How did you get your kid to ditch the binky?

We tried the binky fairy thing with my daughter, and honestly, I was super nervous it would be this huge meltdown. But she actually got really into the idea - she picked out a special box for her pacifiers, and we talked about how the fairy would bring them to new babies who needed them. There were a couple rough nights, not gonna lie, but after that she just sort of moved on. I was so worried about her teeth too, but our dentist said as long as we stopped before age 3-ish, things would likely even out. Kids are surprisingly adaptable... sometimes I think us parents stress more than they do.

We did something similar with our grandson - told him he could trade his binky for a “big kid” toy. He was hesitant, but the excitement of picking out a toy helped. Had a couple cranky nights, but honestly, it was harder on us watching him struggle than it was for him. Funny how we worry about their teeth and habits, but they bounce back so fast. I still remember my own mom stressing about my thumb-sucking, and my teeth turned out just fine in the end...

Trading for a toy was our go-to, too. My daughter was super attached to her binky - honestly, I think I was more nervous about her teeth than she was about giving it up. I remember my own dentist making a big deal about pacifiers and thumb-sucking, but my teeth were fine except for a little overbite. Sometimes I wonder if we stress more than we need to, but those first few nights really do tug at your heart. Kids are way more resilient than we give them credit for, though.

I remember my own dentist making a big deal about pacifiers and thumb-sucking, but my teeth were fine except for a little overbite.

Haha, dentists love to warn us about binkies like they’re tiny plastic villains. I get it, though - overbites can sneak up. Still, you’re right, kids are tougher than we think, and a little drama at bedtime is probably worth it for healthy chompers. My kid traded his for a toy car and barely looked back... meanwhile, I was the one clutching the baby monitor all night.

Yeah, it’s wild how much hype dentists give the binky thing. I was a thumb-sucker forever and my teeth are mostly fine, just a little crooked. Kids are way more adaptable than we give 'em credit for. Trading for a toy car? Genius move.

Trading for a toy car is brilliant - honestly, I wish someone had offered me a Hot Wheels when I was stuck on my thumb as a kid. You’re right, there’s a ton of hype around pacifiers and thumb-sucking. I get where my colleagues are coming from - years of seeing kids with open bites and crossbites will do that to you - but not every kid ends up with a dental disaster. Genetics, luck, and how long the habit sticks around all play a part.

That said, “just a little crooked” is basically the story of everyone’s teeth, right? Most folks aren’t walking around with movie-star smiles, and that’s totally fine. I’ve seen plenty of kids adapt just fine after ditching the binky, especially when there’s a cool incentive involved. The trick is finding what motivates your kid - sometimes it’s a toy car, sometimes it’s stickers, or even just bragging rights at preschool.

Anyway, I wouldn’t stress too much if things aren’t perfect. Kids’ mouths are surprisingly forgiving, and honestly, a little creativity goes a long way.

“just a little crooked” is basically the story of everyone’s teeth, right? Most folks aren’t walking around with movie-star smiles, and that’s totally fine.

Honestly, this made me laugh - my own teeth are like a before photo for Invisalign. We bribed our daughter with a sparkly sticker chart and I swear those things had more power than Santa. She still snuck her binky at naptime for a while, but eventually lost interest. I guess my approach was a mix of “let’s try this” and “meh, not the end of the world if it takes a bit.” Kids are resilient (and stubborn).

“let’s try this” and “meh, not the end of the world if it takes a bit.”

That’s basically my philosophy too, but I’m curious - did you notice any impact on her sleep when the binky was gone? My nephew went from champion sleeper to full-on night owl after his pacifier disappeared. Maybe there's a correlation with how gradual the process is?

Yeah, we definitely saw some sleep changes after the binky was gone - nothing dramatic, but a few rough nights for sure. I think how gradual you go makes a big difference. We did a slow phase-out over like two weeks, just letting her use it less and less, and that seemed to help. My friend did cold turkey with her kid and it was chaos for a while... so maybe there’s something to easing into it. Every kid’s wired different though, right?

Phasing it out slowly worked for us too, though there were a couple nights where I almost gave in out of sheer exhaustion. I’ve heard some people do the “binky fairy” thing - like swapping it for a toy or something. Anyone here try that route, or is it just a Pinterest myth?

Phasing it out slowly worked for us too, though there were a couple nights where I almost gave in out of sheer exhaustion. I’ve heard some people do the “binky fairy” thing - like swapping it...

We actually did try the “binky fairy” thing with my youngest. I was skeptical, but it worked better than I expected - she was so excited about the idea of trading her pacifiers for a new stuffed animal. There were a few rough nights, not gonna lie, and I almost caved a couple times. In hindsight, I wish we’d started sooner. Our pediatric dentist warned us about possible bite issues if we waited too long, so that definitely motivated us to stick with it.

That’s interesting, we did the “binky fairy” with our oldest and honestly, I was surprised by how much it helped her let go of the pacifier. I totally get being tempted to give in during those tough nights - sleep deprivation is no joke. The dentist’s warning about bite issues was a big motivator for us too. Our kiddo had a slight open bite starting, but it corrected itself once she stopped using the pacifier. It’s wild how resilient kids’ teeth can be if you catch it early enough.

I get what you’re saying about teeth bouncing back, but in my case, things didn’t totally self-correct. I had a pretty noticeable open bite as a kid from using a pacifier too long, and even though I stopped early-ish, I still needed braces later. Maybe it depends on the kid’s jaw or how long they use it? Just a heads up that sometimes it doesn’t all go back to normal on its own.

