Someone told us that Santa's reindeer really need binkies, so we left them outside with a note for Santa to take them (even though it was not yet Christmas) and a special cookie for Santa. Anytime a binky was mentioned, I reminded my daughter that she had given them to Santa's reindeer and she was so happy. Good luck!

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A.J.

answers from San Diego on

We just got rid of ours.We told our daughter that the binky fairy comes and brings the binkys to all the babies that needs them and leaves her a big girl present when she wakes up in the morning. We let her know that they wouln't be around any more but she would be a big girl.So she put them under her pillow and when she woke up there was sparkles everywhere and a big girl toy for her.Maybe you could put the pipe fairy present in the drawer.Then you have to get rid of them all at once.May have a couple bad nights but it is worth it.So far sh has been o.k. with it.My daughter is 3 it took awhile to get her to let go.Good luck!

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C.S.

answers from Honolulu on

You just have to do it. I'd time it with her birthday and just get rid of them all (you must get rid of them, so you don't cave in). Then when she asks about it at the next nap time or bedtime, then simply explain to her the good news that the binkys had to go to the new babies because she's a big 2-year-old girl now and doesn't need it anymore. All the crying in the world won't bring them back and she'll figure that out and get over it faster than you imagine, if she goes that route at all. Parents think their kids "need" these binky's, but they are a tool parents use to quiet an infant that parents don't want to give up on. Kids may shed a few tears of protest, but generally give it up far easier than the parents do. My best friend carried one around in her pocket for emergency use, and dreaded taking it away, but when she did, it was easy. The more calm and relaxed you are about it, the better your child will be. If you are deep down nervous and anxious about taking it away, she might pick that up and be more distraught. So be calm and matter-of-fact about it and tell her how proud you are that she is growing up to be such a big girl!

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J.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

Sounds like your daughter is doing well with the limits you've set. Her binky is like a blanket to her - an important object that allows her to be independent the rest of the time. Why don't you wait until she is over 2 years old to transition away from it. Maybe she can help pick out a substitute for the binky, like a stuffed animal she can sleep with. Most of us like to curl up with something or someone, and she is still very young. Pick a time when other new things are not happening, so she has something to help her handle the new things.

Judy
(mother of adult twin boys)

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

i saw this thing on super nanny about getting rid up the paci. what they did on the show was mailed the binkys to a baby that needed them. what you tell your daughter is that shes a big girl who doesnt need a paci anymore and that theres another baby that would love to have it and that she can put it in the mail and the binky/paci fairy will take it to a baby who needs it. you let her decorate a box or envelope and have her put her binkys in it. then let her put them by the mail box to be sent. its best to do it before a nap so you can disscard them. anyways what you do after shes down for a nap is disscard of the package and sprinkle glitter and confetti all over around the mail box and have a little note writen to your daughter thanking them for the binkys. good luck i hope this is helpful!

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J.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,

We did the binky fairy with my son and it worked great! We had him put his binkies in a big envelope and he came with us out to the mailbox and we put the envelope in the mailbox together. That night, I have to be honest, I was a little nervous that he would be up all night, but he only asked for the binky one time right before I turned out his light. I think what really worked is we told him that the binky fairy took his binkies and is giving them to the Babies of the world that need them. We then told my son that in the morning there will be a special present in the mailbox from the binky fairy as a thank you. He was thrilled the next morning to see that the fairy had left him some small toys and stickers. That was it! The binky has been a thing of the past since! Hope this helps, good luck!

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M.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I haven't tried with my daughter yet and am dreading it myself. But my SIL said that with her daughters she walked them to the trash can and said "Yuckie, suckie(that's what they called it, Yuckie...it needs to go bye bye in the trash" my nieces repeated the Yuckie and threw it in the trash. She said the youngest one would walk by the trash and just stare 2-3 times but after that nothing. Try that and let me know if you get any better ideas or what worked for you

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V.A.

answers from Santa Barbara on

Hi J.,

She's doing very well for 22 months. Don't push your own agenda so hard, just relax and let her be a baby for a while. As she stops napping, times will become less and eventually she'll stop.

V.

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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

J.,

We got rd of the bink when we were advised to put some vineger on them and give it to our son. he then would stick it i n his mouth and spit it out. They are now YUCKY!!! as he tells us! It sounds horrible to do, but it worked for us.

One thing that worked for my nephews, but not for us was to have them throw the binks away and give them something else to replace them with something else they wanted, a toy or book.

good luck!

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R.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hey there -

I am not a believer that you should take the binky away from kids. I too had a binky when I was a kid. One cool point, I never had braces. My sister sucked her thumb and did get braces. The other thing, my parents were nervous what to do because I was so attached to it. Well, my Mom says that one day I walked up to her (I was around 3)and said that I didn't need it anymore. And I think that's a nice thing. Because that binky was special to me. It's comfort.

However, I understand that parents need to do what's right for their kids and themselves. These decisions are not easy. And you know your daughter best. So if you feel it's important for her to stop, you can make it fun. Get a binky fairy. Get a friend to dress up with butterfly wings and an outfit and go in there to get the binky. Build it up for your daughter. How exciting that she is a big girl. That she can use other things for comfort. Make her feel like it is a transformatin to bigger and better things. So she feels good about. Why should she feel like something is taken away. It feels better to feel you have gained something.

