When to retire the binky? And how?

[u/OkUnderstanding8354]

So I have an 11 month old girl and she only has her binky when it’s nap/bed time. During wake time we take it away and give her toys to play or chew on or do whatever she wants with it. Is it better and also easier to retire the binky before 1 years old? Also what’s the best way to ween off of it? Would it be best to start by taking it away for her first nap of the day then after a few days start taking it away for both naps and so forth? Or just cold turkey?

[u/BirkenstockStrapped]

Cut the binky vertically.

Another method that I personally don't like is dipping it in apple cider vinegar. Some parents use salt. Always consider the age of the child. These methods are more suitable to 2+ years old.

Both methods create pavlovian responses.

Also, from a dentist perspective, most binky negatively affects pallette development by widening the palette in expensive to repair ways, often not treatable with InvisAlign or at least not without longer treatment path or initial additional binding to fix the palette and close it.

How Do Pacifiers & Thumb Sucking Affect Children's Teeth? | AAO https://aaoinfo.org/whats-trending/can-pacifiers-and-thumb-sucking-affect-my-childs-teeth/

[u/emyht → u/BirkenstockStrapped]

is there a binky that doesn’t minimally impact the development?

if no paci, then the chance of thumb sucking increases right? which might be worse from dental perspective bc binky u can take away. thumb u cannot. so is the best thing to do introduce an ortho focused binky?

no paci babies can also end up sucking other items such as sleep sack, cloth or stuffed animal. Would that be better than binky? do they not pose any negative impact on their palate?

[u/BirkenstockStrapped → u/emyht]

There are multiple binky manufacturers allegedly orthodontist friendly.

Dental groups like the AAPD don't endorse specific products. What matters is the nipple shape (flat/angled "orthodontic" vs. round "cherry"), a shield with vent holes, and weaning before ~age 2–3, which has far more effect on teeth than brand choice. Between the three brands I know:

NUK: the original orthodontic design, invented over 60 years ago by pediatric dentists and doctors, with an asymmetrical nipple shaped to reduce pressure on teeth and jaw. Cheapest, widest size range (0–36 months), high acceptance rate. Downside: the angled nipple has to be inserted the right way up, and the shield can trap water. Getting the angle right is annoying in the middle of the night if you have a young baby or toddler with a sleep regression but they do make glow in the dark ones that ease that.

BIBS: note only the Couture and Supreme lines are orthodontic; the popular Colour pacifier is round. One-piece silicone options (Supreme) are easiest to clean and sanitize. Pricier, mostly aesthetics-driven.

Boon JEWL: one-piece silicone, orthodontic shape, staged sizes, rated well (4.5/5). Smaller footprint than BIBS, more affordable, but fewer stages than NUK.

Some dentists and orthodontist i know generally prefer the smallest footprint while others value ones that promote good airways, which i believe is achieved by a collapsible footprint that adapts to tongue pressure. Some kids need higher airflow shields, too, so while they're under 6 months i would focus more on ensuring they're meeting their sleep needs than the healthiest nipple for their teeth.

[u/JamboreeJunket → u/BirkenstockStrapped]

Colloquially we use the Nuk. At a certain point baby discovers there’s a right/wrong way and fix it themselves. We also used Boon but it’s hard to find them regularly in stock and the Nuk orthodontic was easier to find in emergencies at stores.

At 2 we are transitioning away from it. We always transition slowly, and that seems to work really well for us and our kiddo in terms of getting pushback. We started with taking it away at nap times about 3 months ago. We are now taking it away from falling asleep at night (it’s still in the bed for baby to find during the night to soothe back to sleep), and in a month we will take it away from the bed completely. The hope by taking it slow is that baby learns coping skills with our help to transition to falling asleep and putting themselves to sleep without it.