Some people call it a pacifier. Some people call it a Binky. We simply called it a Bink.
They’ve been in my life for nearly 4 years. When Jonas was born in 2006, the hospital sent us home with one of those handy-dandy breastfeeding-sabotaging formula bags, which contained at least a dozen shiny new Binks. They immediately became a staple in our home, and our son latched on to them far better than he ever did to me.
The Bink was a lifesaver in the sleep department. Starting at 6 weeks I could just plug up his mouth, swaddle him tight, and he’d sleep all the way through the night (which was especially useful because I was already back at work by then, and really needed sleep myself.) Jonas loved the Bink the way most kids love blankies. It was his little piece of security and comfort.
But I didn’t want my child to walk around with a Bink in his mouth when he was old enough to be drinking from a cup. Just before his brother was born, we got Jonas to give up the Bink during the day. He only used it for nap time and Night-Night time. We were on the road to recovery.
Then, Jules was born. Julesy also took to the Bink, even though he was exclusively breastfed. I got lucky; he had no nipple confusion and my supply was great. Julesy came to love the Bink the same way Jonas did, which was a huge help for me because if Jules had his way about it, even at nearly 2, he’d be latched to my nipple 24 hours a day. The Bink was the only way my boobs could catch a break.
But because Julesy used a bink during the day, it was hard to stop Jonas from doing the same. Jonas would find them laying around, or even steal them right out of his brother’s mouth. Last fall the Dentist told Jonas he had to stop using the bink or his teeth were going to be crooked, and that worked for a little while (he really liked the dentist and wanted to please her, that little weirdo). But before long, the Dentist’s pep talk wore off, and we were right back to where we started with my preschooler trying to suck on a Bink all day long.
I’ve known I needed to take the hard road and get rid of the Binks all together, but, if I’m being perfectly honest with myself, I just didn’t want to deal with the fallout from that. I figured the children would lose their precious little minds if they didn’t have their trusty companions to suck on any time they were sleepy, or cranky, or sick, or even just too wound-up.
But after noticing Jonas’s teeth a few days ago, I decided I needed to step up to the Parenting Plate and put the kibosh on this once and for all. I warned the Hyphenated Husband and his mother that it was going to get hairy around here for awhile because…
The Bink Fairy Was Coming. Duhnt-Duhnt-Duhhhhhhhnnn.
I told Jonas for two straight days that the Bink Fairy was on her way to take all the Binks to the babies who needed them, and she’d be leaving him an awesome present in return. He asked the Bink Fairy to leave him a “Robot Dinosaur”. Then, before heading to Grandma’s house for the night, he and Julesy helped me gather alllllll the Binks from around the house and put them in a bag for the Fairy.
Then Jonas ran around in circles yelling “I’m so excited!!! The Bink Fairy is coming!!!“
The Hyphenated Husband and I spent our date night in Toys ‘R’ Us looking for the perfect “Robot Dinosaur” for our excited little boy. To my surprise – they had exactly what he asked for. I wasn’t sure they made such a thing, but there it was – a stomping, roaring Robot Dinosaur. Boy, would he be thrilled.
It was harder to pick something for Julesy because he’s at an age where his interests are constantly evolving, so we figured some indestructible board books would work for him. The next day, we brought the kids home where they discovered that the Bink Fairy had, in fact, brought them each a gift. Jonas was so thrilled he could hardly talk. So far the Robot Dino has not left his sight. He even sleeps with him.
HOWEVER – The real test would come at night. I never dreamed I could get the kids to sleep without a the little silicone suckers in the house, but much to my surprise, the boys went to bed without incident. They each asked about the Bink once or twice, but I reminded them of the presents they got and that was enough to quiet them down.
We almost hit a road bump when Jules-The-Squirrel managed to find one stray Bink hiding wherever-it-is he stuffs things when we’re not looking. But we got it away from him before he popped it into this mouth, and managed to divert his attention before a real meltdown occurred.
Then, Julesy even napped today without a Bink. This is monumental. Unbelievable. I never thought I’d see the day.
So, I think I’ve proven that we probably could have ditched the Bink long ago. Mama and Daddy were just too lazy, and a little too comfortable with the way things were. But I know now I’ve gotta start giving my kids more credit, because when I do, they always pleasantly surprise me.
And maybe, just maybe, we won’t bring any Binks into the house when the next baby comes along…
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Did your baby(ies) use a Bink? If so, how’d you put an end to that? At what age?
my oldest was addicted. finally I stopped buying new ones when he lost his. whenever I found a lost one I threw it in the trash. once he found a lost one and popped it in his mouth but I took it away and threw it away. it wasn't such a big deal, I really thought it would be though!
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