Do We Have to Quit the Binky?

We limited it to nap/bed time and in the car at 2 years old and took the paci totally away at three. We had a couple really bad night but she has been fine since. I wouldn't stress about it. If he is happy let him keep it!

Hello E.,

I can relate I did not want to take my son's bottle away becasue he loved it and it seemed to comfort him. So I did not take it away. When he was 3 he was diagnosed with Autism and has a lot of sensory issues. I am not saying your son has Autism or Sensory issues I am giving this example because I think it is important for women( mom's ) to listen to and trust there instincts.

I would focus on the talking. Does he talk as much as his peers. What does the pediatrician say? ( they do no always have all the answers)

I would look into having his speach evaluated. You can get it done through the states early intervention program for free. If you have him evaluated and there is no issue great. If not you can get him the help he needs right away. They can have a Therapist come to you home and there are a lot of private therapist. Perhaps if your son talks more he can feel more confident and express more of what he is feeling and he will give up the pacifier when he is ready. As my husban always says " no one ever went to collage with a pacifier"

Let me know if you want any additional info about early intervention or speech therapy.

My daughter had hers until she was three. Just like your son, it was only for sleeping. She was never a good napper and I couldn't imagine being able to get her down for a nap with out it. Her dentist said it wasn't effecting her teeth, so I decided not to worry about it. Then, just a few months after she turned three, she said she was a big girl and didn't want it anymore and that was it. I'm so glad I didn't take it from her. Why cause unnecessary stress?

Hi E.,
I have to tell you that I have a VERY sensitive daughter that was ADDICTED to her paci. What we did was start mentioning that she was getting to be a big girl and no longer needed the paci. We needed to send the paci up to the angels for them to give to all the new babies that are going to be born and need them. We talked about it for a few weeks, everyday and asked her what would happen if she a new baby didn't get a paci. It also helps if you know someone who is going to have a baby b/c then you can say....."Don't you want baby so and so to have your paci?" Then I took her to the party store, got 4-5 big helium balloons blown up, tied the paci to the end of the balloons with a note to the angels, went outside and had HER let the balloons/paci and note go. We watched it until we couldn't see it anymore and that was the end of it. She still asked for it for the first 2 days but after reminding her where it went and telling her how proud we were, it was done. If you use this, make sure you have him watch it go into the clouds and as soon as you can't see it say "LOOK, the angels took it!"

As for the letter.....very simple...."Dear angels, I am a big girl now and no longer need my paci. Could you please give mine to one of the new babies about to be born? Thank you! Sincerly, Joey. That's it! It worked like a charm!

If you have any questions, please email me.
Good Luck!
K. :~)

I got lucky and my son went tobed with it one night and it was gone in the morning and he never asked for it again. But a friend of mine had the binky fairy come just like the tooth fairy and leave a little gift. It worked like a charm. Just a thought. Good Luck!

The binky can actually delay their speaking ability because they have it in their mouth when they would be talking... maybe not the case with your son since he only has it at night. It can also affect their teeth.

My DD was the same way with taking it at night. Finally when she was 22 months or so we went on a trip for a weekend and I just didn't take a paci. She didn't really notice too much because we were somewhere new and she was distracted. When we got home a couple of days later she was used to sleeping without it and we were over it.

I have a friend who had her son put his paci in a box and they "mailed" it to other babies who needed pacis since he was too big. good luck, it's tough.

Dear E.,

I took the paci away from my son shortly before his third b-day. I was watching Super Nanny and saw a great idea. Super Nanny told one of the girls that there was a binki fairy and that if you put all of your binki's in a bag and leave it outside a fairy would come and take them and leave a new bag with a small present in it. I talked about it with my son for a while before we did it. I let him find all of the paci's and put them in the bag. We live in apartments so I just set it on the porch and the next morning a stuff dog was outside in stead of the bag of paci's.

I wish you luck. Because he woke up crying for about 3 days. Since I didn't have any in the house I was able to stay stronge. I would advise you to do it on the weekend so that way if it is a little hard you won't have to go to work tired.
B.

I spoke to my doctor about this and he said if you take it away before they are ready, they will suck the thumb, which is a much harder habit to break. I didn't really believe him until last month when we were visited by family out of town and there little girl is 3, they took the binky away at 2 and wont you know it she sucks her thumb. My daughter will be 2.5 and she still has hers too, for napping and sleeping at night. We are going to talk about giving it up when she is 3. I saw another post where a woman said that parents are taking older kids to build-a-bear and having the binky put inside the bear so when they feel like they need it they can give there animal a squeeze and know right where the binky is. We are going to do that in February for her 3rd birthday.
Good Luck!

Try replacing the binky with a favorite blanky or stuffed toy. Also, don't remind him to put the binky before bed. Just put him in bed... if he remembers then let him have it for a while then as he starts to understand more words... tell him he's a big boy and big boys don't use binky's. Eventually he won't feel the need for it. Know that you are not alone. My girlfriend's daughter is 4 and still uses one. She doesn't have the heart to take it from her either. :)

Most pacifiers cause damage to a child's teeth - and it is the placement and health of the baby teeeth that determine what the child's adult teeth with look like.

That being said, I only used Mam pacifiers for my son since they are orthodonic pacifiers, so I wasn't overly worried. My son used it at night or naptime and was really good about giving it back.

Another mom suggested that you not offer it to him and that's what I did with my son. In the first week that I didn't offer or remind him about his pacifier, he only asked for it four times (out of roughly 14 opportunities). The second week he asked for it a few more times, but I didn't know at the time that he was developing an ear infection so he wanted it for comfort for that. The third week I wouldnt let him have it for nap, only for nighttime and only if he asked. The fourth week, we talked about how he didnt need the pacifier anymore since they are for babies, and he willingly threw his away. He was a little sad to see his "friend" go, so he got a new toy to take his mind off of it.

You should really think about taking him off now... the longer you wait the harder it is, and it sounds like letting him continue to use it is more for you than for him since he willingly gives it up when he gets up.

Hi E.,

My first daughter used a pacifier but it was only for sleep as well, I can't stand the constant pacifier look! We were bad & she had it until she was 3 and got yelled at by the dentist that he could guarantee she would have braces, (ok different story, different rant & never went back to that dentist). I had a pacifier until I was 6 & only gave it up for a dog. For my daughter we told her that the baby reindeer needed them & she put them on the plate with the milk & cookies for santa. We then had to write a note about who they were for & she never asked about them again.

Hope this helps!
C.