Taking drastic measures

Andrew (at 3 or 4 mos.)

Aaron (at 9 mos.)

The binki has been driving me crazy!!  For the last couple of weeks we've talked about getting rid of them for good but we either wanted to wait until after our SLC trip or were too chicken. We've pretty much given them the binkis for sleeping... or at church... or when they're fussy... or sometimes when they're playing.  Okay, so I guess they use it more than I want to admit. Even though they can be a real pain I have to admit I do think it's cute to see them sucking on it.   But that was when they were little babies and now they're pretty much almost toddlers. (It can't be!!) And there have been moments when it's helped quiet them down or get them to sleep.

Andrew is not as attached to his binki as Aaron is but he does like it sometimes when he's trying to go to sleep and he loves taking it out of Aaron's mouth and putting it in his.  Andrew also likes to throw it out of his crib but it doesn't stop him from going to sleep.  Aaron, on the other hand, is a whole other story.  He LOVES his binki!!  I rarely see him asleep without it and if there's one in sight he gets all excited and makes inhaling/exhaling noises (what he does when he's excited) until it's in his mouth.  Anytime Andrew is sucking on one he grabs it and puts it in his.  We've even had fun putting the handle (whatever you want to call it) in our mouths, moving our heads back and forth, and watching them laugh hysterically.

Lately, though, I've had enough!!  As much as Aaron loves his binki and wants/needs it to sleep he LOVES throwing it over the side of his crib.  We've done what most parents would probably do: if he's crying and won't go to sleep until he has it, we've gone in and given it to him. Sometimes that's worked but usually he'll throw it right back down only to wait for us to get it again.  I feel like a dog playing fetch.  I've tried NOT giving it to him. Period.  All that does is prevent him from taking a nap.  I've tried attaching it to a 'leash' on his shirt.  He pulls it off and has a great time playing with the leash and binki.  For the last 3 days he hasn't taken a nap in the afternoon because he'd rather play a game with me of Fetch the Binki.  Besides all that they get dirty and need to be cleaned; they get lost and more need to be purchased.  Note:  Andrew could probably care less about his.  Pretty much he sucks on it because it's there.  I doubt we'll have any probably breaking him of it.

Last night before they went to bed I finally did it:  I snipped ALL their binkis.  And then we've carried on as usual, offering it to them before going to sleep.  They were pretty confused the first time they tried putting it in their mouths and it didn't work. (As I'm writing this, Aaron is waking up from his nap crying.  It looks-we have a video monitor- like he's trying to suck on the binki and it won't work.  I feel so bad.)  Andrew went to sleep last night and both naps today without a problem.  So far so good.  Aaron hasn't been so easy.  Even though he was soooo tired last night Aaron kept fussing for close to an hour before we finally picked up the binki and gave it to him. All he wanted to do was hold it in his hand. I forgot to mention that about half of the time he's holding it in hand and not sucking on it.  

We debated which method to do:  take all the binkis and throw them in the trash OR snip them. Obviously we opted for the second one but the problem we can face with that is he still may throw it over and want it again for the sake of holding it in his hand.  But the advantage is that they feel like the one in control.  "Hmmm, this doesn't work anymore.  I'm not getting any comfort from it.  It's doing me no good.  Maybe I don't need it anymore."  After a few days we may just toss them in the trash. Hopefully this won't take long.  The morning nap today was not a problem and the afternoon nap Aaron woke up once looking for it but fell back asleep (probably had it in his hand).  He woke up not long ago and it looked like he was trying to suck on it and didn't get any success.  Made him mad, he cried, and he is now awake.  Oh, well.  It's not going to be easy.  It'll probably be harder for us than for them.

But for the last 24 hours I've felt like a really mean mother.  It's not hard for me to feel guilty about ANYthing and this is no exception.  I'm trying to tell myself it's got to happen eventually, they'll won't remember it in the long run, and I might keep my sanity (if it's not already gone!).

The second semi-drastic measure:  For the last week I've duct taping Andrew's bib to keep it on him while feeding. I guess he thinks he's grown up enough that he no longer needs to wear one. Believe me, he still makes a huge mess when eating.  I've tried feeding him without the bib and without fail he needs a change of clothes.  The duct tape has been very effective in keeping it on and now he rarely tries to take it off.