Bye Bye Binky

A while back I joined a Mommy and Me group on facebook and this afternoon they reminded me of a few things I went through with my oldest so I thought I could write a little. 

I never thought I would be a binky-giving parent, but when my husband gave our oldest daughter one and she went right to sleep I couldn't deny the power of the plug any longer. However, no one really talks about how to get rid of the binky, so here is how I did it with my first and how I will be helping my youngest get over the binky.

First off this took a total of 5 weeks to wean off the binks, but that is because I chose the gentle way to do it. 

Step one was to set up a calender, pick a date, and circle it. Get some stickers that your child will like, for us it was stars and rainbows. Talk to your child about what is going to happen, explain about bye bye binky, about how they get stickers, and being a big kid. 

Step two, no more binky during the day time and car rides. I hid the binkies next to her bed so she couldn't get them during day time. I gave this about a week to do. Give them a sticker at the end of each day for not needing the binky.

Step three, after your child gets used to no binky during the day (stops reaching for it or asking for it) then its time to take it away during nap time. I gave my daughter two weeks for this step. Give your child a two stickers- one for no day binky and no nap binky.

Step four is after your child is able to sleep during nap without the binky then its time to stop sleeping at night without it. Give yourself two weeks for this step. Sometimes at the beginning they will want it in the middle of the night and its tempting to cave. At first I didn't put my daughter to bed with it, but there are nights they might wake up and want it. Give your child three stickers- day, nap and night time binky. 

Step five, celebrate your child no longer needing to have the binky! We sang the elmo song- Bye Bye Binky and made cupcakes. 

Good luck ditching those binkies! And if your child isn't ready yet, it is okay! Sometimes they aren't ready yet because of teething or need the comfort, but if you are concerned about your child's speech and wanting them to talk more I really recommend losing the pacifier.