Breaking the binky habit

usarmywifetso

DS is 18mo and I'd really like to break him of his need for a binky when he sleeps. He only uses it when sleeping but he won't sleep without it. If he drops it out of the crib, he cries until someone comes to get it for him. As soon as it's back in his mouth, the crying stops and he lays down and goes to sleep. I hate to just take it away cold turkey and have him cry until he's too tired to cry anymore and passes out but I don't know what else to do to get him to give it up. How did you get LO away from the binky? TIA.

momofmanyinthemitten

DD bit a rather large hole in one of hers and refused to use it after that. To this day, if we ask if she wants one, she tells us that it's broken. I've heard of people poking a hole with a pin and then making the hole bigger and bigger so the sensation is different and not what they are accustomed to.

usarmywifetso

I never would have thought of that. I'll give it a try. Thank you!

arilevine

kielpinskim said:

DD bit a rather large hole in one of hers and refused to use it after that. To this day, if we ask if she wants one, she tells us that it's broken. I've heard of people poking a hole with a pin and then making the hole bigger and bigger so the sensation is different and not what they are accustomed to.

This is what worked for us- we followed the bye bye paci tech which basically has you poking holes the first few nights then cutting a little off the nipple every night so it changes the way it tastes & feels.

vrj0522

We've done the same as pp. DS was extremely attached to his paci (used it all day and night) and I was afraid of trying anything but we did the whole poking and then cutting thing and it's worked for us. 

Initially I was making the hole bigger everyday without seeing a difference in DS but once he started having a harder time falling asleep, I slowed down to making the hole bigger every 4-5 days, that way he'd have time to adjust. We still have the binky and it's not cut all the way up yet but he doesn't use it during the daytime at all nor for bedtime. He still seems to need to fall asleep for naps and for the middle of the night so I usually leave it in his crib once he is down for bedtime.  I plan on continuing to cut it down but I feel like he is so close to giving it up altogether that I've taken my time with it, especially since he hardly uses it now.