Bye Bye Binky!!

Bean at two months, peacefully pacified by the binky.

I was totally one of those people who said I'd never let my kid use a pacifier once they started walking and talking. I threw that idea out of the window when Bean passed her first birthday and was still totally addicted to the darn pacifier (otherwise known as binky, bink, paci, and even bun during one phase). As a newborn she really needed it. The pacifier did what it's name implies, it pacified her. We could calm her down in an instant by swaddling her and giving her that pacifier. 

At one point, she was so addicted to the binky that she was hiding it in her play kitchen fridge, opening the play kitchen door and sneaking a few sucks on it to try to hide it from us. We'd catch her in the act, and she'd look at us with this guilty look like "huh, what?" Signs of things to come as a teenager? I hope not!!

She's only used it at night for the last 18 months, and in the car, and when we needed her to do anything. We could get her to do anything, go anywhere, or sleep anywhere by offering that thing. I'm sorry, but I wasn't about to give up the little gem that allowed us some control over her random toddler behavior!! 

Until last week. It was just time. With a little help and suggestions from the good people at her daycare, we nipped the top of the binky just a teeny tiny bit, and pretended like we didn't know it happened until she noticed it. We said "oh wow, you've loved on that thing so much, you've worn it down!" She seemed to get this idea, and hasn't used it since. It's the "broken bink" now, which she proudly shows off to her friends. She still holds it every night, and for naps at daycare. But it's not in her mouth. That's all I care about. She can hold it until she's 12 if she wants.

I thought for sure she'd start sucking her thumb immediately after the bink was nipped. I was a thumb sucker until 4th grade. It didn't scar me for life or anything, but I did have some funny looking teeth for a while and I still remember how annoying it was to have to quit the thumb. So I'm glad she hasn't figured that out so far, fingers crossed. She seems content to hold onto the bink and three or four assorted stuffed animals each night.

I have to say, it makes me a little bit sad. That was her last baby thing, and I'll always remember her tiny little baby face covered by the giant binky. Or the little burrito baby wrapped in the blanket, calmly asleep in my arms with the pacifier. Now she's a big girl, potty trained and without bink, all in a month. On to bigger and better things, like being fascinated with what's in the potty!