bye-bye-binky

The long story of Lucy saying bye-bye to her binky. Photo courtesy of Leland.

Lucy has been our binky girl. We have tried to limit her binky time to when she is sleeping. Although recently she would find one during the day and would make it a game/fight to put it away. I once saw her climbing the shelves of the linen closet to try and reach a binky on the top shelf. I have felt a little guilty about taking away her source of comfort since her older sister will always have her thumb to bring her comfort. Everything I have read about binkies are "get rid of them before age 1". Since that is long gone, I knew this was going to be difficult. Chuck and I have a parenting motto that the hardest thing to do now, is usually what is best in the long run.

Last Friday, I had had enough. It was 10am and Lucy was claiming she was tired, talking through the binky in her mouth and a coi smile. I knew she was claiming the tiredness just to get her binky. I took it away and the fit started. flailing. screaming. tears. point of no return.

I found all the binkies in the house and said they are going in the trash. More crying and screaming pursued. I put Lucy in her room and held the door shut. She sat by the door with her fingers poking through the bottom saying through the sobs, "I all done now, open the door." But after a few minutes of being out of her room, she would ask for the binky, I would say they were in the trash and the screaming would start again. I tried to tell her she was a big girl now and didn't need the binky. Her reply was, "No, I'm a little baby!" This is also her reason for not wanting to sit on the potty and continue to wear diapers.

Finally after about an hour and a half of fit throwing, she fell asleep in my arms. She took her nap without a binky. Success!

That night I had basketball games to coach and play, so Chuck would be home with the girls. I told him that he could not ruin all the drama that we went through earlier in the day and give her a binky at bedtime. During the evening, they were playing superheroes and Lucy was pretending to be Dash from Incredibles. At some point she asked Chuck for her binky and he convinced her that superheros did not use a binky.

When I got home after 9pm Lucy was still awake and proceeded to cry for her binky. I read her stories, I cuddled her, I sang to her, I shut her in the bathroom for crying to loudly. Finally at about 10:30pm she finally fell asleep without her binky. Success!

Night # 3 sans binky, Sunday night. Lucy never even asked for her binky. Hopefully that continues. That first day was brutal, but I can't believe it only took 3 days. I still wish I would have done it earlier. Now onto getting Leland to stop sucking her thumb. I can't cut it off and throw it in the trash, so I might just rely on possible ridicule when she starts school to rid her of the habit.