Potty Training & Binky problems all at the same time! HELP

Taina - posted on 03/23/2010

My daughter was always attached to her binky, what worked for us is slowly cutting it making it shorter and shorter as a few days passed on. At first she didn't see any difference but felt it, she took it out of her mouth, looked at it weird but put it back in. Almost a week later I cut it a bit more, she reacted the same way as the first time but didn't keep it in her mouth for as long as usual. A week later I cut it more and she wasn't as much into it, she would put it in her mouth and leave it for less than a minute...continued on until she didn't ask for it anymore. It took about 3 weeks to go through this process but well worth it! Good Luck!

Mandy - posted on 02/23/2010

Hey I hear your pain. I have three kiddo's and my middle son is 2 and a half. I took his paci away when he was about 18 mo. because I was pregnant with my third and didn't want him to think that the babies paci was his or visa versa... I did it the same way super nanny says to. Leave it there for the "pacifier faries" and then leave a present in it's place.
The potty training though, I'd stick to one thing at a time. Getting rid of a pacifier is a HUGE deal when you're that attached to it. And Potty training is another huge milestone also. It might be to much for him trying to do both at the same time. I'd focus on the paci thing first and don't stress about potty training for right now. When little bro or sister comes show him that only babies wear daipers and let him help you with changing the babies diaper and focus on him being a 'big boy'. That helped with my first child and now with my second too. Boys do usually potty train later and there's nothing to worry about as long as he's potty trained before kindergarden. Good luck with the pacifier thing i know it's just as hard on you as it is on him....

Michelle - posted on 02/18/2010

With my youngest (I have 4 right now) I started around 12 months and only let him have his nuk when he was going to sleep. When he started walking around 13 mo's old he was only allowed to have the nuk at night time, I took it away during nap time. Then by 15 mo's old I just threw them all away. It took about a week of him crying at sleepy time but he eventually forgot about. You have to stick to it and not give in. If your son does cry during the night don't always go running to him. Let him cry for a little bit, go in check on him in about 10 min's if he is still crying make sure he doesn't need a diaper change or water then lay him back down, give him a kiss and leave the room. Do all of this without saying a word. (I learned this from the "Super Nanny".)

With potty issues, you didn't mentioned how old he is. If he is only 2 yrs old he is still young. With boys the average age is 3 1/2 yrs old for them to get potty trained. Now if you are getting him to go on the potty on many occasions then he may be somewhat ready to try to potty trained.

Again, my youngest, after he turned 2 on July 27th, 2009, he was showing huge interest in potty training. So, I kepted him on a hourly schedule of taking him potty. This gave me the opportunity to see how his body works and when he usually would go. When it came time for potty time I would say, "It's Potty Time!!" in a very excited voice and direct him to the bathroom. Sometimes I would pick him up quickly and take him in the bathroom before he has time to object. (If you say to your child,"Do you have to go potty?" You are just setting yourself up for a fight with your child not wanting to go.)

I would set him down on the potty insert on the toilet (I don't use the potty chairs cause I think they are yucky and I stay in the bathroom with the kids). Give him the books that are picked out especially for the bathroom. They are only to be read in the bathroom. I have a blank piece of paper taped on the wall (called their chart) and the kids have a choice to stamp or put a sticker on it after they go potty.

Within a month he was in underwear during the day but he still did not tell me when he had to go so I had to really watch him like a hawk to see if he is showing signs of needing to go potty. It stayed this way until about 1 month ago when he finally started telling. He is still in night-time pull-ups cause he wakes up wet a lot of times.

