Weaning 15 1/2 Month Old Son off of the Binky

I'm going to agree with Dori. I have a friend who snipped the tip off of the binky and her son lost all interest in it without fuss.

hi -- at our 2 year visit our doc said my son should not use the binkie anymore. we thought, there's no way he can get rid of it -- he loves it. the doc said taht best way to do it was to take it away cold turkey and NOT go back. we did that when he wasn't around and said he was a big boy. he was able to do it!! he was uncomfortable for a few days (and did naw at the crib rail:( but, has been pacifier free ever since and it is so nice! good luck!

First off it will probably at this age take less thing than you think.
You don't have to do the complex stories (ie-giving the binky to babies who need them more) because frankly his comprehension level is not that advanced or empathetic. I got my son off at about 15-16 months too.
First and foremost. Do not go out and buy more-that will prolong the process and it's enabling.
Next, establish strict ground rules. We started with, no bippies outside the house, then no bippies outside your bed, eventually he only wanted them for bedtime and it was no struggle.
Eventually we lost the last one(we hadn't bought any replacements, so we were forced to take action) and last year the day before thanksgiving, we just plum didn't have anymore. He cried going to sleep, but that was it. By the time thanksgiving weekend was over the binky was ancient history.
Do it now. My son is 27 months now and i seriously couldn't get him to do anything he didn't want to do (and sometimes i can't get him to do things he WANTS to do) so bite the bullet now and don't let this become a battle for the terrible twos.
Good Luck!

Hi Michele,
My pediatrician had a great idea. He said to make a little nick in the binky with a pair of scissors or knife. Each night or two I was to make another nick. That way, the satisfaction from sucking it would slowly decrease until eventually my son wouldn't even want it anymore. This method worked for my son, exactly as the pediatrician said that it would. My son slowly lost interest in the binky. There was no crying or anything. Good luck!

My daughters only used their pacifiers for nap/sleep too. It makes it easier to take away. I took them away around a year old, cold turkey. Both of them are fine and have no memory of it.

Once he goes to sleep take it out of his mouth. And when he asks for it pretend you have to go look for it. Take your time and perhaps he will go to sleep without it. Hide all the binkies so he doesnt see them around and grab one.

Hi Michele,
I have heard of 2 ideas to get rid of the binky...one is to give them to the binky fairy for other babies/children that need them...or the other idea that my girlfriend came up with was tying the binky's to a balloon with helium in it and letting it go up into the air....Im embarassed to say that my daughter is 3 and still uses a binky at night for bed...my friend just recently took away the binky cold turkey from her daughter and she said the first night was the worst...then she never asked for it again...I guess it all depends on how easily your son can adjust...I know that with my daughter she is going to give us a hard time!!
Meg :)

You can't really start to wean - either you take it away or you don't, at nap and bedtime.
My daughter really never took one but my son did at sleep time too. Sometime around 21 months, I tossed them. The first couple of nights/naps, he asked and I just avoided the question, ignored him and he may have whined a little but he didn't cry. After about three days when he asked again, I finally told him that he was a big boy now and didn't need a binky anymore. At first he gave me a look that made me think he was going to cry but he just said "Oh," and lay down and I never heard about it again.
Good luck