How do you break a toddler of a binkie???

Angela - posted on 01/03/2009

i saw this on super nanny. you have a little chat with her about all of the small babies in the world who need binkies from big girls..(like your 4 yr old) you and your little girl go around the house and gather ALL of her binkies, i meant every last one of them and stick them in an envelope that you and her have decorated for the binkie fairy and you mail it, or actually hang it in the back yard in a tree.....haver her check to see if the binkie fairy came to get it. check a couple more times before bed. when she cries for the binkie at bed time you have to distract her...you can do it. remind her of the great service she is helping the binkie fairy with for all the tiny babies...get through the night and the next morning she will want to check the tree where (in place of the envelope that contained the binkies) is a beautiful little treasure box with great things for her...try it, keep me posted!...don't start the process unless you are serious!...you must follow thru and not cave...she has to believe that the binkie fairy is as real as she thinks santa is!......anyway, it worked for the super nanny, i thought it was genious! make sure everyone knows what you are doing, gramas, aunties, daycare etc everyone must be on board....praise is a great thing when times get tough for her when she wants her binkie. remind her of how proud of her you are for being such a big girl...a big helper to the binkie fairy etc ~cheers, angela......looking at the dates, you may have this licked but if not, give this binkie fairy thing a whirl!

Tara - posted on 12/29/2008

I'm not a good one on here for this advice. When my son turned 2 I took it away. I made him throw every single one in the trash. i did the same thing at one year for bottles.

Annmarie - posted on 12/29/2008

Well left them for Santa to give to the babies that need them. My daughter will once and a while ask for her daddy to buy here a new binky. We just say that we cant because she is a big girl now. We also turned her crib into a big girl bed the same day.

The only thing that is happening which I am not positive has anything to do with her not having her binky is she has been having night tremmers for about 20 min a night like 4-5 times a week. Besides that she has been sleeping better and waking up later in the morning. Once you take it you have to stick to it. Be strong. There will be crying but after about day 4 you should be fine.

Heather - posted on 12/29/2008

Lots of ideas already posted, but this is what worked for me. We tied all his paci's together and put them under his pillow for the Paci Fairy to take. In exchange, the Paci Fairy left a new blanket and a toy he had been wanting for a very long time. The Paci Fairy took the paci's to new babies that needed them. He asked for it a few times, but after explaining that some new little baby was feeling safe and secure with the paci he let the Fairy take, he never really fussed about it.

Nicole - posted on 12/29/2008

id have concerns about it becoming a choking hazard when cut...

Tara - posted on 12/29/2008

Our dentist told us to cut the end off the nipple. It worked!

Marni - posted on 12/29/2008

I am the mom of 4 kids, triplet boys and a daughter. Sometimes things are not so complicated. I told my kids to put it under their pillow because there were other babies that needed them more than her and since this is the HOLIDAY of giving, the binkie fairy would come and get it and she is sharing and is the big girl now. Then, when she cries for it, wait it out, we all did and they are happy and my photos are much prettier of them without BINKIES! Good luck

Susan - posted on 12/29/2008

I understand that it hard to break things that sooth. You have to be strong. You can't give in when something bad happens. My 3 were all broke by the time they were 2. We would go to a grandmas house. I would leave it there. When they would ask for it I would say we forgot to get it and Walmart was closed. We would have to wait till tomorrow. Of coarse we never did go buy more. The first night was rough. They cried about 45 each until they went to sleep. No more crying after that. Hope this is helpful. Just be brave.

Ashley - posted on 12/29/2008

she might feel like its her security so make sure shes ready to give it up

Stacey - posted on 12/29/2008

Have her bring it to the local hospital to the ob ward and let her give it to the "babies" (call ahead to let the nurses know you want to do this) Or find her another security thing blanket doll or stuffed dog

Rachael - posted on 12/29/2008

hi u should do it at her age as she is getting older she will be fine or just limit it to bed u can cut the end off good luck

Liz - posted on 12/29/2008

my husband's cousin's family has the "binky fairy" that comes like the tooth fairy and the binky goes to a child in need (not really) but you talk it up and leave something fun under the pillow as a gift in place of the binky. binky weaning must be like breastfeeding weaning and for that we had a party where my dtr picked out the cake and everything! make it fun and a celebration!

Jenny - posted on 12/29/2008

The longer you leave it the worse it gets. She will get over it. It's not nearly as traumatic for the as it is for us lol. Good Luck!

