I have an 11 1/2 month old who's started to get a cold and/or allergies and she's had a very stuffed up nose and despite my best efforts with the bulb syringe (at 2am 3am 5am and all morning) i just can't get anything out. So, this of course makes it pretty much impossible for DD to suck on her binky for longer than a second and then she spits it out screaming, but then won't go to sleep with out it. I've really been a big advocate of attachment parenting so i hate the idea of letting her cry it out. so here's my dilemma, how do deal with wanting to just say goodbye to binky so we don't have to deal with this anymore, but w/o having to be a jerk and just let her scream and scream (she does have a little 'woobie' blanket still)
how do i get her to sleep w/o binky? gah.... (i hear her screaming at the moment from the other room, waiting for her binky back)
thanks so much guys, after all my searching i really only found ways to 'reason' with older kids to lose the binky 'binky fairies' and all that. so far she's doing a little better, took a warm bath last night before bed and i used a herbal vapor rub from Arbonne (natural version of vics) last night and she only woke up twice and seemed to have a much easier time breathing. she's had tons of drainage today, so we'll see if it's any easier to get the 'goop' out. (it's nice when she sneezes and just blows it out, although of course it's like green lava spurting and gushing which is way more beneficial than attractive)
again, thanks a lot, and any more ideas on whether or not to take the binky now would still be appreciated.
Most of the info about getting rid of binkies is for older kids, but when they are sick is probably not the time to get rid of it anyway. As far as the cold is concerned, to get our kids to sleep when they were less than a year, and had colds, my husband and I would strap them in the infant car seat. This way, they were slightly elevated, and could sleep with binky and all.
Most of the techniques for getting rid of binkis are for older kids, for children who can reason. You don’t really have that option for one so young. Have you been to your ped. to try and clear up your child’s congestion? It’s difficult time for you both.
Well, if she's sick, DO NOT let her cry or scream it out. She needs you now, more than ever. Try rocking her in a dark room with some soothing classical or lullabye music. Also, try 3-4 drops of Ocean saline in each nostril and let it sit for a minute before you try suctioning her nose out. It also depends on what kind of syringe you have---does it have a more narrow end that goes in her nose? That's what you need--if it doesn't, it just doesn't get up high enough to work. I got mine from the hospital when my son was born, you might want to ask your pediatrician where you can get one like that if you can't find it in the stores. As far the binky---I don't know that getting rid of it while she's sick is the way to go, but then again, maybe this is the optimum time?? (Nice answer, huh??) Here is a link to a book that helps you teach your children to get to sleep, get rid of the binkys, etc. I used if for both of my boys.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-ferber-method-demystified...
Clip the ends of the binky. That way if she wants something in her mouth, it's in her mouth, but yet she can breathe through it. Also, she may start hating them after that and it's a GREAT way of her not wanting to use them all. You aren't taking "them" away, you are just making them more undesirable! Good luck, B..
Hi A.,
It sounds like you are frustrated because you try two things at once; dealing with the baby's stuffed up nose and changing one of her habits. I agree with the advice that this may be not the time to get rid of the binky. I'd like to add to that I know sometimes we have certain expectations on our little one with timeline that put more pressure on ourselves and them. Surprisingly, our expectations could come from our own needs (i.e. to have peace, to be confident, to have more time to rest, etc)....not theirs. So, I would take it easy and deal with one thing at a time. Hope this helps!
We had a similar issue when our son caught a cold around his 1st birthday. Since we were on vacation, I brought him into the bed. That comfort seemed to help him stay asleep when he would have to open his mouth (binky would fall out) to breath. It also made it easier to monitor his temperature and to use some saline & the bulb throughout the night. My original thinking was that I could handle anything for a couple of days until the cold cleared up. Then I got it and we were both sick for over a week! It was a rough week and a ruined vacation. Hopefully your situation will be more temporary than ours and you can deal with the binky issue later. Good luck!