Maybe it depends on the kid’s jaw or how long they use it? Just a heads up that sometimes it doesn’t all go back to normal on its own.

Yeah, I’ve wondered about this too. My oldest was glued to her pacifier until almost three, and I kept reading those “most kids’ teeth bounce back” articles, but her bite stayed off even after we finally ditched it. She ended up with a crossbite and needed braces by age 10. Not the end of the world, but definitely not what those reassuring posts made it sound like.

My younger one barely touched a binky and his teeth look totally different - so maybe there really is a genetic/jaw shape thing going on? Or maybe I just got lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) with their personalities and habits. I always feel like there’s so much pressure to just “wait and see,” but in our case, waiting didn’t magically fix everything.

I do think there’s a window where things can self-correct, but it seems like it’s a bit of a gamble. And honestly, the guilt trip from the dentist (“Oh, still using a pacifier at night?”) didn’t help. We tried swapping the pacifier out for a stuffed animal, cutting the tip off, even the “binky fairy” trick. Some nights were rough, but eventually she got over it...her teeth, not so much.

I guess my takeaway is: yeah, sometimes it all works out, but sometimes you end up spending a lot more on orthodontics than you planned. If I had a third kid (nope!), I’d probably try to ditch the binky earlier just in case. But who knows - maybe they’d just become thumb suckers instead and we’d be back to square one. Parenting roulette, right?

Yeah, I totally get the roulette feeling. My kid was obsessed with his pacifier too, and honestly, none of those “gentle” methods worked for us. We ended up just going cold turkey after a dentist side-eye. His teeth seem fine now, but who knows in a few years? Genetics definitely play a part, but man, the pressure to get it right is real.

- Totally relate to the pressure - sometimes it feels like every choice is going to mess up their teeth forever.
- We tried all the apps and “techy” tricks (timers, reward charts on the tablet, even a paci countdown), but honestly, cold turkey was what finally worked for us too.
- Genetics is a wild card. My brother and I had totally different teeth as kids, even though our parents did the same stuff.
- Dentist side-eye is real, but hey, you did what worked. That’s what matters.

Genetics is a wild card. My brother and I had totally different teeth as kids, even though our parents did the same stuff.

This is so true. I always felt like I was failing my daughter when she kept clinging to her pacifier, but honestly, my younger son never even wanted one and their dental checkups have been almost identical. It’s wild how much is just out of our hands, no matter how many “proven” methods we try.

We did the gradual approach at first, but it just turned into a negotiation every night. In the end, going cold turkey was the only thing that actually worked for us too. The first few nights were rough, but after that, she barely mentioned it. I still get a bit anxious at dentist appointments, but the side-eye is less intense now that we’re past the binky phase.

You did what you had to do, and honestly, there’s no one-size-fits-all. Sometimes the “right” choice is just whatever gets everyone through the day with their sanity intact.

I still get a bit anxious at dentist appointments, but the side-eye is less intense now that we’re past the binky phase.

That dentist side-eye is so real... I feel like they can sense my guilt before I even sit in the chair. It’s weird though - my kid was obsessed with his pacifier and I was convinced it’d ruin his teeth, but his last checkup was fine. Is it just luck, or are dentists sometimes a little too quick to blame binkies? Did anyone actually see long-term dental issues from pacifiers, or is it mostly hype?

It’s weird though - my kid was obsessed with his pacifier and I was convinced it’d ruin his teeth, but his last checkup was fine. Is it just luck, or are dentists sometimes a little too quick to blame binkies?

That’s what I always wondered too. I stressed so much about my daughter’s pacifier habit, especially after the dentist gave me “the look” and warned about overbites. But honestly, she dropped it around age three and her teeth are totally fine now. I think there’s a lot of hype, or maybe it depends on the kid’s mouth shape or how long they keep it up? My cousin’s son used his until four and needed a spacer, so maybe there’s some truth, but it’s not automatic doom.

I still get a bit nervous at appointments, like they’re going to find something I missed. But I feel like once we got past the binky, the pressure eased up. Anyone else feel like dentists focus on one “bad habit” at a time? First it was the pacifier, now it’s juice pouches and flossing.

Did anyone’s kid have trouble actually giving up the binky? We tried the “binky fairy” trick, but she just kept finding old ones in random drawers... I’m curious if anyone had success with cold turkey, or if it was more gradual.

It’s funny you mention the “binky fairy” trick because we tried something similar - left the pacifier under her pillow and swapped it for a little toy. It worked for about a night, then she raided our junk drawer and found a backup stash I didn’t even remember hiding. It turned into this weird game of hide and seek for a while. Eventually we just started cutting the tips off, a tiny bit every few days, so they’d lose that satisfying suction. She got bored with them after a week or two and just… stopped asking.

I do think dentists sometimes make it sound like every kid who uses a pacifier past a certain age is doomed to need braces. I get that it can cause problems for some, but it feels like there’s a lot of individual variation. My niece used hers until almost five (her parents were just exhausted and let it slide) and her teeth are fine. Meanwhile, my friend’s son barely used one at all and still needed orthodontics. Genetics probably play a bigger role than most of us want to admit.

And yeah, the focus does seem to shift. First it was “get rid of the pacifier,” now it’s “don’t let them sip juice all day” and “are you flossing every night?” Sometimes I wonder if it’s just part of the job to always have something to warn parents about. Not saying they’re wrong, but it gets overwhelming.

Did anyone else notice their kid substitute with something else after dropping the binky? Ours started twirling her hair a lot, which seemed harmless but kind of funny. I half-expected her to start sucking her thumb instead, but thankfully she never did.