Kim - posted on 12/29/2008

well, my son only got his at bedtime. And just before he was 2 1/2 , one night I took it and hid it. He asked for it, but I said I could not find it, we will have to look for it tomorrow. he pouted a little bit, but went to bed. I think he asked again the next night, but then I started to read him a book before bed, and now he is into that routine and had totally forgotten the soother. He is 3 now. and still loves a bedtime story.

Michele - posted on 12/29/2008

We gave Santa the Binki for all the new babies that needed one, when my daughter was 3. Then we replaced it with a sippy cup at night.

Jenn - posted on 12/29/2008

I woulod say let her have it! BUT... I would only allow it at nap/bed time, or if she is in dire need of the comfort, ie: a strssful situation such as your dad, or you being hospitalized

Jennifer - posted on 12/29/2008

Thank you all for your help! We are down to night time only now and I am preparing her for the day they will be gone. We will write a date on the calendar after New Year and look forward to it each day. Then they will all go away. Thank you again for your help and encouragment.

Nicole - posted on 12/29/2008

it sounds as if your daughter emotinally needs it to be comforted due to the stress shes feeling id just let her have it for now till she feels secure about letting it go..you may notice if you dont make a big deal about it she lessens the need to have it..to her your the one who doesnt want her to have it to her she feels that its makeing her feel calmed.....be assured she cant take it to college....my son had a soother till he was 5...it was only used during times of stress due to him being in ill health alot of the time...alot of the time i was razed at play group about it and his age..i just looked at the other moms and said he doesnt have a problem with it and his dentist said his teeth are fine why do you have such a problem with it????the comments stopped and his teeth are fine one day he put it down and never looked back.....its been replaced since with a teddy name peter.....

Nicole - posted on 12/29/2008

I would suggest a blankie or comfort toy and be prepared for her to cart is around everywere.....

Lydia - posted on 12/29/2008

try taking it off her all together and when she wants it try distracting her so she forgets about it and after a while she will forget about it allotogether. thats what i did with my little girl and after a couple of weeks she dident even ask for it. but u could try giving her a toy or a little comfort blanket to sleep with. thats what i did with my doughter and it worked

Laura - posted on 12/28/2008

Shannon Bessy's post cracked me up because, word for word, that is exactly what my little girl said when we cut every single tip of binkies in our home! With each one, she noticed that they were broken and threw each of them in the trash. And that, was that! This was my sixth child and had never heard this tick before. I could not believe how easy that was!!

Kelly - posted on 12/28/2008

I cut a very small hole in the end. When she realized it didn't "work" anymore, my daughter gave it up on her own.

Teryl - posted on 12/28/2008

My son needed his binkie (we called it a Nuk). He would have to have one in each hand and in his mouth all of the time. They were his comfort and toys. One day before church when he was a little past three years old I gathered them all up and hid them. By the way, I found 47 throughout the house and am still finding them every now and then. He asked for his Nuk a couple of times that day and I told him they went bye-bye. He had two really good melt-downs and then it was over. He hasn't asked for one since and even brought me a nice dirty one from under the couch the other day and said "mommy, nuks went bye-bye." Good luck!

Alyssha - posted on 12/28/2008

I think most importantly you need to know that whatever you decide for your child is best and don't let others make you feel guilty for it. My first one gave his up on his own at 5mo. My next one was another story! Every time we were "there" she'd get sick and the pacifier really helped with pressure in her ears. We finally just told her that it was time for them to go bye-bye because she was big...yeah, right. She would not throw one away and she cried anytime she saw us throw one away. She had them stashed all over - I think it took a week to find all the ones she had hidden. It was a rough couple of days, but she did get over it. Every child I have known who's pacifier got caught off was very, very upset over their broken binkies! You know your daughter's personality so you'll know if she'll respond best to cold turkey, exchange it, giving it away, or growing up. Whenever you do it, pick a calm time in life when you have the time to spend with her and help her compensate for her lost. Since it's been a comforter, she may have a harder time giving it up. Remember this: pacifiers are like potty training....it all comes eventually. I'm sure she won't take it to college with her. You may even be able to find a children's book about transitioning. My children love to read books about everything in their lives. I hope it goes well with few tears!

Angie - posted on 12/28/2008

Unless you don't already have one, buy an identical binkie to the one your child uses the most. Cut the nipple off of the binkie and give it back to your child. When they put it in their mouth, they will notice right away that something is wrong. Tell them it is broken and you have to throw it away. Have them do it though. Keep the new one as a backup, but this technique worked on both of my children. We would ask them "Where is your binkie?", and they would say, "it's in the garbage." and that was it.....

