Bye Bye Binky: Take 2 (Finally, success)

For my loyal readers you know I tried, and failed, to successfully wean my daughter from the binky around her first birthday.  I did, however, give her a 19th month birthday present: the title "big girl." And yes, I'm proud to say just three days later she's successfully and completely weaned.

I've long-decided it was time for my little girl to give up on her beloved binkies. Olivia, on the other hand, not so much. I put my foot down about a week ago when she started calling them each by their own name. We had blue (her favorite), green, white and clear. She'd gleefully hold all four in her hands, look me right in the face and say "eat" as she rotated each binky in and out, in and out. We have still yet to figure out what prompted the rotation...was it she needed a "fresh" binky and what was "fresh?" Anyway, the attachment was quickly increasing and so was my concern that breaking up the relationship between Olivia and binky was only going to get harder.

We settled on the cutting method which I found online. It was recommended by a pediatrician and sworn on by parents. It was, however, highly discouraged by my pediatrician who said my daughter may bite the cut binky tip and that could be a chocking hazard.  Instead, he suggested either the "Binky Fairy" or the binky giveaway.  Since the binky fairy method requires a lot more backstory and time, I opted for the binky giveaway...although, to be honest, I didn't think my daughter would buy it.  Basically, he suggested telling her babies needed her binkies now that she was a big girl. Perhaps he doesn't know Olivia...sharing isn't her...or any 19 month old that I know...strongsuit. But I went with it.

Monday, I put her in the car, all four binkies in hand, and took her to the local CVS (I couldn't have her throw them away anywhere close to our house or I'd be too tempted to fish them out and give them back when the going got tough...and it would!).  I showed her the trash can outside the store and told her it was collection site for baby stuff.  Everything in there, I said, was going to go to a little baby.  She happily threw blue, green, clear and white in and waved bye-bye as they lay on top of a crumpled up paper McDonald's cup.  That site will forever be etched in my mind. We turned around and drove home.

I put her for her nap about 10 minutes after she and the binky parade parted ways.  Unlike when she normally goes to sleep, she cried. But never once did she mention her binkies. I could tell she was just a little out of sorts and truly sad. She missed her binkies. That was the first of just three sleep periods (nap, bed, nap) where she cried before going to sleep.  Just two and a half days after throwing her binkies in a big ol' trash can she's over it.  I even followed up the binky giveaway by showing her a newborn with a binky and telling her this was the special baby who got her old one.  Gosh, I hate lying to her...but snatching her binkies when she wasn't looking and throwing them away without her knowing was NOT an option, it would be too traumatizing. I needed to her be in control and this way she was.

I can tell she feels proud of herself...and as her mom, I do too!