August 30, 2012

The Time We Almost Took Ellie's Binky Away

This week BJ and I seriously debated if we should take Ellie's binky away. She is getting so attached to it, she  manages to find them everywhere, it's messing up her teeth, we are scared that taking it away is just going to get harder the older she gets, and we're just trying to look out for her best interest! 
 Monday was supposed to be her last day with the binky, and then I was going to gather them up Monday night, get rid of them all, and be done with them. Fight it out. Cold turkey. Done. Kaput. Until I was sitting at the table on Monday after lunch and Ellie spotted a binky up high, far across the room, and reached for it. I gave it to her with the sympathetic thought that she should enjoy it while she could, and then it happened.
She put that binky in her mouth and I heard it, that sound that has melted my heart since the day I brought her home from the hospital. That sound I have heard next to me morning, noon, and night. I LOVE the sound I hear when Ellie sucks her binky. A binky is quintessentially "baby" to me. It looks so cute and sounds so sweet, I can hardly stand it. I started crying. Hard. I was SO NOT ready to see my baby's babyhood stripped from her. I called BJ and told him how I was feeling. We weighed the pros and cons, and then Ellie woke up the next morning, was in a horrific mood, and that's when our idea to "pull the plug" got bumped to the back to our "to do" parenting list. Maybe January will be a good time...
I am loving Ellie's hair so much lately ( look how well it's coming in!) that the bowless look has me melting. I love that straw- blonde hair.

4 comments:

  1. I absolutely feel you on this subject! It is soooo hard to decide when its right. Honestly it is different for everyone. The only advice I can give you is from recent and ongoing experience... take it away while they are younger... we just took presley and ryker's binkies away and ryker adjusted pretty quickly. Presley on the other hand still isn't the same. She cant sleep unless im in the room and up until a few days ago it was taking 2 1/2 hours every night of me sitting there to get her to sleep. She stopped asking for it a few days after we took it away but she still can not sleep as well. Good luck it is so hard to take babyhood away from them!

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  2. We're SO going through this. We've gotten it down to nap time and bed time. Currently Sophie is crying, "Binky go? Bye-bye? Binky?!" It breaks my heart a little bit...

    Also, heard you guys had an earthquake yesterday (or was it the day before?) My Grandma who lives in Irvine posted about it. Hope it wasn't too scary!

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  3. She does look so cute with it! And I totally agree with you. We just took Millie's away...well tried. I had her cut the tip off and she'd cry and beg for it, but I'd just remind her that she cut it and change the subject. It worked! Then came nap time. She would only take 45 minute naps when she used to take 2 hour naps. I couldn't give up that hour and 15 minutes so I gave it back to her during naps and bedtime. That's the only time she can have it. I have found that she is much happier during the day. She doesn't resort to her pacifier when she's sad, it's other things like me. I do wish I would have taken it away earlier. It is so much easier!! We tried when she was younger, and was successful, but gave it back to her because she was sick. It was easy back then! Also, (I know everyone's doctor is different) my dr said that naps and bedtime is ok. When they are three and can fully understand is when you take them away completely. It is ok for them to have it right now. Do you see older people with messed up teeth and they say, Oh! It was because I had a pacifier when I was little. Never. It is ok!! She will be just fine! Such a cute girl!

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  4. We just took Tate's away. He did so good. I thought it would be so awful, but he didn't cry once. He just asked for it but then would say he gave them away to new babies and he was fine. I'm glad we did it when we did. I think he was old enough to say he was a big boy and understood why he didn't have them anymore. Also he only had them when slept so he's done so well. Good luck! She'll be fine.

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