Chelsea - posted on 12/28/2008

Simple throw it away and say "Binkie all gone". My son is now 10 but thats what i did.

April - posted on 12/28/2008

We did the passy fairy. We set the date on the calender and put an x up to the day.She knew the fairy was coming to take her passy and give it to the babies that need it. We placed it on her window then shut it. She finally fell asleep, and when she woke the passy was gone but the fairy left her gifts. One being a new doll that she could hug when she missed her passy. My daughter never asked for it again. She was almost three. Almost a year later she saw a baby with the same pacifier in the mall and got so excited that the fairy gave that baby her pacifier.

I am also a dental hygienist at a pediatric dental office. And our advice is cold turkey. After the age of four, its harder for her teeth to go back to the natural alignment. Even if you limit to evening only, two minutes of active sucking can change your daughters teeth.

GOOD LUCK!!

Midge - posted on 12/27/2008

For the fourth of July, (independence day) I had my grandson himself throw out his binky in the trash. I said to him "no more" and he repeated "no more?" no, that's it, you're almost three years old. Okay Nana and that was the end of it. He was one month shy of his 3rd birthday. Never gave me a fuss. I thought I was never going to hear the end of that, but it worked for me, thank God. Mine you, I had several stashed away, for just in case, but never needed them.

Nicole - posted on 12/27/2008

I had three kids on a binkie. We limited it to just at nap on bed time in the bed when we were ending the use of it and told them that each time one got a hole in it that meant time to throw it away. Explain you cannot buy anymore binkies and once she is down to the last one that gets thrown out make it a good bye binkie celebration at the trash can with the whole family cheering her on as she throws it away. You'll know she's ready and she will too.

Kala - posted on 12/27/2008

We had trouble with my youngest son. We thought he would take it to school. We almost had him broke from it and he was a paddy junkie! My parents moved to South Carolina from my home state of Arkansas. I was in nursing school and my grandmother had just passed away. We had gotten him to where he only used it at night. My older kids, me and him flew to South Carolina to visit my parents on one of my breaks. My husband came the second week, but I had to break the news that Kole had started sucking his paddy again. It took us another year and half to break him. I took him to daycare one day and just gathered them all up. When he got home I told him the trash man came by and I gave him all the paddy's. It did not affect him until bed. We had a bad couple of nights and we both wanted to give it back. After a few days he was ok and would ask once in a while. You just have to bite the bullet. I know its hard!!!! Good Luck!

Cori - posted on 12/27/2008

I have 4 kids, 2 binkies, 1 thumb and 1 took nothing at all. THe thumb was the hardest. With my oldest she was 2 months shy of 5 when we talked to her and she decided to give her binkies to santa. Then he could give them to the little babies who really need them. Worked perfectly. I have had friends who have their children giv e them to Mickey at Disney World or to the Easter bunny. My oldest is now almost 8 and we found a binky when we were moving something the other day and she INSISTED we send it to Santa.



My youngest is 18 months and takes a binky sometimes...Im not ready to take it away from him yet...the time will come..

Susan - posted on 12/27/2008

I have four kids, three of them teenagers now, and only one was a binkie user, but here's what worked for us. I cut the tips off every binkie in the house, then little by little cut more off each day until nothing was left but the hard plastic part at the end. This child was, and remains, VERY STUBBORN and continued to suck on the broken binkies until we were down to the nub. She finally threw them away on her own, but we suffered through about a week of whining while she tried to suck the broken ones. She's 18 now, still has quite the stubborn streak and, incidentally, needed 3 years of orthodontia.

Andrea - posted on 12/27/2008

With my son, we went cold turkey. Even though it was a hard first couple days, in the end is was great. (We tossed them in the garbage so we did not have an option to fall back on)

Shelley - posted on 12/27/2008

I think that weaning them off of it best. Throwing it away I don't believe is a good idea. A suce or binkie or whatever you call it, is a security item for them and just throwing it away, would be a traumatic thing for them. It's not a big deal if they have it, so don't make more of it than it is. My son who had his suce until he was starting kindergarten (but only at bedtime since he was 3) and his teeth are fine, he's 19 now.

Stacey - posted on 12/27/2008

hi how r u? well my daughter never took a binkie. but my niece she is now 5 yrs old, hada binkie until she was 3. i was constantly babysitting her and i was the one that got her off of it. My suggestion and what i did was i would hide them or throw them out. When she would ask for it. I was told by a nurse friend of mine that the older the childs get while using the binkie, there teeth could go crooked,nasty plaque from the binkie builds up suff like that. I would explain to her that she was a big girl. And big girls do not use binkies. i would just tell her no and that she was a big girl. She would whine and cry. But i didnt give in. after she realized she wasnt getting it, she stopped asking for it and then didnt want it.thats ust my technique. hopefully it works.