My 1st child(a girl) was totally potty-trained by the time she was 2 1/2 year (day & night) it took 2 weeks, my 2nd child was totally potty-trained by the time he was 2 1/2 year (day & night) it took 1 week, with my 3rd child was totally potty-trained by the time he was 1 mo before he turned 3 years old (day & night) it took 3 weeks. With all of my kids I would still try and try but with no success until it got to be about the time they were potty trained. With my 4th he is at least tell me during the day and he has been out of diapers for a long time, so we can deal with the night-time pull-ups. If he wakes up the next morning (we still get him up around midnight to take him potty otherwise he may go through the pull-ups) dry we save the pull-up for the next night. I think we have been going at the whole potty-training for quite awhile now so I don't think my son should regress when our 5th child will be born next month.

I know it would be great to have you son potty trained before baby comes but if he isn't ready I wouldn't push it right now. Especially since there will be a new baby in the house. He would most likely regress so I would wait until a your new baby is a few months old to try the potty training. It's just going to stress you out, your son out and get you no where.

I run my own daycare and have been doing it since July of 2004 so I get the experience of potty training other people's children too.

So, I wouldn't attempt to try taking the Binky and potty training at the same time. I would start with the nuk cause that can cause speech problems and problems with the mouth. Then after the baby is born, when the baby is about 3 months old start the potty training (unless your son decides to initiate the potty training himself). In the meantime I would buy generic diapers (I found that they worked fine for me and saved me money) for your son.

Hopefully this will help you some. : )

Jeannie - posted on 02/17/2010

Hey I've been through both issues, not only with my 2 year old twin boys but my two older boys who are now 8 & 6. I'm also 5 months pregnant now with my first girl, so I hear you on this, I really do.
To break my boys of their binky habits I did some research online and this worked for me (you can research it also if you like). You take ALL the binkies except for ONE, and hide them. REALLY well I might add lol. The one you keep, snip the tip of it, but just barely. It makes it useless, so no matter all the sucking they do, it doesn't do any good. Make sure he doesn't see you do it, and that you are totally innocent when he finds it laying somewhere, like on his pillow or something. Make sure he finds it and try to not be in the room, but when he finds it act all surprised when you see it's "broken." Give him the option to throw it away. He probably won't, my twins didn't either. They will try to use it anyway. Each day he chooses to keep it, snip of a little more off the tip. Within the week, he won't be able to suck on it at all, it will just not stay in his mouth. He should decide to throw it away. Be prepared for about TWO nights in a row of crying, but stick to it and rest assured he will fall back asleep on his own if you let him. My boys are just fine now without theirs. I took theirs away about 6 months ago following this advice. Just know that if you give in, you are teaching him there's always a back up :o(... which makes it 10 times harder in the future. So be prepared if you decide to start to not go back, and he will soon forget about it. Oh keep in mind, some toddlers will begin to finger suck, or hand suck. There is a nail polish that is made to deter them from sucking, it tastes nasty. You can buy it at the pharmacy in the baby care aisle.
As far as the potty training goes, once you start you have to stick to it. My boys are not yet doing number two, but they are really proud when they "feel" the urge to go and make it to the potty on their own. Let him cheer for himself, say Yaay but don't go over the top. Make it up to him, and not to please you. I made that mistake with my first born. He didn't potty train until age 4 because I made a big deal out of it. He has to want to do it for him, not for you. Both of your topics are wonderful research items, I always research the internet before I decide what's best for me and my kiddo's. Good luck to you with your pregnancy, your son, and the new baby!!!! I hope I have helped some :o)

Beth - posted on 02/04/2010

We set a reward poster in the toilet for my daughter wereby she gets to add fun stickers to it when for example she lets me know she has to do wees or poos, when she goes on the toilet, when she flushes and washes the toilet etc. At the end of the day if all the spots are full she gets a "special reward" sometimes just a little trinket or a special treat with her desert. Using this method we have successfully got her trained for wees and almost trained for poos.



My kids also have 'blankies' but I tell them they can only have it when they go for their sleeps, if they don't give it up then they stay in bed till they do - now the oldest is 2 1/2 and does not want her blankie anymore and my son at 1 1/2 only uses it to go to sleep and no arguments when he wakens he automatically leaves them on his bed.



I hope this can help you....