Early binky weaning

We have a binky in each crib for nighttime, one in each pack-n-play for naps and one in each car seat (I am debating getting rid of these). I honestly would like to just pitch them all but I'm not sure what is a good age to start weaning completely. Is anyone trying this right now or older baby mommas have any success with it?

 

We decided to stop giving them binkies around 3 months. And they were fine with it.now they suck their thumbs in stead to self smooth haha

 

The American Pediatric Association recommends taking away the binkies at 6 months. Babies can soothe themselves by that point. I guess.

We are taking them away at the end of this month. The girls will be 8 months old at that point. At least that's my plan right now. I'm really freaked out about it. I know my goal is to have them sleep better at night (will try a gentle CIO method at the same time). My concern is during the day... when the girls are really upset about something, the binkies do calm them down & stop the crying. What will they do at day care when they don't have them? And I'm not around? I'm already suffering from the DCGs... (Day Care Guilts)...

So I'm trying to stay strong... we will be taking them away at the end of the month... I guess.

 

Ugh, that's what I'm afraid of!!

Good luck to you! I would try taking them away entirely now but I have yet to convince my husband... I definitely would like to be done by 1. I'm not a fan of walking kids and binkies.

 

We limited binkies to night use only starting around 3 months. We haven't fought them needing them at night yet because they are still restless at night and it seems to help. They don't wake up when they fall out of their mouths, but it keeps me from having to pick them up - I figure that the binky is less harmful to their self-soothing than me having to pick them up, so it's the lesser of two evils at this point. We are working on some baby whisperer methods at night right now, so I hope we can get rid of the night binkies before long, too.

 

IMO 6 months is the perfect age. I took away DD's for naps first, then a week later stopped giving it to her at night. She fussed a bit but wasn't bad at all. She was starting to get teeth, plus she started sleeping on her stomach so it didn't fall out anymore. Now, at almost 9 months, she chews on fingers or thumb when her teeth are bothering her, but doesn't suck her thumb.

 

We went cold turkey I think around four months old. A few weeks of way too many middle of the night "lost my soother" wakings convinced me that it was time. Neither had a problem moving on from it, and my son does suck his thumb now to soothe himself. I have no problem with this and have every confidence that he will grow out of that on his own. My daughter never started thumb sucking and does cry a little more than my son when she is going to sleep or if she wakes in the night, but that's just sort of her personality (she's intense!) and it doesn't go on for long.

Best decision we ever made to ditch them!

 

I caugth my DD sucked her thumb when she's asleep couple times.she was hungry but not that bad to wake up. So I just let her. I never see they suck thumbs when they are awake.plus, they are teething right now. I see them chew on their fingers, not just fingers their hands!!! all the time.

 

I'm from the school of thought that-whenever it's right for your family. If my kid is talking, going to the bathroom on their own, etc-no pacifier(LOL! I can't stand the word binky!). My boys were older. And no worse for the wear-or whatever that saying is!

They were 19/20 months old when I took it away. And it was a piece of cake. I cried. They didn't. Annabella was a few weeks old. So, for awhile we would tell them that pacifiers were for babies, and they weren't babies anymore-they were BIG kids. And repeated it. We told them Annabella used them and they didn't need to anymore. So, one night, when I went out to the mall, dh told them it was time to give their pacifiers to Annabella. She was still sleeping in the pack-n-play in our room. They walked into our room and dropped the pacifiers in her pack-n-play, and that was the end of that! There was no turning back. No crying, no asking, no nothing. It was wayyyyyy easier than I ever imagined.

And-they only got those at nightime to soothe themselves. They didn't walk around the mall or the grocery stores with them. Naptime/bedtime and that was it. Annabella has two in her crib, but she doesn't rely on them, and I never take them out.

I just say-whatever works for you! Good luck!

 

I took my girls' away at 5 months. I detest the paci. I believe it gets harder to take away as time goes on. If you do it before a year, chances are the time that it takes to wean them from it will be shorter. Seeing a baby walk around with a paci is weird to me. My girls actually slept better without it since they didn't cry when they lost their binky. They just learned to self-soothe.

 

That's my opinion exactly! They are for little babies, not big babies and toddlers. And the longer they have it, the harder it will be to take away unless you wait until 2 or 3 years old and you can reason with them by giving them to Santa for new babies or something... But then, to me that is too old for binkies anyway.

 

I took both of my dd's pacis away on their 6 month bday (DS was/is a thumb sucker - don't know what I'm going to do about that!). It was easy and after two or three days, they were more attached to their lovies and we never looked back. To me, it's easier to get rid of them when they don't really know that they're gone/missing. I'm really glad we did it the way we did. GL!

 

We stopped at 7 months and then implemented CIO as well for sleep training. It was 3 nights of HECK but then fantastic and a STTN baby!!!! (3rd night was easier than first 2).

Then she ended up finding a soother at like 10 months and didn't even know what it was!!!!!!!! She spit it out immediately! So clearly they don't have "memories" at that age and clearly she didn't miss it!!!

 

I agree with Meaghan. I have learned something very important about ending habits, binkies being one of them. We can share all of our stories but no one can guarantee it will be harder or easier at a young or older age...they can repeat what they have heard but we all only have our personal experience and it doesn't mean that is how your children will react. So you have to go with your gut and not look back. With us, Zoe never had one - didn't need it - but clings to a lovey now like there is no tomorrow. Jude needed it for self-soothing at bedtime until about 8 mos when she seemed to sleep without it. We took it away one night and she never said a word. Now I know that Jude has an intense little temperament. She is a fierce little thing...so for her from just a few weeks old I have followed her cues for when she was ready to let go of something because she truly needs the outlets in different forms. With Zoe, I have to make choices for her because she will never let go of something without a couple of rough days of training, but I can always outlast her. So IMO you measure your wishes (which seem to always change from what you said you would do when you have kids..heh heh) in relation to what you believe they truly need and go from there. I remember in the first year when I first had them thinking about all this stuff (actually I even remember watching my sister and her kids and thinking "I will never do that")...I laugh now I have changed so much. Good luck to you!