How did you wean off the "Binkie?"

[wdwdreamin2]

My DD is 2.25, and is totally addicted to her "ya-ya". She didn't have one until she was 18 mos. old, when a teacher accidentally gave her one at day care. Since then, we have not been able to pry it out of her!!!

Any suggestions as to how to wean her?

Cold turkey?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

The only thing you can do is cold turkey it. Explain to her how embarrassing it is to use a pacifier at her age, and that they are for babies, not big girls like her. Throw them away - don't dig them out - and just live through the tantrums. She'll get used to the idea eventually! Good luck.

 

[mytwotinks]

I had my dd throw hers away herself and that seemed to help.

My Bil has told me the story of his binky. His grandma put it in some kind of air gun and had him "shoot it to the moon" they did it toward the lake so it was gone for good! It certainly made an impression on him because he's over 40 and he still remembers it.

 

[mom2aiden]

I would have to agree, although my DS was about 1 year when we took his away....so it's much different now that she's older. We scaled it back so that he only had it at bedtime and then one night he was so tired he fell asleep without it and we never looked back.

As for your DS who is older, I would agree with the above poster and try to explain it to her. I saw on supernanny once that they had a special "ceremony" where they put all the binkies in a bag and tied it to a tree, so the binkie fairy could take them to babies that really needed them. They went to check the next morning to see if the binkie fairy had taken the bag, and she had There was a special gift in it's place (actually, i now remember she did this with bottles and the fairy left sippy cups for the boy).

 

[tmarquez]

We went cold turkey.

At 2, DD was only using it at night to get to sleep. So we talked about it and put all of ours in the mailbox to send to the new babies that didn't yet have a pacifier. She thought she was such a big girl!

I was really freaking out thinking I would be up all night for a week with her. But she surprised me and at bedtime she only mentioned that the new babies have her pacifiers now. I said, that's right...and she went to sleep. It was sad, they grow up sooo fast!

Good luck to you.

 

[mickeylove2]

We cut the rubber tip off and since there was nothing really to suck on, she lost interest...(she had to hold it in her mouth by biting on it, so I guess it wasn't soothing anymore, she just threw it away)

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

We used the binky fairy. Make sure you gather up all the binkies, we placed them next to her pillow and when she woke up there was a new toy next to her bed. It worked. That's all I cared about.

Just recently did this with my DGD (DSD's dd). My Dsis was trying to get rid of her Barbie jeep. Timing worked perfectly. DGD got a gently used drivable Barbie Jeep and DSis cleaned her garage!! Everyone wins!!

 

[ZachnElli]

Cold turkey, mostly. If she has it all day long, wean her down to just night time. Then just take it away. I did this with all 3 of my kids and just did it to my youngest (2.5) last month. I waited so long with my youngest because he has sleep issues! He still gets up every night, sometimes several times and I was afraid taking it away would make it worse. It hasn't, he still gets up about the number of times. Good luck!

 

[okeydokey]

We cut the rubber tip off and since there was nothing really to suck on, she lost interest...(she had to hold it in her mouth by biting on it, so I guess it wasn't soothing anymore, she just threw it away)

We did this too. Our dentist suggested it. We told him it was broken. It did the trick. They told us to keep cutting a bit more off each day until he gave it up or there was nothing left to hold on to.

 

[Geoff_M]

We set a rate of exchange in our house.... 1 pacifier surrendered = 1 new toy. Worked like a charm.

 

[MichelleVW]

Cold Turkey at 3 for my girls. They were only allowed to have them in the house after 12 months, but they "needed" them at night FOREVER. They were both 3 1/2 and in preschool before we got rid of them. Older DD had a hard time and cried for 2-3 nights because she NEEDED her binky!!! But younger DD was fine Day 1 without it...

 

[Buckalew11]

We did this too. Our dentist suggested it. We told him it was broken. It did the trick. They told us to keep cutting a bit more off each day until he gave it up or there was nothing left to hold on to.

This is what I did also. She only used it at night. Then, we mailed them to Santa Claus. Actually, we were going to leave them for Santa to take and I forgot to help him with that and she saw them the next day so we decided to "mail" them.

Good Luck!

 

[DISUNC]

They "Gave" it too either Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny! That worked

 

[R.S.Winters]

what the hell is a binkie or a ya-ya?
you americans sure have some strange words at times!! lol!

 

[bookgirl]

My nephews still had binky's at 2.5. We had been starting at two telling them that they could only have them, in the car, at nap/night, or for comfort after a bump or something, but no more walking around with them constatntly. They did really well and we would get out of the car and they would walk up and put them in my pockets "to hold".

When they were use to only limited exposure, we started telling them all about "binky land". How when little babys are born binky land sends them a binky to use. Then when they are big kids how the children send the binkys back and then binky land will send them a new big kid toy to replace it. We all (whole family) told this story consistantly.

On their third birthday I brought over an envelope and we sat and wrote a letter to binky land, we said we were returning the binkys for the new baby's and we would like ...... in return. Then the letter and all binkys were put in the envelope.

A couple of days later what should appear on the porch but two new toys for two "big boys".

Of course my now eight year old nephew (younger of the twins and the most dependant on the binky) tells me how I was so mean to send all his binkys away. He did chew on his shirt collars for a couple of years after and still has chewing issues like destroying straws and biting nails, but I do this and didn't have a binky so I think he really just has an oral fixation. He was the smallest and sickest of the twins and he was the hold out. The other twin probably would have gotten rid of his binky at two but brother still had one and he wanted the option as well.

Anyway we really did have an easy transition with the weaning then the story. Seemed easier to just take it slowly then to do it cold turkey. However we did do bottles cold turkey at one....sippy cups only at that point. That worked as well. But we had an easy replacment and I don't know that it would work as easy with binkys. I guess it just seemed that the the one twin was so in need of that comfort that cold turkey seemed like it would be too hard on him.

I guess it really depends on your daughters personality and dependence. Good Luck!

 

[mickeylove2]

We did this too. Our dentist suggested it. We told him it was broken. It did the trick. They told us to keep cutting a bit more off each day until he gave it up or there was nothing left to hold on to.

That's exactly how we did it- per our pediatrician. Now if only I could find a way for my other DD to stop sucking her thumb... Can I cut that off???

 

[Mackey Mouse]

We actually called it pa, short for pacifier I guess, and she finally gave it up when she sucked a hole in it.. my other two sucked their thumbs..

I had to go way back in the deep recesses of my mind for that answer..

 

[bjgrazi]

cold turkey here......... he only took it at nap time and bed time. Couldn't find it one night (he threw it somewhere) He cried, next day we found it but did not give it to him. It took 3 nights for him to get over it.

 

[LadyJeanPirateQueen]

Well, I know Halloween is coming up. How about you have her leave them in a basket on the front porch for the Great Pumpkin to take to kids who need them? And make sure the Great Pumpkin leaves her a cool toy/treat for willingly giving her binkies to those in need.

LadyJean

 

[Cnrtygirl]

We cut the rubber tip off and since there was nothing really to suck on, she lost interest...(she had to hold it in her mouth by biting on it, so I guess it wasn't soothing anymore, she just threw it away)

This is what we did. Worked wonderfully. DD said "it broken" and threw it away.