How did you get your toddler to give up the binky?

[almostamom]

We've been giving a half-hearted attempt at getting DS, who's almost 2, to give up his binky. For a little while he was only using at sleep times, but then his eye teeth started coming in and he started using it again.

Last week I started to try to limit it again by cutting a bit off of the tip each day. He has days when he doesn't want/need it at all (except for sleep) and days like today when it's all he can think about and it's the only thing he wants. I completely caved this morning and gave him one that wasn't cut.

Any tried and true/BTDT suggestions to help us out?

TIA,
Linda

DS 11/09/04

[BillK]

Our's is almost 2 as well and I'd love to hear some suggestions too. He's SUCH a binky addict!

[chiqanita]

I'm assuming a binky is a pacifier. I've heard the term used for a blanket, too.

My twins gave up their pacifiers, we called them "pon pon" which is short for chupon...Spanish for pacifier. Anyway, they stopped before 12 months and on their own. I actually kept sticking it in their mouths just to have them push it back out.

I read somewhere on the BBB about someone leaving the pacifiers under DC pillow for the pacifier/binky fairy who in turn left a surprise. I wish I could remember the whole story, sorry. Of course you would have to have a discussion about 'big boys/girls' relinquishing the 'binkies' to the binky fairy for some good reason.

Gee that wasn't much help. I'll look around to see if I can find it.

[holliam]

Our daughter only used her "chupie" (from the Guatemalan word for pacifier which was chupete) when she slept.

One day when she was 15 mo or so we had to buy some new ones and her preferred brand had switched to silicone or whatever the material they all switched to and she didn't like it. So, she just stopped using it. She totally didn't care.

Holli

[SammyeGail]

My sister gave her daughter the 'you're a big girl now' talk and it was time to give her paci to a baby who needed it. They were at the mall and asked some parents with a little baby if they could give their baby her paci since she was a big girl now. They played along and took the paci and thanked my neice and congradulated her on being a big girl.

That first night was terrible, and for the next few she would ask for it. My sister reminded her that they had given it to a little baby who needed it, etc.

Just an idea I thought I'd throw out. Personally I like the PP's idea of trying to switch brands : ).

Good luck,

Samantha

[sdbc]

I wouldn't recommend cutting off the tip. Yucky bacteria could grow in it.

At around 18 months, we simply explained to DD that she could only use it for sleeping from that time on. It was hard for a week or so, but then she learned. At 2.5 she still asks for it at bedtime and we let her have it, but she knows it's only for sleeping. When she doesn't want to give it up in the mrning, we tell her she can keep it until I count to 10 (slowly). She sucks on it like crazy, but usually gives it up at 10.

Sue, mommy to Aurora (Rory) born 5/13/04

[JBaxter]

My girlfriends DDs both had "suckies" her DD1 was 3 DD2 was 22months. They decorated paper bags and collected all the suckies and left them for the suckie fairy. That night the suckie fairy left them a kitchen. I think my friend said they collected 22 of them! The girls thought it was great and only occassionally asked for them over the next week. My friend reminded them the suckie fairy was nice enough to leave them a kitchen so no more suckies.

[daisy1234]

We did ours cold turkey, my mom was boiling the binky's and burned them all so we used it as an opportunity to wean.......he was 2.5...I still feel so guilty about it...but I'm am much better than I was... Looking back I am glad he was off then because it was affecting his teeth ( he had a cross bite, an overbite and a narrowing, high palate...according to our pediatric dentist)...2 years later he is much better...no more binky teeth...just a slight cross bite. For a lot of kids, it doesn't affect their teeth but for many if they suck hard like my son it can change their mouth. Erik only had his for night-time and nap....which is where the guilt on my part comes in...he never napped after that...so we just put him to bed at 6-30-7 pm or he was so over tired and very cranky. Anyway.....my only advice is to talk to them ahead of time and try to encourage another lovey and I found a couple books to be helpful....Little bunny's pacifier plan....and a book that is out of print...Bye Bye Pacifier(hard cover littel golden book with the baby muppets)...I paid $14.00 on Amazon for this book used....definately worth it...a very cute book. Anyway.....after a year I did a crazy thing...relating to my mommy guilt...I offered him his binky's back....and he was so happy...but at 3 he just wanted them to put into things (like boxes or drawers...he didn't even try to suck on it)...so as a long story shortens...he didn't really miss it like I thought he would and he turned out to be a great kid and can finally comfort himself to sleep! :) Good luck.

[daniele_ut]

When DS was 18 months old he fell and knocked his front tooth loose on the tile floor at his sitters house. The dentist pushed the tooth back in place, but I took his binky away right away because we were worried that his tooth might not reattach if he was using a pacifier. We had one rough night and then he was fine after that. DS was a confirmed binky addict, or so we thought!!

