Ridding Toddler of binky...please Tell Your Tricks!

"Lose" them. Tell her the binky fairy came and leave something in it's place? Most parents can't get rid of it because of their attachment to it. Is it her or you? (I know that sounds harsh, but it's true.) Most parents can't make dietary changes for their kids because of their addiction to dairy or sugar or whatever. Just get rid of the binky. Done. It's over. It'll be a lot harder when she's 5 or 6.

I told my son that when he became too old for a binky they would start to taste yucky. Then I painted them with the anti- nail biting stuff that tastes bitter ( safe and non-toxic). It worked like a dream. He tried sucking them once or twice, then never wanted them again. No screaming, no arguments, no sadness.

Take them all, throw them all out. Your kiddo will be mad the first few days, then when they realize they're throwing a tantrum won't bring binky back, they'll get over it, I promise.

My oldest he was 2 when he didn't have it anymore. It got lost and I told him that I couldn't find it. We all searched for it and didn't find it. It was a loong night him! But he did better after that.

My second he has visual problems ( at the time he saw double vision... now is blind in one eye) and at about 12mo he fell with it in his mouth and cut his upper lip... walked over and threw it away. But then my ex started giving him the bottle at night. at 2 we had to do the CIO.

#3 I got rid of his at 12mo ( same time we got rid of #2's bottle) he was easy.

#4 he never really had the paci much. He weaned himself off of it by a year.

#5 she never had the paci but did have a bottle of water at night. She just weaned herself of it a few months back, right after her 3rd birthday.

Our son never took to the paci. My MIL tells me that in Denmark, there is a paci tree in the playground. Kids hang them up in the tree when they give them up. Its a big right of passage.

Sounds cute.

Good luck to you and yours.
F. B.

My son was almost 3 when he got rid of his binky, so I'm not sure if this trick will work for you or not. We told him about the "Binky Fairy" and how when he was ready, she would come to the house and pick up all his binkies and leave him the toy of his choice. So, we went shopping and he picked out a toy, we took a picture of it on my phone and sent her a message with the picture. A few days later he told us he wanted to leave his binkies by his door and the next morning he woke up to the present he was hoping for. He had a rough few nights of sleep, but eh didn't realize why he was stryggling sleeping, only his Dad and I knew because we could see him on the monitor searching for a binky in the middle of the night out of habit. Good luck! Remember she probably won't go to Kindergarten with a binky, so if it isn't hindering her developmentally, maybe you can wait until she is ready and it's her choice to give it up.

easy, just take it away. YOU are the parent. stop letting your daughter be the boss. You should have taken it away a long long time ago. the longer you wait the harder it gets as you are seeing now. Just throw them in the trash. she will be mad for a few days but she will get over it. just do NOT replace it with something else.

We had to show our son that the binkys were going away, no sneaking around with a fairy. This way, there was no argument about where did the fairy take them? or is she bringing them back? or will you go buy me a new one?
We told him the month before he turned two that he was a big boy now and we were going to give all the binkys to the trash man (he LOVED the trash truck). So we had him watch us scoop them ALL into the trash, tie up the bag, and put it out. Later when the trash truck came by we stood on the porch and waved goodbye to the binkys - no tears yet! He cried at night for a few nights and then it was done and over. I thought it would be weeks of drama because he was using his binky more and more throughout the day, especially after self weaning from nursing at 19 months.
He was also very strong willed and very vocal when upset, but it was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated it would be. Just do it, once you have you will probably be pleasantly surprized at how well your kiddo handled the change :)

My cousin cut a hole in the tip of her DD's paci, and she didn't want it any more. She said it was broken....

We let our youngest "crack out" on binkies the last few months. We have pictures of her with 2 and 3 binks in her mouth. The only thing you can replace a binky with is your attention. If I were you, I would allow it until she's 3, in bed and in the car. Start "losing" it a lot in the last month, but the time when she asks for "more" is not the time to abruptly take it away. Take away the bedtime one first, and the car one last. You have to replace it with something and redirect her to those things over and over and over. But she'll get it.

I want to add that there are a lot of things I am very adamant about when it comes to discipline regarding things like manners, cleaning, language, moral issues, general misbehavior, etc... But self comfort is not something I discipline. I tend toward finding alternative comforts. It's not wrong to self soothe, and ripping this object of comfort away from some children can be traumatic for them. It doesn't matter that they are little and get over it, their feelings need to be respected. It's not "giving in" to show a child how to find alternative methods of controlling and redirecting emotional impulses. You know your child best, I suggest you just follow the path that is most direct and will cause the least amount of trauma.

I did it while I was off from work in July--she was 18 months old, and it was just time. She went without it all day long at the sitter's..she would put it up in her backpack, and then as soon as I picked her up and strapped her in her carseat, she wanted it. So, one morning when she woke up, I told her the binkies were all gone. She asked for it a few times, and each time I told her, no, the binkies are all gone. The first night was a little rough, but after that, she was fine. Good Luck!! and stay strong!

