I think this subject was just adressed but I would like some suggestions. Nico still uses his binky (pacifier). ONLY for naps and for bed though. My dh keeps reminding me that we have to "lose" binky very soon. I don't know though. Some people told me that he will grow out of it, not wanting it anymore. This has not happened yet. This is his last part of his babyhood so maybe I'm letting him hang on to it. Bottles were no problem at all. Shortly after his 1st B-day I packed away the bottles and he did so well with that, but he adores this binky. He will be 2 and a half next month. Any ideas? Oh, also, when he wakes up crying in the middle of the night for whatever reason, his binky is the only thing that gets him back to sleep. Will he grow out of it, or is it time to "lose" it?

By Melanie on Friday, September 5, 2003 - 08:37 pm:

My son was past his second birthday when I said enough is enough about the pacifier. I always hated that thing even though he only used it at night and for naps. So for me, I had waited long enough. LOL. Your tolerence may be much higher than mine. Afterall, there are certainly much bigger problems you could be facing!

The only thing that worked for us was for me to take it away cold turkey. I had tried putting vinegar on it so he wouldn't want it. He made a face for a second and then kept right on sucking. So one night I decided to not give it to him. He cried for about ten minutes and then went to sleep. He never cried for it again. If you go this route, you have to be absolutely committed to not giving in. Once you do, cold turkey will be much more painful if you ever attempt it again.

Good luck!

By Pamt on Saturday, September 6, 2003 - 12:05 am:

Nope. He won't give it up on his own. Haven't you seen 4 y/os in public with a pacifier? Drives me insane! I agree that cold turkey is the way to go. Both of my boys had pacifiers and loved them, but I *pulled the plug* at 6-8 months. Like yours, they only had them at naps and bedtime. If you go cold turkey stick it out for 2-3 nights because that's probably all it will take. It will *seem* longer than that for you , but the crying for binky should pass pretty quickly. You may need to get him a blanket or stuffed animal because he will need to learn another way to soothe himself. Good luck!

By Susan10 on Saturday, September 6, 2003 - 02:17 am:

I think it's time to lose it...Get yourself psyched up to be firm. Look at it this way: in the long run it will mean less crying for him, because 2-3 days of getting used to sleeping with out it, will be less crying than who knows how many more nights of him waking up and wanting his binky. Good luck.

By My2girlygirls on Saturday, September 6, 2003 - 12:03 pm:

My oldest dd gave her binky to Mickey Mouse on a trip to Disney. She told us she was going to do it and we thought ,"Yeah Right", she walked right up to him and gave it to him. She asked for it that night and I reminded her that she gave it away. That was that... She was 2 and 1/2. My second dd gave hers to the Easter Bunny, in exchange for candy, of course. It was pretty simple too. She was also 2 and 1/2. Once mine started walking, the binky stayed in a cup on their dresser until nap or bedtime. Of course if they were sick or hurt I would let them have it. I think you will know when it's time. Good Luck!

By Palmbchprincess on Saturday, September 6, 2003 - 12:56 pm:

My kids had sucked through 2 binkies each, literally, by 9 or 10 months. Daddy was either leaving soon, or had just left for Iraq when we "pulled the plug". They had been weaned down from carrying it all day to just naps and bedtime. Then we took them away. They might have taken a bit longer to go to sleep for a couple nights, but they were not that upset. Good luck with it, I know it can be hard. BTW, I'm with Pam, it aggrivates me to see toddlers and preschoolers in public with a binkie in their mouths.

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, September 6, 2003 - 02:26 pm:

Yeah, toddlers and preschoolers have such cute little faces, and sometimes you can't see their cute little mouths because it's full of a pacifier. Of course I can't talk too loud because I had a major thumb-sucker at my house and I couldn't just LOSE her thumb! LOL!

By Nicosmom on Sunday, September 7, 2003 - 12:47 am:

Thanks so much. I'll keep you all posted.