Any advice for taking the binki away from my 19 month old son? Possible sensory disorder.?

Question

My 19 month old is having a hard time getting rid of his binki. His 3 month old brother has one too and sometimes he takes it from him and hands it to me or he puts it in his mouth. When I tell him to give it back or to me he does. At naptime or at night he cries for his binki and this can go on for hours. He is chewing on papers, the buttons off our remotes, on our coasters, blankets you name it he chews on it. Also, his teeth are starting to accomodate to the binki in his mouth so they are slightly crooked. He drools ALOT, more than any kids I've ever seen and I have been a preschool teacher for 1 1/2 years and have my Child Development Associates Degree. Everything I have done with the kids at work does not work for my son. I will pat his back to try to get him to sleep, I have even fallen asleep with him in his toddler bed. And this issue is getting worse everyday. He is now swinging at us everytime we tell him no when he asks for his binki. I'm afraid his biting will come back.

Answer 1

I've read that there shouldn't be a concern for jacked up teeth and speech problems until the child is around 3 years old.

Why do you want to get rid if his binky right now?  I've noticed most moms waiting until the 2 year old mark.

Anyway...regardless...you can try using a "Binky Fairy".  have your son put all of his binkies in a box or envelope and mail them to the "Binky Fairy".  Tell him that the Binky fairy will leave a new special toy in the mailbox the next day!

A friend of mine did that the other day and it worked, no problem!  He is 2, so he may have been able to understand the concept better...

Answer 2

Hi there.

As a speech pathologist working with preschoolers, I can tell you that your son's behavior can truly be indicative of a sensory disorder.

Your son's oral structures will significantly impact his speech if he doesn't stop using the pacifier.  

The fact that he drools might also be indicative of not only low oral structure tone, but a sensory issue as well.

Since he's seeking sensory input from other objects when he doesn't have his pacifier, you can buy chewing toys that will not only satiate that desire but also improve his jaw strength...which might subsequently improve his lip/tongue/cheek strength and decrease his drooling. There are P's and Q's products from the makers of ChewyTubes that are very very very strong. I use those during my oral-motor sessions with my preschoolers...especially if they have issues with sensory input.

Answer 3

If you have decided your 19 month old is not going to have a binki then all the binkis in the house need to disappear including the three month olds.  No questions ask end of story.  My grandaughter had her binki till she was 3+. Her mouth was misshapen but immediately straightened out after she gave it up.  I'm pretty flexible.  If a child has a sucking need I'd be more inclined to wait until the child was ready to give it up.  Let me give you another example. My grandson was spending time in his father's family who thought is was important to give up the pacifier/bottle early. Since he was not allowed a bottle on visits to his father by age 18 months we went along with this to be consistant. Anyway, I hope this helps.  By the way, my grandson developed a habit of thrashing his head back and forth to put himself to self after the bottle was taken away.  At age three he is the best sleeper in the world.

Answer 4

My brother-in-law told me that they cut the tip of the binki off and told their daughter that it was broken and had to be thrown away.  Another person told me to go to a Bulid-a-Bear type of place and have the binki put into the animal's arm, that way the child will still have it with them at night, but not in their mouth.  I have a 20 month old who still uses a pacifier...I am going to try the Build-a-Bear method around her birthday.  Best of luck...I am right there with you.