[CiderLogan]

My 3YO has only used her pacifier at bedtime for a long, long time now, but she recently said she was ready to give it up. She would try but then cave at the last minute.

So last time she said she was ready to give it up, I told her she could take them to the toy store and trade them for a toy. She diligently searched for a good toy (and found a cute one! - a Melissa and Doug instrument set - we love it), took it to the counter, gave them the bag of pacifiers, and then was lured away with Daddy to the little ride-on toy so I could hide the pacifiers in my purse and pay for the toy.

It worked like a charm! She only asked for them once, but when she was reminded they were gone and she had the toy instead, that was fine with her. I was shocked at how smoothly it went. This may be a better technique for older kids, but I highly recommend it!

Jenny
Julia, 8/03
Clara, 5/06

[niccig]

I could have written your post. DS, same age as your DS, was just using the pacifier to go to sleep, but he's cutting several teeth over the last few weeks and he wants it non-stop. Today we went back to only at bed-time. I nearly caved in Costco as he was being difficult (time-change so wanted an earlier nap), but I didn't, instead I was the mum with the tantrum throwing toddler in the shopping cart.

I think we'll stick to only at bed-times for awhile and then decide on a time to give them away. We might wait until after we visit family at Christmas though, as that will be a difficult enough trip in itself. To help with the teething, I bought an angel brush - it's a silicone toothbrush and I put it in the fridge. He's now getting that if he needs to chew on something.
http://www.firstbrush.com/

Maybe wait until you know you have a couple of weeks when nothing else is happening, and then talk to him about either giving them up or trading for a toy. Make sure you get rid of all in your house, so you're not tempted to cave in.

Let us know how it works out.
Nicci

[newmomto3kids]

My first two had pacifiers at night until they were 4!!
Lily gave it up when a friend of mine told her all the kids in school would make fun of her if they knew. Certainly not my way to do it, but...it worked. (I would have given it to her if she had wanted it...)
I took Johnny's one day because he was misbehaving (I told him he needed to earn them back for bedtime by showing good behavior). He was terrible that day and didn't get them back. The next day he asked for them, but I figured he had made it through one night and we picked a reward instead. He never asked again.
And at 4, you can believe they were both huge addicts.
It never bothered me that they had them so long and so I guess all I did was wait...
Good luck!

[overcome]

>we tell her she can keep it until I count to 10 (slowly). She
>sucks on it like crazy, but usually gives it up at 10.
>
>Sue, mommy to Aurora (Rory) born 5/13/04


Picturing this made me lol...it must be sooooooo cute to watch her get the most out of binky in 10 secs!!!

TFS

[lmintzer]

My boys are total paci addicts. Jack was told he had to give his up on this 5th (yep, you read that right) birthday. He was still using it at night and occasionally on his bed (its use was restricted do on the bed) to calm down. We had only 1 rough night--he cried for 20 minutes and then it was over. He was old enough to know what was coming, so I think that helped.

Joshua will be 3 next month and is totally hooked. He uses it more than Jack did at the same age, which was scary. DH and I both agreed that he has 1 more year with it--tops. We are going to have to start gradually weaning him down (first upstairs and car only, then upstairs only, then room only, then crib/bed only). It will probably take a while. He is going through such a sad, crabby, phase. I can't imagine plucking it now!

Our dentist isn't as worried about paci use as some. He says "by kindegarten" is the crucial time.

[Raidra]

I just have to say that I love that you gave him his binky back after a year. That is SO something I would do. On one of my husband's rare business trips, I tried to get Colwyn to sleep in my bed because we had just moved Lachlann into his own room, and I missed having a kiddo in bed, but he refused! He kept telling me that he wanted to stay in his own bed. :( And that's right, I didn't try to get Lachlann to sleep in my bed.. I didn't want to mess up the easy transition we'd had!

[super_grape]

DD (3 in 12 days) still uses one.
She's definately an addict and she really does suck on that thing.
Right now for us it's countdown to the day when the "Sasa Lady"
comes to take all the "Sasa's" to the babies who need them
(in Arabic a pacifier is a Masasa).
The plan is to have her put all the pacifiers in a bag and leave them on the porch for the "Sasa Lady" who will then leave her a present in return.
Right now she's really exited but we'll see how it goes :P .

[Moneypenny]

We pretty much just took it away when she turned 2 and told her she didn't need them anymore and gave her a stuffed animal to snuggle instead. We thought we were going to be in for a huge fight, but I rocked her for 5 minutes, put her in her crib, and that was it. She asked for it for a few nights but I reminded her that she had Blue Doggy now and she would nod and roll over to sleep. Now, starting at 5 months she only had it in the crib, so she wasn't walking around with it all day, so that helped. Also, starting at about a year I would go in after she fell asleep at night and take it out of the crib so she only had it to fall asleep.

I think DH and I were more addicted to it than she was because it was a quick fix for us.

Susan
mama to my cutie pie, Avery
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