I just started telling my daughter about the Binky Fairy, and how she was getting to be a big girl and big girls don't use binkies. So the Binky Fairy comes and takes the binkies and gives them to babies who really need them. And she leaves a special big-girl present in it's place. This worked well with my daughter who was 2.5 when we finally deep-sixed the binky for good. The first night (when we left it for the Binky Fairy) she did well - we left it on the windowsill and in the morning there was a sprinkling of glitter "fairy dust" and a letter thanking her for the binky and her big-girl present. Then after that she started crying for it and wanting the Binky Fairy to bring it back but we held firm, told her no, it was not coming back now. She cried for it each night for about a week, but it was less and less each time, and eventually she stopped asking about it once she realized it really was gone for good. So if you use this approach, you have to be willing to stand your ground.

With Christmas coming, maybe Santa can leave an extra present for her leaving her binky for him to take to a new baby who needs it more.

My mom had "Santa" take them for kids that needed them. Boy, was I mad at Santa -- but she told me other little kids needed them. I cried, but there was nothing I could do when they were gone that morning and he left me toys! I laugh about it now.

We had a similar situation, only using in crib and got rid of it right before his 3rd birthday. The pacifier fairy came to take it away to other babies who needed a pacifier and she left a special treat in its place that he chose. It was something he had been asking for for a while and we talked about it for several weeks before it happened. We also bought and read several books about getting rid of the pacifier and how he could have a lot more fun without it! He asked for it maybe once or twice but never tried to take his baby brothers. It's been 6 months and it's been wonderful! Good luck!

I got this idea from my pediatrician and it worked. Each night, I would cut a small hole in the binky, and the sucking wasn't as satisfying. My son eventually stopped on his own after about 3-4 nights of cutting the binky. He never complained, and he had been really addicted to it. Good luck!

I read through all the advice - and wanted to share mine as well. My daughter was 2 years 2 months when I got rid of hers. She had been at a new daycare and (I thought) getting one at naptime. I found out she never got one at naptime so I decided that night to tell her she didn't need one any longer. She cried for a few minutes but I told her she was a big girl. The next night, she cried for a few minutes again. But that was it. I think the attachment to it was bigger for me than her.

My son is your daughter's age and only a bedtime/car binky user. But he's started 'sneaking' them into his mouth when we're not paying attention - um, like we can't see that? LOL I go back and forth about taking it away completely. I always said with my daughter we'd do it by age 3 but she was never a great sleeper. He sleeps SO well now..that I guess I fear I will mess up his sleep schedule if we do take it away.

Hubby likes the idea of cutting the tip. But I feel sad for him that it will be 'broken'. I really do think the attachemnt was stronger for me than it was for my daughter (and am thinking the same with my son!).

I talked to my daughter every day for 2 weeks...this many days and then the paci goes to babies who need it. She was okay giving hers away to babies who needed it, find what works for your child as far as the reasoning.
I also took my daughter to Target and let her pick 2 of those tiny, handheld size stuffed animals. They are about 2 inches tall. At nap and bed she would hold one in each hand. This lasted for about 3 months and she naturally quit using them. It really helped the transition go off without a hitch. Now, at almost 5, she still sleeps with a stuffed animal at night, but she picks a different one pretty much each time. Good luck!

Grandpa was over the binky thing, and decided that my son was too old for them when he was 2 1/2. He scooped them up and threw them away (which I was so thankful for, since I'm a softy, I didn't think I would ever be able to do it), and that night told Jackson that he was a big boy now and didn't need them anymore. We had one night with a few tears, and that was it. SO much easier than I ever expected!
Good luck!

We took our oldest off the paci cold turkey at 18 mo. He whined for one day, and then he was over it.

She will replace the binky if she really wants to or needs to. I'd let her have it a while longer. She will find her fingers make a nice substitute and they will damage her jaw and teeth where a binky will not harm her at all. If she needs to suck she will find a way.

In my opinion you don't need to take it from her. Just because it is unpopular, so what? There are no ill effects. I had 2 daughters 14 months apart, they were paci babies. Since they were so close in age, I took the pacis away at the same time. The girls were 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 at the time. VERY OLD FOR THEM! In their case, I took them for a dental checkup and asked the dentist to tell them they needed to get rid of the pacis so their teeth would stay beautiful. (There was no actual risk, they only used them at that point for naps and bedtime but it helped to have an outside person they would not argue with, tell them that). At home, I let them choose a box to put them in, and we picked a spot to hide the box (on top of our fridge) and they would look at it for a little bit (couple weeks) and then I just threw it out, no biggie. They had a couple days of rough naps without them but then voila, as if we never had them.
And they were true diehard paciholics. If they did not have one, if it was lost for some reason, more than once, I'd have to drive to a 24 hour CVS and get new ones. I NEVER expected it to be that easy. I was sure it would be a nightmare...
I don't think you need to force anything too soon on your child. Do it your way, discuss it with her.
My third child, my son, no paci at all. I was so used to it, I kept trying to get him to take one! LOL! But he just sucks his finger when he gets laid down in his crib and goes right to sleep.

Hi, H. -
I worried mightily about taking "duppies" from my three girls, and all my worry was for nothing. My girls were all addicts in the truest sense of the word. Two binkies? I have photos of my oldest daughter with two in her mouth (side-by-side) and one in each hand! LOL. When it is time, and there's no schedule or rush, simply explain the best you can, stick to your guns and prepare for a difficult couple of days. That's all. They (in my experience) will have completely gotten through the trauma in about 2 days. Good luck, Mama.