I hope that helps. I say go for letting her have it and she'll tire of it. And she'll feel more powerful because it was her choice.

best wishes to you guys.....R.

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C.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

HI,

I haven't read through all of the responses, there were a lot. I did see one though that said you might consider waiting a little longer. I'll second that. My daughter finally gave it up when she was nearly 3 and she was using it day and night. But, other than annoying me and perfect strangers, there was no harm in it and she found it comforting. If she lost it at night, i kept a little cup attatched to her bed w/ plenty more so she didn't call me for it. When i finally decided the time was right, we went to Disneyland and gave it to Mickey Mouse. It worked great!! We talked about it for months prior. Made it sound really exciting. When the day came, we collected all of the pacifiers and put them in a little gift bag. We went to toon town and gave them to Mickey @ his house. He was very gracious and supportive. If you decide to do this, get there early so it's not too crowded. Good Luck!

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M.Z.

answers from Reno on

My kids tended to chew on their binks and they'd get small holes so we told them once hey had a hole they would get tossed and we weren't buying anymore. That gave them time to adjust to the idea and if it seemed like it was taking to long, we just tore a tiny hole in the morning when we took it. It's worked with 2, and we'll do the same with the 3rd.

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J.A.

answers from San Luis Obispo on

This worked for a friend, she cut them in half one at a time and said "uh oh binky's broken". Took about 2 weeks and her son never raised a fuss.

Hope it goes smoothly!

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C.K.

answers from San Diego on

My friends let their daughters keep them until they literally fell apart and then didn't replace them.
How's that for a goal?
It worked for them.
Good luck

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S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

My cousin took her daughter's binky and stuck it once with a safety pin. Then, a few days later, stuck it again, and then a few days later, did it again, until the binky no longer worked. She had told her that once she was done with this one, she wasn't buying them ever again, and by sticking it with holes, she just made that day happen a little quicker.

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J.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

Personally, I solved this issue quickly and on the spur of the moment when my daughter was 2ish. I pretended to flush them all down the toilet in a cranky moment that I had...she never asked for them again. Since you are actually planning the event, you could always "donate them to the paci-fairy" for the new little children. My friend did that. Then get her a replacement toy to celebrate the moment. You could create a ceremony for it and hang them in the tree out front or leave them in the windowsill. Then the fairy can leave a small toy in return.

http://www.parentdish.com/2006/03/31/the-nuk-fairy-creati...

http://www.geocities.com/jinkleberry/pacifierfairy.htm

http://www.johnandpattiwells.com/wordpress/?p=8

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G.Q.

answers from Santa Barbara on

Hi J.,

First off, let me start by saying my daughter is only 6 months old and I have yet to deal with this issue personally. However, I have heard some great ideas from friends that I plan to try if/when it becomes necessary:

1. Make up a "binky fairy" (like a tooth fairy) that will come take your child's binky from under their pillow at night in exchage for another small toy or treat or something you think your daughter will love.

2. Is there a favorite baby animal that your daughter loves? My friend's daughter really loves dolphins, so they told her that the baby dolphins really needed her binkies and so since she was a big girl now, would she be willing to 'donate' her binkies to all the little baby dolphins?

These sounds like really great ideas to me, but I haven't tried them myself. I'd love to hear if you end up trying either one and if they worked for you!

Good luck!
G.

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A.M.

answers from San Diego on

This may sound really silly. I was a costume character at Sea World for a couple of years back in high school. I had one little girl (around 2 years old) who LOVED the character I was (Penny Penguin.) Her mom whispered to me that she was trying to get rid of the binky, so I as the character pretended like I really wanted it. Her mom said "wouldn't it be so sweet to give your binky to Penny Penguin? It looks like she really wants it!" The little girl handed it to me, and I acted excited that I had a new pink binky to match my pink hair bow. Her parents clapped for her and then went and bought her a souvenir. She felt special that she got to give it to Penny. I still have that binky as a reminder of my job there. Maybe something like that would work? It might be a little bit of a stretch, but you never know! :)

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I.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Looks like you've already gotten lots of great advice. We did the Binky Fairy (as per our pediatrician's suggestion), but I told my daughter all about it...really talked it up, then waited for her to tell me when she was ready for me to call the Binky Fairy ( I didn't want to force her). She was almost 3 and she was incredibly attached to that darn thing. She saw a fancy dress at the Disney Store that she really wanted so I seized the opportunity and asked if I should call the binky fairy. She said yes! The Binky Fairy brought her the dress and a bag to put all her binkies in so the Binky Fairy could take them for the babies that needed them.

Now, I was skeptical that this would work. I braced myself for a few bad nights. To my surprise and delight she did fine. That night when we got ready for bed she said, "I miss my Binky", but she never asked for it. She is 4 and still loves telling the story of how the Binky Fairy brought her a princess dress...and she has NEVER asked for the Binky back.

Hope it goes this well for you! I think that waiting until she's ready is key. Good Luck!

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H.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

You can have her "mail" them to a new baby who needs them. We did this with my daughter's bottles. She missed them but it helped to remind her what a generous big girls she was to give them to a little tiny baby that needs them. Or you could have her exchange them at Toys 'R Us for a fabulous big girl toy (the staff there will surely play along).

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