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I tried the bad tasting nail polish with my daughter when she was 6 years old. She is a nail biter. She figured out that if she was just strong for a few minutes and suck the nail she could get the bad taste off and chomp away. Now at age 8 we are still fighting this. I've promised manicures with lime green polish from a real salon and everything.
Any suggestions?

UPDATE! Since this topic broke, I decided to break Lillian of the binky. We’re having some rough here and there moments, and strangely enough- we are on day 4 with no bink, she is asking for it more as we get later into the game than in the initial.

I do think we are doing pretty good. I have caught Lillian with her fingers in her mouth a couple of times, but told her not to and redirected her.

I'm going to hold out- they are all gone, well, hid really good! Not for lack of her looking. She frisks my pockets, digs in my purse and goes through the drawer where I use to keep them. It is so sad, it’s like she’s a little addict.

Cold Turkey is what seems to be working best, and I did the fairy story partly too. Thanks ladies for all your advice and encouragement!

Good job for Lillian, even though it might seem rough. She is doing well!!
I think cold turkey and consistency works best!

Good job Shawn & Lillian! Stay strong, keep up the good work!

I know it's hard. Both my girls loved their pacifiers ("pacie")! Even though they are as different as night and day, I tried the same thing with both and it worked for both! Usually what works for one isn't going to work for the other one! LOL! The bottle was gone at 1 yr, which my youngest had a harder time adjusting to sippy cups but she finally got it! At that point, I only gave the pacifier at nap and bedtime. With both girls, at age 2 we moved them out of crib and into a "big girl bed". I made a big deal about getting a "big girl bed", and let them both pick out the bedding. With both, I explained that they were big girls now and didn't need baby things like cribs and pacies. They could have a princess bed! So, the first night in the new big girl bed, we said no more pacie. I remember my oldest cried a little, and then went to sleep. Never asked for the pacie. When it was her turn, my youngest cried a lot that first night, but we didn't give in! She finally went to sleep on her own and has been sleeping fine ever since (it's been a year!)!

That's what worked for my girls, but everyone is different! Fortunately, mine never started sucking their fingers. I don't know what I would have done if they did! You're doing great Shawn, don't give in!

good job lilly and shawn.
i always dreaded the pacifier i'm glad mine never got into that. i just have to break the blanket before kindergarden.

I had my daughter throw her pacifier away when it was time to give it up. She cried a couple of times but I reminded her it was time to be a big girl and she had thrown it away. With my son, a friend was having a baby so we packed up the binkies for the new baby (not that I would ever dream of giving someone a used binky). He was happy to pass something along to the baby.

First of all let me say, "Poor Lilly".

I don't know any wise answer to getting rid of the passi but here is my passi story.

My firstborn, a son, was not a passi baby until I weaned him at 11 months. I didn't have a choice or I would have nursed him a little longer anyway... He weighed 8 lbs 13 ounces when he was born. He was a sorry nurser so I bought every passi made to try and get some relief. Nothing doing. He didn't want any of them. Well, we made it until he was 11 months old and then he found one lying around and went to town on it. He had it for less than a year and then he just laid it down. He was always much easier than my daughter, imagine that!

My second child was a pacifier (fie) baby. Well, first let me tell you that she weighed 9 lbs 15 ounces at birth and I nursed her (until 15 months old) so we both needed her to have a fie. She started rubbing my elbow while nursing when she was a tiny infant (well young infant) and had to rub it every time I held her or sat by her until she was nearly four, along with her fie. I guess I felt like she needed her fie and the dentist said that it would not damage her teeth so we just let her enjoy it. It wasn't a comfort thing for her. She would
rather pitch a little fit or let you know about it than suck her fie any day. She was potti trained and could talk as well or better than most two year olds way before she was two. She'd take it out and hold it or put it
in a pocket or purse and pop it back in when she was finished talking.

It took a bumble ball to get rid of the fie. I had the belbow issue for a while longer. I had to just stand a lot so that she couldn't reach it. She'd still cry for "belbow" when she was sleepy and I would give in sometimes or most times. It was really aggravating but I endured it for years. The things we do for our Princesses.

It's funny, when we talk about it or tease her about it she gets this faraway longing look in her eye. She's 18 now and I think she'd still rub my belbow if I'd let her, ha! ha!

I know that both of my kids will let their children enjoy the little comfort vises they need as long as they need them. They both remember how important it was to have them, her because she had them soooo long and him because he was soooo glad she had them.

Let me say again, "Poor Lilly".

I would agree that children need their vises but there are age appropriate vises and they change!!
Some may think it is horrible to take a vise away from a small child but it is MUCH better than having a 4 year old walking around with a pacifier or talking with it in their mouth. In my personal opinion is that I thought a pacifier was for a baby and not for a baby over 1 year. That is my soapbox........

