I have to say, you handled that binky transition pretty well. It’s never as magical as the books make it out to be, at least not in my experience. I remember when my granddaughter gave hers up—my daughter was a bundle of nerves, just like yours. The little one, though? She fussed for a few days and then moved right on, almost like she forgot what all the fuss was about. Sometimes I think we adults are more attached to their routines than they are.
A few things I learned along the way: first, expect some pushback. It's totally normal for them to look for a replacement comfort item...like chewing on a stuffed animal or even their sleeve. As long as he’s not switching to thumb-sucking (which can be a trickier habit to break later), I wouldn’t worry too much about the rabbit. My dentist always said it’s better for their teeth if they move on from pacifiers sooner rather than later, but a bit of rabbit-chewing is usually harmless.
Second, the dramatic sighs and grumbling? That’s part of the process. Kids have big feelings about small changes. What helped us was keeping her hands busy—play dough, coloring, anything tactile—and making sure bedtime routines stayed comforting even without the binky.
And honestly, I think you’re right: it’s often harder on us than them. We want everything to go smoothly and painlessly, but kids are more resilient than we give them credit for. In hindsight, I probably stressed more than she did.
Hang in there—you’re doing just fine, even if it feels rocky for a bit. And if he wants to chew on his rabbit for a while...well, that’s his way of coping. He’ll move past it soon enough.
I totally get the nerves—honestly, I was way more anxious than my kid when we ditched the binky. You’re right about the rabbit being less of a worry than thumb-sucking. I still cringe thinking about the dentist lectures... but you’re handling it great.
I remember those dentist warnings too well—my daughter was a thumb-sucker, and it did mess with her bite a bit. Honestly, I wish we’d switched to a binky earlier, since at least you can take it away. The anxiety is real, but you’re making the right calls.
We tried to avoid thumb-sucking too, but honestly, my son got so attached to his binky that taking it away felt impossible. Did you ever try those “binky fairy” tricks or just cold turkey? I kept worrying about the dental bills if we waited too long, but then again, replacing chewed-up pacifiers adds up too. Was switching to a binky really that much easier for you? Sometimes I wonder if it’s just pick your battles...
Totally get the “pick your battles” vibe... we went through something similar. We tried the binky fairy and just got a lot of side-eye from our daughter—she wasn’t buying it. Cold turkey ended up working, but wow, the first few nights were rough. I actually did some research on dental impacts and yeah, apparently prolonged use can mess with alignment, but the stress of taking it away too soon felt worse at the time. Honestly, sometimes it feels like you’re just trading one challenge for another—at least pacifiers don’t come with tiny teeth marks on the furniture.
