5 Ways to Say, "Bye, Bye, Binky!"
September 13, 2011, By Steve Kissing 3 comments
As reassuring as pacifiers can be for tots⎯and as noise-reducing as they can be for pops⎯eventually the time comes when baby and binky must part. And that’s no fun for anyone. In my experience with four kids, there’s no sure-fire way to break the binky addiction. However, I and other parents have found it helpful to force kids to go cold turkey⎯after ample warning, of course. I’ve also found that it helps the little ones adjust to this first major life adjustment if you make an event of it. Here are five techniques that I or friends of mine have tried with some success. Steal one of these or let them inspire your own way to say, “Bye, Bye Binky!”
1. Stuff It
A few weeks ago, I took my two-year-old twins to Build-A-Bear or an equivalent. They each picked out an animal to have stuffed with cotton⎯and a couple of their pacifiers. This way, they still have the comfort of knowing that their binkies are near, without actually being able to indulge. (I do worry a little about one of my daughters having a major meltdown and ripping her bear apart to get at the contraband. But that hasn’t happened. Yet.)
2. Launch It
One of my friends bought an inexpensive model rocket set at a hobby shop and a rocket with a payload section. He then set up his own mini Cape Canaveral at a local park with a lot of open space. He had his boy shout out the countdown and push the launch button. A few seconds later, the binky was several hundred feet in the air. This is when my friend diverted his child’s attention as the rocket eventually floated back down to earth. (He returned to the park later to retrieve the rocket⎯and its slobbery payload.)
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