With both my kids - I did something similar to the Binkie Fairy, but I did it a little differently. When I was ready for them to be done with the pacifier (pacie), it happened to be near Easter. Both kids only used it at bedtime and at naptime. We put the pacie on the table with a note for the Easter Bunny that this was for the Easter Bunny to give to another little baby that still needed a pacie.
It worked Well for both. My youngest cried for a few minutes the first couple of nights, but after that he completely forgot about it. My oldest was 17 months old when we got rid of it, and my youngest was 23 months old when we got rid of his.

Well it has been over a week and a half. Miss Thing is still asking for that bink! Not all the time; I see it mostly when she is tired.

She looks so pitiful and sad when she wants it. It breaks a momma's heart. I’m being strong and tough though, I haven't given in the first time- but I will admit it, I have been tempted.

Eddy was the one that was so adamant about her NOT having a binky any more. He is such hypocrite.

When Lillian gives you those big watery brown eyes and folds her little hands together with the most precious, soft, "please" it undoes him (me too!) Eddy spells to me, give it to her.

Great, so I have to be the bad guy all by myself!

Neither of ours had a binkie. I was their soother (breastfeeding 'n all), but I see how it can be difficult to break the habit. Not just on children. I will say this, though, we went to a Devil Rays ball game last night and there was a little boy about the age of 5 years old who had one in his mouth!

If you have an older child 4 to 6 years old, give him one, see how it looks and what you think. In other words - Be strong!! Be strong, mommies!! Be strong!! lol That said, I certainly understand there is a stage and age for a child to give it up and it all depends on the child. Only parents know.

We actually saw an episode of Super Nanny and they did the "Binkie Fairy" thing. The entire family gathered all the binkies, put them in an envelope, and "mailed" them. In the morning, the little child had a small reward and there was "fairy dust" all around the reward.

For those still being asked for it after some days or weeks (Shawn) keep doing your nightly routine, maybe even an extra book and leaving it in with Lillian or give her some small trinket for praise. Knowing your child and when she's more likely to ask will be an advantage to prepare with something else for her. Just a thought anyway.

My son, fortunately, didn't take a binky. Only my oldest girl did, really. But on her first birthday, I tossed all of her bottles and binkies into the garbage and never looked back. I'm very opinionated on these types of things. When I see a 3 year old with a binky - or *worse* a bottle with like, sweet tea in it - I cringe. It really is only difficult for a few days tops to stop it cold turkey. No need for an explanation, "binky is all gone" suffices. I tend to over-explain things when my children ask, but even I know that some things I just have to stick to my guns and put my foot down, and say "No more!" I realize this varies by family, and what others do for their children is none of my business. But opinions? I got TONS of em!

My son who is only 4 months old doesn't like the pacifier. I only use it when I put him to sleep and sometimes he doesn't even want it then.

Both my kids preferred their thumb to a binky/pacifier. Even though I think it is more natural I around 2-3 years of age I wanted them to stop. With my son (who is now 6) it was pretty easy to break during the day, just not at bedtime. I bribed him with big boy treats if he didn't suck his thumb like a big boy. (Something along the lines of - if he went one day he could stay up a little later, at the end of the week he got to play his Daddy's nintendo, etc.)
My daughter would not be bribed for anything and I was getting worried she would never stop (she was 3 1/2) and was sucking her thumb A LOT. After her next dental exam Dr. Tarver (at Dr. Bopp's office) sat down with me to share his findings. He said if she didn't stop sucking her thumb before too long that they would have to look at alternatives to make her stop because it was starting to mess up her teeth and gums. Well I went home, googled pictures to show her what she would have to wear if she didn't stop herself. Two examples include:
Tongue Crib - http://www.rivoliortho.com/images/Rivoli-044_9.jpg
and
Thumbusters - http://stopthumbsucking.net/im.../sammy&blake-008.jpg
She sucked her thumb that night when she went to sleep and never again!!!!!

Sarah

Trust me ladies, I never thought I would be one of those mommas that would have to break their child of the binky!

I would see kids with them and just shake my head. My boys were not interested in them.

Lillian from birth wanted to suck her fingers. I knew I had to transfer from the finger to the bink. She didnt want to take the bink at first, but I made her pretty much.

She of course fell in love with it at just months old.

I too hate to see big kids with pacifiers in their mouths. I got some looks with Lillian. It doesn't help that Lillian is a strapping lassie. She is way bigger and looks older than she really is.

She still wants to suck her fingers, which is making me nuts. She didn't when she had the binky, and that was the purpose of the bink to begin with. My daughter obviously has an oral fetish.

Ladies, never say never! You may think you will not have a binky baby - like I once thought- and look where I am now! I know a certain mom, cough, cough, that said their baby would NEVER sleep in the bed with them and take a bottle over a year old. Again, cough, cough.

Lilly is only asking for her bink about every other day or so. It is getting better!