[cmdunn1972]

Okay, I have to admit I was worried about this. DS (nearly 2 yo) has a strong attachment to his "binky". He also associates the binky with his lovey.

Over the past several weeks, I have been curtailing his binky use by limiting it to naptime and nighttime. The trouble is, when he wakes up there's always drama when it's time to put the binky away.

Today I decided that it's less cruel to wean him completely off the binky than to deal with wake-up drama. This afternoon was the first time he slept without it. I admit he complained a bit, but I managed to distract him. He slept for about an hour. Admittedly, he did wake up fussier than normal, probably because he missed the binky, but I still consider it a successful Round 1. (Yeah, DS!)

Tonight, we are doing it again. Again, he fussed and wanted the binky, but I managed to distract him and hold firm. We'll see how well he manages to self-soothe sans binky. My fingers are crossed.

Is anyone else out there dealing with weaning issues like this? Is there anyone who has a few tips on how to keep your sanity during this process? I'd like to know how long it might take him to "forget" about his binky. (For both of our sakes, I hope not long!)

I'll close this by saying I'm proud of my little guy for hanging in there!

[kelceesmom]

Colleen,
Glad to hear things are going ok. I don't have that problem but I do have that Kelcee will not give up the bottle for milk. Everything else is out of a cup except milk. If you give me that answer I will give you the binky answer!!!

[cmdunn1972]

Hi, Denice.

We weaned DS from the bottle as soon as he was proficient in using the sippy cup. We just put the bottles away and poured the milk into the sippies like we used to pour them into bottles. He was just over a year old. We do use a different set of sippies for milk than we do for juice or water. Maybe that's your answer?

Honestly, I'm surprised that DS is sleeping as late as he is. It's 7:45, and I haven't heard a peep out of him yet this morning! (Now that I said that, I've probably jinxed myself. )

[HBV]

I have not really tried to wean H from binky yet----he's still cutting teeth and I think I'm going to wait until he's finished with these last few (he already has his molars, but is still cutting several side teeth, so he chews on the binky)

However, I went to a baby shower a couple of weeks ago and another mom (of 5!) told me about a trick I'd never heard of before. You sabotage the binky by pricking a pinhole in the nipple, so it won't "suck." After a while the child decides it doesn't work and decides to give it up on their own. I'm going to give it a try as soon as H is done w/ teeth.

[cmdunn1972]

I've heard of that. The naysayers' concerns are usually that cutting or piercing the nipple can introduce bacteria to grow in there.

I'm happy to report that DS has managed pretty well without the binky! He hasn't even asked for it today.

[megaphonemo]

Great thread - much needed in our house!!

DD is 20 months old, and has her binky for sleeping (naps and nighttime). We found that she wakes in the middle of the night and takes her binky to soothe herself back to sleep. I am not sure who is more hooked on her binky, her or us!! Maybe I will try the pin trick........

Any other thoughts or opinions??

[cmdunn1972]

I've heard caution about poking a hole into pacifiers because moisture seeps inside, creating a haven for bacteria to grow.

With DS we just quit cold turkey, and when he started to ask for it, we'd just distract him. He's perfectly happy now with just his lovey.

[2manyks]

we've traded binkys/bottles for toys at the store or treats until they were all gone. also we put yucky stuff on it - the stuff used to stop nail biting, or hot sauce. we've cut the tip off. dont worry about bacteria, they give it up real quick. my neighbor had the binky fairy come and leave money under her dd pillow for every binky she would leave under there! her dd is 5!!! sometimes we take the bottles to the garbage can - as much for me as the kid. lots of time it is the mom more addicted to the soother then the child!

[cmdunn1972]

Originally Posted by 2manyks

lots of time it is the mom more addicted to the soother then the child!

I agree with you there! I tried not to get too complicated and make a big deal about weaning. I figure the more I make of it, then the bigger of a deal it becomes for DS. If I approach it with an attitude of, "Okay, you don't need this anymore. Let's move on," then he follows my lead.

[SaraRae]

We started asking our dd at about 2 when she was going to throw her binky in the garbage. We kept telling her she was getting to be such a big girl and big girls don't use binkys. It took about a week of this and then all of a sudden one night instead of putting it in her mouth she went and threw it away and she never cried for it after that.

[StorkWatcher]

I've heard it's best if the child is the one to get rid of the binky, as they feel they had control over the situation.

Some people have left it out for Santa Claus to take a C'mas, when he leaves toys. Others leave it for the Binky fairy, or gather them all up and give to a new baby who needs it more. (pregnancy care center, or someone you know who has had a baby).

So far, I keep ours to use in church as a plug, and let him have it if he's really teething or at nap/bedtime, and on long car rides
.

When I get him out of the crib, he has to hand me the paci. I tell him if he wants to go downstairs to play, we have to leave the paci on the shelf so it's ready for the next nap/night night. He usually takes it right out and hands it to me. Pretty soon, I know we need to take it away at naptime, then be down to bedtime. I'd like to wait until the major rest of teething is over, though.

[StorkWatcher]

Oh, another paci tip - I saw this on the TLC the other today....


Take the child to build a bear and have them put the paci inside the animal they're making (of course, I can see a little one ripping the stuffed animal to shreds later, in order to rescue the paci!)

[jennmomtothree]

SO, I feel like a terrible mom reading this thread. My husband and I swore we'd never use a paci with our kids. It's just not something we love seeing in kids' mouths. Completely a personal preference.

But, my oldest child NEEDED one. The kid had the strongest suck reflex I've ever seen. At 2 weeks, he was finishing 4 ounces of formula every 2 hours and still wanting more. We discovered he really didn't need that much (hey, we were new parents!) but wanted to suck.

Yet, we'd noticed that the daycare he attended used them a lot in the room he was headed for, just when children became a bit whiny. We didn't want him to have this crutch, so at 11 months (a month ahead of weaning from the bottle), we took it away. No explanation, because he wouldn't have understood anyway. It took about 3 days (and boy, were the teachers unhappy with us!), but he never looked for it again.

So, now that our littlest one (our middle child NEVER wanted a paci) is just a little past 10 months, we're gearing up for the big takeaway. We've notified our child's teachers (we've moved, so a different school), so they can be prepared, and they seem ok. We'll see how it goes.

[StorkWatcher]

Some people say cold turkey is the best method! I think there are so many different ways to do this because there are so many different ages and personalities.

At this stage, my son wouldn't understand giving it to another baby or Santa. But if he's still on it at 4 (heaven forbid!), I would be able to reason better!

I say, do whataver worked for you the first time! If it doesn't work the same w/ with this child, then you'll have lots of other ideas to try!