2 1/2 ... still wants binky :(

Isabelita wrote: My 2 1/2 year old still wants to to take a paci

She is better than she was at two, but she still has it at night and if she is tired or ill she is miserable without it. I like to think that she will give it up in her own time but I am also concerned about her teeth.

Please, I need some adivce/help with this. I don't know what to try

TIA

ian'smommy replied: I fortunately didn't have to struggle with this problem... My son is 2 1/2 and has never used a pacifier... Even as a baby he opted for his thumb, but i did have to try to get him stop that... He was sucking on it so much that it was raw. As for the pacifier, does she use it aside from bedtime or when she is sick? If not, then I wouldn't worry too much.... I'd like to think that in her case it is a comfort thing right now and she will grow out of it... My son stopped sucking his thumb on his own. He went from all the time, to just being tired or sick, and now he doesn't do it at all... In place of that comfort tool he has a blanket that he can't be without when sick or at bedtime... As she finds something else to use for comfort, the pacifier will be a thing of the past... If it really bothers you, you can cut the tip off or put something safe but nasty tasting on it... Doesn't always work but is worth a shot.... If you cut the tip off you can just tell her it's broken... or if she can understand, tell her this is the only paci she has... If she breaks it or loses it, that's it... No more... That way it's her responsibility alone if she wants to have it... I've known some people who have done that, and when it was lost, they said, well that's all, I told you that was the only one you got so, oh well, and the toddler was ok with that when they were aware that it was their fault, not yours... Just a few suggestions... I hope one of them works for you. I hope what i said makes sense....

Isabelita replied: Thankyou for your advice

Part of me wants her to let her outgrow this on her own, the other half of me is telling me to nip this habit in the bud now.

She does use it on other occasions aside from being ill/tired and at night, but mainly only those times. I guess it is a comfort thing.

I like the idea of the one paci and resposiblity thing. That could be worth trying.

It is reassuring to know that your son grew out of thumb sucking

gr33n3y3z replied: your best bet is to just toss it
with in a few nights she will be ok
I have 4 kids and only 1 of them ever used it
I told him the Easter Bunny needed it
It worked

ian'smommy replied: Just tossing it and dealing with some rough nights is an option as well... I liked the idea of putting the responsibility on them though... The woman that did this with her daughter said that her daughter was better about it.... Instead of knowing that mommy took it away from her, she knew that she didn't have it because SHE lost it or broke it... But each child is different so what bothers one child may not bother another... Even my son handles something better if he knows he doesn't have something because of himself and not because of something I did... Giving them a certain degree of control over their environment can work wonders....

BTW, welcome to the board...

Jamison'smama replied: Jamison's doctor said not to worry about it until age 4--I was surprised! My daughter still takes it for naps and night time and sometimes during the day if she is really ill. They'll give it up eventually and according to the doc, it doesn't cause any permanent teeth damage.

Isabelita replied: Thanks for the welcome

I have thought about just going cold turkey with it and throwing it out but I don't have the heart to I know both of us would be miserable, though thanks for the suggestion.

Ian's mommy (sorry don't know your name), how old was your friend's child? I am wondering whether Daniela would fully understand. I am going to talk to her daddy about this, I really like this idea.

Jamison'smama replied: We have talked about giving up the pacis--My niece gave hers up by packing them all up and taking them to the new baby monkey at the zoo. I am thinking about something similar.

ian'smommy replied: My name is Lisa, but I know I'm not the only Lisa here...
The woman who tried this has twins and at the time they were 3.... Since your daughter isn't that far off from 3, it wouldn't be a bad thing to try... I know that her daughter tried very hard to keep track of it for awhile, but when she came to her mom and said she lost it, her mom, said, oh well, remember what I said....

I don't have a lot of advice beyond what I've already said since I haven't had the problem, but I do think that once she finds herself another comfort tool, the paci will take a back seat... My son absolutely loves his blanket but he only needs it when he is in bed... We never have to bring it in public... For going out, he has certain toys he likes to bring.... Those are his comfort items...

Good luck with that...

mammag replied: Of my 4 my daughter is the only one to use it. Keegan just has no interest in it anymore (which is rough on mommy sometimes when he's fussy). Anyway, Kristen took it until she was a bit over 3. But at the end it was only at night or nap time and I think you would be fine to let her keep it then.

If you do want to quit already, the cutting thing worked for us. I don't think I cut the whole top off but just slit it I believe. This makes it flat and doesn't work right. She would try it and quit after a moment because it wasn't working. It was kind of funny the way she would look at it like "what the heck happened to these things?" I did it to all the ones we had and she finally just gave up.

I had tried just taking it from her but she would carry on so that I couldn't bare it. It was too heartbreaking!

Good luck!

GavinsMommy replied: I don't know if anyone else said this or not, but in the mean time you can get pacifiers designed by dentists that don't interfere with her teeth. I think Gerber makes them. I have some, you can get them anywhere that sells pacifiers. It will say on the package that they're designed by dentists and that they are ortho pacis. So maybe that will help in the mean time.

You could try coating the nipples with something NOT harmful that doesn't taste well...

If I were you I would just take it away from her in her sleep if possible...and then eventually just take it away altogether. Either way it is going to be hard on her, but after a few days she will be over it.

Isabelita replied: Thankyou for all your ideas and suggestions I am feeling much better about this now.

Isabelita replied: Lauren, I have never heard of those, but thanks, I will make sure to look out for them.

amynicole21 replied: I've been struggling with this as well with my 2 1/2 year old. Seems my dd takes hers a lot more than yours does, though. She would have it in her mouth 24/7 if I didn't fuss about it. We've tried saying she could only have it at night time, but she isn't going for that... she would prefer to lay in bed all day with it than to go without I know what you mean about not having the heart to take it away cold turkey as well. I'm just hoping that all of our talks about it will eventually settle in and she'll give it up on her own... though as stubborn as she is I am not holding my breath

iluvmysweetiepies replied: I don't have much advice but I wanted to say Welome!! None of my older girls liked binkies that much. My twins however LOVE their soothies! I might need this advice later on LOL.

BTW I'm Kellie, mommy to Ashlyn (13), Ariana (6), Sofia (4), and Alexia and Brooke are 2 months.

Isabelita replied: Amy, our babies share a birthday! Daniela is also at a very stubborn stage, like most toddlers I think

Kellie, hello and thanks for the welcome

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: Katy lost hers at 15 months and I kept telling her she didn;t have one because she lost it. We also spent the whole day out running errands, she even fell asleep for the night i nthe car. It made it much easier. We did the same thing with Matt at 12 months (except we just took it away, no real explanation) staying in the car and running errands. The second night was pretty tough with KAty but MAtt didn't seem to care.

Mandasmomma replied: We never used a binky - she didn't like them at all after the NICU - but we did go thru it with the bottles -

The Easter bunny came in one night and stole them all - gave them to the babies being born!! It worked like a charm, and really after 3 days she forgot all anout it.

Good luck!!

Isabelita replied: Easter bunny. Hehe. Cute idea

coasterqueen replied: Santa and Rudolph came and got Kylie's binkies two days after Christmas 2004. We had told her for two months that Santa would be taking them to give to babies who were in need so she was very prepared. She did exceptionally well with it and we never had one second where she was having a problem with it. If she would have cried at all for it we would have given it back. She was obviously ready at the time for sure .