Isa - posted on 12/27/2008

poke a hole in it.

Melissa - posted on 12/27/2008

Both my kids were SERIOUS binky users. When they were each 2 1/2 I knew it was time to get rid of it. At this point they were only getting it at night. I snipped the tops of them off and then had each of my kids actually throw them away by themselves. With each of them I made sure that they had their "special animal" to comfort them. With both kids it was tough the first night and maybe the second but after that they never asked for them again. You can do it!!!!!!

Jennifer - posted on 12/27/2008

I really want to thank you all for your input and kind words! My daughter has been traumatized because a year ago I had brain surgery and the sight of me alone was bad enough for anyone but the fact I couldn't carry her and she had to be so careful with me for a few months was really hard on her. I guess that is why I am having a hard time just ripping it away from her. You all have great ideas and I thank you!

Stephanie - posted on 12/27/2008

You have to not give it to her when something bad happens. Give her an alternative "security" like a stuffed animal. My daughter had her binkie until she was well over 3. I just took it away one day and she was fine.

Kylie - posted on 12/27/2008

what is a binkie???

Sharon - posted on 12/27/2008

My daughter-in-law just got my grand daughter off the dummy. She simply didn't give it to her at bed time when she wanted it. She cried for about 3/4 hr but my daughter-in-law was strong (it was my son who wanted to give in). It only took two days and the dummy was thrown away for good. If you keep them in the house, there is always the temptation to give it back. Get rid of it straight away and give them a teddy to cuddle instead. Less damaging on their teeth too.

Traci - posted on 12/26/2008

My suggestion would be to ease her away from her binkie, for example, start only giving it to her at nap and bedtime. Try that for a week, then switch only to one or the other. Do that for a week. Then tell her she is a big girl, and you will save her binky in a keepsake box. The key is DO NOT GIVE IT BACK TO HER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, regardless of what tragedies may come your way....give her a special doll she can hold and cuddle when she is feeling sad or anxious. Good luck!

Heather - posted on 12/26/2008

This is just a suggestion obviously, but I was told by my family doctor not to pressure my son to give up his 'binkie' (in our house it was boo blankie and my son was attached through my divorce)...when kids are under stress it's just best to let them self-soothe. What you can do, however, is limit the time and places where she can have access to it, such as only at bedtime....hope this helps!

Noelle - posted on 12/26/2008

You can always try tying them to the end or a bunch of balloons and make it a positive thing by sending them to the birdies. Of course it does really depend on the personality of your child. Also inviting one of your friends over who has a little baby and have your child gather all her binkies in a gift bag/box and give it to the little baby because it is their turn. These are just a few fun ideas that hav been successful. Taking binkies away cold turkey definitely works. you may end up with a melt down and your child will have to cry and end up getting over it but if you dont believe in letting them cry or just want a more positive approach these are great!

Amber - posted on 12/26/2008

We did the cut the binki thing! Worked Great! At 2 1/2 we took all the binkis cut the tips off and let him find them he said there broken so i told him to throw them away. And he did and that was that. The first night was a little rouff to get him to fall asleep but he go over it! Never asked for it agian.

Shelly - posted on 12/26/2008

throw them in the garbage and be done with them already.

Ellie - posted on 12/26/2008

We put them in a manilla envelope and mailed them away to the kids that need them no more binki!! We read to her at night and told her we knew she missed it and that every day would be easier-it was over and done in 4 days.

JoMarie - posted on 12/26/2008

i was going to say the santa thing but it is a bit late for that. We tried poking a hole in it cause that will cause it to not work right and they dont like that.or you can boil in hot sauce for a bit and that will make it have a very bad taste. but you need to be strong becasue your mother should know that she is ruining teeth and those are very hard and expencive to fix

Shayla - posted on 12/26/2008

I can tell you one thing for sure, if other caretakers (your mom) aren't taking this seriously it's going to be much more difficult, for you and for your little one.

Shelley - posted on 12/26/2008

With my oldest son it was the same thing, we almost had him off of it and something would happen. What I ended up doing was telling him that he could have it BUT only at bed or nap time, no other time. This he agreed to. The week he was starting kindergarten and he was so excited to go I told him that big boys who go to school don't need a suce and HE put it in the garbage..