Want your child’s pacifier to magically disappear? Call in the Binky Fairy. She collects pacifiers from toddlers all over the world and gives them to babies who need them (wink, wink). Get your tyke ready for life without paci by following these steps:
- Give your toddler a heads up. Let her know the Binky Fairy will be coming soon to take her paci because she’s such a “big girl” and won’t need it any longer.
- Create a colorful “bye-bye binky” calendar. Whether you decide to take three days or three weeks, your youngster will appreciate the time to prepare mentally and emotionally.
- Check out library books like “Florrie the Paci Fairy” by Anthony Crosbie and “Goodbye Binky, The Binky Fairy Story” by Sinead Condon, and read them together.
- Start weaning your child by not offering a pacifier when she’s in stress-free situations and use only at night the few days leading up to the Binky Fairy.
- On the day of, collect all pacifiers together with your child and place them in a special bag or container to make it easy for the Binky Fairy to find.
- After your little one falls asleep, replace her bag of binkies with treats, toys or another source of comfort such as a new teddy bear or special pillow – as a gift from the Binky Fairy.
- During the tough times, remind your now “big kid” that the Binky Fairy took his pacis to the little babies who needed them. Expect one to five challenging nights, but soon the Binky Fairy will be a sweet memory.
- Celebrate your child’s “big boy” or “big girl” status with a special playdate or a small party.
Most children between the ages of two and four will give up their pacifiers on their own. Yours may never need a visit from the Binky Fairy. But if she does, make it a magical rite of passage.