We are in the process of weaning our 2 yr old off of his binkies (I just wrote about this a day or two ago). He threw them away with no problem, and he keeps saying "Binkies bye-bye, Binkies garbage, all gone." He seems totally fine with them being gone. He even goes down for his naps and bedtime fine. He falls asleep quickly. The problem is during the night. He wakes up and because he has lost his normal means of soothig himself, he is a COMPLETE wreck! He screams louder than I have EVER heard him, and he'll go on for an hour. He's still in a crib, thank goodness, but I'm worried he might get so upset that he'll try to climb out. Last night I went in to just rub his hair and try to comfort him, and the second I went in, he started screaming "I want down, get out, watch movies." So I know I need to just ignore his screaming. My question is have any of you ever taken your kids' binkies away cold turkey, and how long before they are able to sleep all night? Thanks!
It shouldn't take too long. But see if he'll attach to a lovey of some kind. A nice soft blanket or a stuffed animal. Then he can turn to his lovey for comfort in the middle of the night. Both my kids have special blankets that they've been attached to since they were babies. It made giving up the binkie a lot easier, at least I thought so.
He just wants something to replace them as a soother... I would take him to the store and let him pick out a crib soother. One that has a large button he can push every time he wakes up. Their is a cheap one at walmart from vtech that my boys like because it has a projection for the ceiling and different soothing music modes. But there's other from fisher price that are great, just more pricey. The biggest selection is probably at toysrus. You've just got to be careful to make sure you're having him look at the soothing ones, not the play ones! lol.
3 to 4 days. Be strong and he will start sleeping through the night again.
I didn't read your other advice, so hopefully this isn't a repeat...
I would recommend getting him some kind of "lovey" - whether it's a stuffed animal, a blanket, whatever...
When my girls got rid of their binkies, my oldest was close to 3 years old...too long to have a binky! She had a very hard time going to bed, and when she was upset she always asked for her binky. Thankfully, both girls have blankets that are very special to them, and they are now the main comforters. It helped a ton that they had their blankets as soothers.
Hope this helps! Getting rid of the binky can be a hard time!!!
I would give it a week or so. The fact he falls asleep without it is HUGE for him! It is the forgetting that he is over it and wakes up. the big thing is to maybe get him a lovey, blankie, special stuffed animal to use as a back up for comfort.
Both of my kids about this age latched on to something, my daughter a stuffed dog and a old tshirt she used to wear is her comfort and has been since going into a bed, that was at 2. She still sleeps with them both and is 7! My son latched onto a baby blanket and he has to have it at bedtime and he is four.
So try to get a easy new attachment, the doesn't stem from being a bad habit. A lot of kids have blankies and stuffed animals they use as comfort and I think it is important if they roll over and their new friend is there.
Do not go into his room. I know it is hard, let him cry it out a few nights, he isn't fully awake until you go in there and he will be a lot harder to settle back in with you there and talking to him. Just leave him be, it isn't easy but will be the best thing for him. I say too it is time for a big boy bed with a bedrail if he is trying to climb out! You can baby gate his room if you are worried, but both of my kids transitioned to beds within one night, the bedrail was a huge help in that transition!!!!
I would try to replace it with something he can hold. I gave my kids little toys for their bed and when they woke at night, they'd find the toy and hold it for comfort so they could go back to sleep. This worked really well with my youngest who was in a bed very early. We didn't have the space for a crib and he moved to a bunk bed before he was
2 1/2. In fact my kids, now 12 and 9 still sleep with some toys. It helps my youngest not be afraid of monsters and my oldest likes it so he can play quietly, if he can't go to sleep very well. He's a special needs kid. So his situation is a little different. Good luck!!! Oh, you can try a spill proof sippy cup full of water only and let him suck on that during the times he wakes up.
We took our son's pacifier away "cold turkey" and he cried, a lot, for five nights!!!! It was really hard and we almost gave in a gave it back but the speech therapist said we had to get them gone because his speech was a little delayed. He was 2 when we took them away. He did the same and would go to bed fine but in the middle of the night when he was so tired he would cry for a while but after 5 nights he was just fine and never needed them again. He found one months later in the toy box and brought it to me and said we needed to "throw in garbage".
