Sunday, November 15, 2009

Bye Bye Binky

Each weekend I swear I am going to blog every single day the following week- I have no idea what goes wrong-but I suspect it has something to do with Facebook and Twitter eating up my time. I'll do better this week-maybe.

On Wednesday I made the decision to put the kibosh on Eliza's binky habit. Since Jude was born she had become even more attached to her binkies and was asking for them almost all the time. Before Jude was born she had only used them for sleep. It was getting to the point where she would scream and cry uncontrollably saying, "ZAZA need binky" or "ZAZA want binky." I would say no for a while but eventually I would just give in to make her stop the insanity. I know this is probably the worst thing I could have done-but it did get her quiet.

So on Wednesday I decided no more Binky. It was kinda a spur of the moment decision. I was just fed up with the tantrums. Also, I had promised the dentist we would say goodbye at 2 years anyway and I didn't want to explain myself or lie at her appointment in December. We knew if we waited any longer it would just be harder for everyone.

We told her the binky fairy came and took her binkies to give to other little babies who needed them. We showed her the empty cup where we usually stored them and that was it. I never thought I would be using any kind of fairy story with E but-like I said-it was spur of the moment and I was desperate. Pete and I were both expecting her to go through some MAJOR withdrawal. I expected lots of crying, no naps and sleepless nights for at least a few days. However, Eliza really surprised us both. She has asked for the binky only a handful of times since Wednesday. She did cry and ask for it at bedtime the first night. I was laying in bed with Jude listening to her and Pete and I felt sad and guilty. Luckily, it didn't last long. She said, "binkies for the babies" and settled to sleep.

Overall, It has been a surprisingly easy transition. Thank goodness. She really is growing up fast!

Jude doesn't seem to be a big fan of the binky so I might phase it out after four months-unless he seems to need it still. I am wondering what life will be like when I am not constantly looking for a binky.

9 comments:

Pam said...

Way to go E! I'm glad it went so well for you both! I'm a blog slacker too- no worries!

Christy said...

Maybe you could give Jude a special blanket or toy instead of a binky? Both of my kids have a favorite blanket, and neither used pacifiers. I desperately tried to get them to take pacifiers when they were screaming newborns, but it never worked.

My problem is that Porgie still sucks her thumb. I don't know how you break that habit.

Sheri said...

Blog slacker here too! I mean really shouldn't family and everything else come before blogging?
That is awesome that she gave it up so easily! Noah has a serious addiction too. But only when he is in bed nursing. How crazy is that? He will cry "binty" if he can't find it when we go to bed. What is even crazier is he just wants it to play with it, with his feet! I guess it is just a security thing

Anonymous said...

Isn't it great when things like that aren't as bad as we expect! DH didn't want to put Kaelin in her own bed b/c he thought it would be a nightmare and she'd be getting out of bed all the time and wandering, but she hasn't ever gotten out of bed! She loves her bed!

Glad it is looking like a smooth transition for you!

Marcy said...

Donovan is still going strong with his thumb-sucking. For now I'm letting it be, though I want to take him to a pediatric dentist soon (just to touch base) and I guess I'll ask when I need to start worrying about that.

He never got into having a lovie or blanket, though... I guess kids attach to different things, and mine attached onto his thumb (oh, and my chin)

CC said...

Hurray!! We didn't let my daughter have it past 12 months. I've seen the long term results of dental and speech nightmares and just didn't want to face those later. Both kids have special stuffed animals as a their comfort items.

Lori said...

glad it went well for you both. Makes life so much easier when they just deal with the change

Unknown said...

Congrats! My daughter isn't hooked on a binky but she is hooked on a bottle. She is 22 months and well over time to give it up. But she doesn't just drink from it, she will put it in her mouth and walk around. It's her security item. And I have tried and failed many times in trying to get her off of it. But now I've been telling her that if she wants presents from Santa, she has to give him her "babas". We'll see...

Amber said...

Hi Bella,

I followed the binky method on www.bye-bye-binky.com and it worked great. No binky, his choice, no pain... happy mom!