• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Pregnancy Logo 2018

Pregnancy Magazine

Pregnancy and infancy news, tips, and reviews

“Great
  • Pregnancy
  • Labor & Delivery
  • Baby
  • Breastfeeding
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • mom

Bye-bye binky: How to break-up with a pacifier

by Kristy Rodriguez Leave a Comment

There are over 160 different pet names for a pacifier. No matter what you call it when it’s time to say goodbye, it can be hard on the entire family. Below is a simple and creative way to say “bye-bye” to binky, making this transition a little less painful for you and your little one.

You’ve got mail (For ages 18 months +)

How to successfully send all of your pacifiers off to “new babies”:

  1. A few weeks before you plan to say goodbye to binky, begin telling your little one that he or she is a big kid now. Let them know that only tiny babies use pacifiers. (Insert whatever pet name you have for it.) Share with them in an enthusiastic and confident way that they won’t need it for much longer. (We used my daughter’s second birthday as a time marker for her.)
  2. When the day comes that you are ready to make the leap, don’t talk about the pacifier at all that day. Around four or five p.m., or after dinner, begin the pacifier scavenger hunt.
    1. When your child is distracted, place all of the pacifiers around the house on any surface they can see and reach easily.
    2. Tell your child, “It’s time to send the pacifiers to the new babies. Let’s get a bag and collect them all.” Ask in an excited voice, “Will you help me?”
    3. Give them a bag and have them collect all of the pacifiers.
    4. Tell them, “Now it’s time to send the pacifiers to all the new babies.” Have your child place the bag on the front porch or in the mailbox for the “delivery person” who is going to take the pacifiers to the new babies.
    5. After you come inside, say in a very exciting way, “You did it! You sent your pacifiers to the new babies! That was very helpful.”

At bedtime, when your child realizes they didn’t actually want to give the pacifiers away, they will most likely begin to ask for one. In a calm and gentle voice, reassure them by explaining that they put the pacifiers on the porch and the delivery person already took them—they’re all gone. Now the new babies have them. Reassure your little one by saying, “You can do it. You can handle it.” You may have to cuddle more, give more milk, or sing or read a bit longer, but it’s worth it. Over the next few days and nights, repeat them as many times as you need to that they are big now and that they gave their pacifiers to the new babies. Constantly reassure them that they can do it and that they can handle it. (And you can too, mama!)

What happens next will vary for each child. For us, on the third night, our daughter didn’t even mention the pacifier! What?! Seriously?! I’m was absolutely amazed and relieved. I’ve come to the conclusion that we adults make a bigger deal out of these kinds of things that the kids actually do.

Good luck with your binky-breakup, and share your story with us in the comments below!

 

Kristy S. Rodriguez, pre- and postnatal wellness expert and advocate is the founder of Pure Nurture, LLC and author of Pure Nurture: A Holistic Guide to a Healthy Baby.  Connect with her at purenurture.com or on Instagram

Filed Under: Childcare, mom Tagged With: babies, Baby, bedtime, binky, Pacifier, toddler, Toddlers, weaning

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe

Peaceful Discipline by Sarah Moore

More to See

parent coaching

Parent Coaching: 3 Ways to Create a More Joyful Home

By Sarah Moore

The perfect workout for pregnant women (sponsored)

By Isa Herrera, MSPT CSCS

Refresh your routine: best facial cleansers for skin over thirty

By Emme Lukasik

17 creative gift ideas for teen girls you might have missed

By Emme Lukasik

Footer

© Copyright –2025 Pregnancy Magazine Group

Emails powered by Wishpond: PregnancyWishpond

Dedicated WordPress hosting: PregnancyFlywheel

WordPress Theme: PregnancyTheme

This website provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for an examination by your healthcare provider. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

 

Recent

  • The latest in smart rings for pregnant and new moms 2025
  • Refresh your routine: best facial cleansers for skin over thirty
  • 10 Stylish Headphones for Personal Calm for Mom in 2025
  • 17 creative gift ideas for teen girls you might have missed
  • 10 Thoughtful Baby Bottle Gift Sets for New Moms in 2025

Search

© © Copyright –2025 Pregnancy Magazine Group · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT