pacifiers..do you plan to use them?

bperala · December 2010

I'm on the fence if we are going to use pacifiers or not. My mother never used them on any of her kids. I have mixed feelings towards them. They can mess up teeth and can be hard to take care of on top of just another thing that we will have to buy.

What do you guys think? To pacifier or not?

jteneback · December 2010

I plan to have a couple around in case baby finds them soothing. The ones they have now are supposedly safe for teeth. I do plan to avoid them for the first month (along with bottles) to make sure breastfeeding is well established.

Doriekirk · December 2010

N-O!!!

other than his circumcision, my son will not even KNOW what a pacifier is!!!

I have a 25 year old sister who has horrible teeth and still sucks her thumb because my mother thought pacifiers would be good. When she tried to ween her, my sister threw a FIT and sucked her thumb, and still does!

erbear · December 2010

Wait and see if 1) baby will take them and 2) you need them. They can be a lifesaver for a fussy baby (unless you want to be boob in mouth 24/7, but try as I might, I could never get my kid to take one. I'd get some to have on hand.

Scout05 · December 2010

Yep.

My sister and I were thumb suckers. It took my parents so long to break us of the habit. And we both needed serious braces later in life - it's debatable if that is related, of course, but our orthodontist felt there was a correlation. Esp. in my mouth.

So with my much younger brother, Mom used a pacifier and she told me it was so much better. She was able to wean him easily from them when the time was right (two fussy nights and then he was fine.) And his teeth are perfect.

Again, I know that is debated (the teeth thing). I can only go off our own experiences. But from what I've read, pacifiers are much easier on teeth than thumb sucking, and it's hard to prevent the latter.

Lantaria · December 2010

Our first two kids had pacifiers. Our third had no interest in having one. It is nice not to have to worry about finding missing pacifiers in the middle of the night, We will offer a pacifier to this baby, but we won't push it.

Incognito2009 · December 2010

Its really a personal choice. I used them with both DD #1 and #2. They did not mess up their teeth. I would have an unopened package on hand just in case. Both of my kids found them soothing, they had the urge to suck on something and it was not going to be my boob.

mommytoprincesses · December 2010

Oldest DD took a paci until she was almost 2! She was attached bad and it was messing with her teeth. My Dh pretended to throw it outside one day and there were some birds flying around in the yard and to this day she says the baby birds got her paci!!..& she never asked for it again!!!

Younger DD never took a paci at all....

If this LO likes a paci then I will be ok with it...but only for a few months and then I will take away before it becomes a problem with her teeth or she becomes to attached!!...

ncbelle · December 2010

We didn't use one with kiddo so I don't plan to again.

nde99 · December 2010

ambrandau2:
Yep.

My sister and I were thumb suckers. It took my parents so long to break us of the habit. And we both needed serious braces later in life - it's debatable if that is related, of course, but our orthodontist felt there was a correlation. Esp. in my mouth.

So with my much younger brother, Mom used a pacifier and she told me it was so much better. She was able to wean him easily from them when the time was right (two fussy nights and then he was fine.) And his teeth are perfect.

Again, I know that is debated (the teeth thing). I can only go off our own experiences. But from what I've read, pacifiers are much easier on teeth than thumb sucking, and it's hard to prevent the latter.

This. Sucking is naturally soothing for babies and in a recent study pacifiers have been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. I will probably wean our LO around a year.

tokenhoser · December 2010

They only mess up teeth and become an issue if you let the kid keep them as long as they want. If you phase them out at 6-8 months, then you avoid all that.

We'll likely use them. I'll try to avoid it for the first few weeks to better establish bf-ing, but frankly, I know very well I'll do anything I have to if it means a bit more sleep. And really... I don't want to be a human pacifier, either. Babies like to suck.

ccorso · December 2010

I hope not to...but I think with babies it is better not to say, "I won't do this" or "I won't do that". The baby will help decide this one.

c446784 · December 2010

yes of course if they take them... It matters on the child...mess up teeth come on...most kids these day get braces anyway....

jmg7781 · December 2010

I will offer a pacifier to my LO if i feel they may want one. My last one had no interest in one at all. The older ones liked them and it wasn't to hard for us to ween them. Michael traded his in at 18mo for big boy cups an The Binky Fairy took Aidens and brought him a cool toy.

SweetBaby2004 · December 2010

We have them. With DD#1, DS, and DD#2, we tried to use them and none of them wanted to use past 6 weeks. We would offer them but they wouldn't take them.

We will offer this baby the pacifier but will take the cue from baby.

c446784 · December 2010

another thing... I gave my DD a pacifier and a bottle in the first few days.. she never got nipple confusion..I was able to breastfeed her for over a year.

Please do yourself a favor and relax..If you read in to everything way too much your going to be a very stressed out mother and your lo will pick up on it...

There were times I thanked god my DD took a pacifier,,,

kcnurse77 · December 2010

I exclusively breastfeed both of my babies and used pacifiers with no nipple confusion. I always wean my babies off the pacifier at age 1, no exceptions. Plan on doing the same for #3. They are very soothing to little babies. I never wanted my children to be walking around and talking with a paci at age 2 or 3, thus was very adamant about weaning early.

bear2115 · December 2010

I wasn't planning on using one with DD. Babies have an instinct to suck. It can be very soothing for some. I ended up giving it to her one day because I couldn't get her to calm down and it worked instantly. I only gave it to her in the car and when she was going to sleep and she gave it up on her own much before she was a year old.

It's so hard to say exactly what you will and won't do. I also wanted to swaddle and get her on a schedule right away. Neither of those things happened either. Try to relax and go with the flow at the beginning it will make you and your baby a lot happier!

FemmeNat01 · December 2010

If the baby will take it, yes.

We use them with the twins every now and then and it's been a lifesaver at times. They're soothing and it's not like you will solely rely on a paci.

penguin-kisses · December 2010

My son used one sometimes, but that was just occasionally when he really just needed something to suck on and I didn't want to put my finger in his mouth on a constant basis (I think that's way more gross than a paci, even though I know exactly where my hand has been). Weaning him off of it consisted of dropping the one that he had on the floor and it getting kicked somewhere and just never seeing it again. We didn't go on a frantic search to find it, just found other ways to soothe him, so I guess maybe he didn't need it that bad?

My mom was so neurotic when it came to her anti-soother stance, that she would go out of her way to HIDE the two soothers I did have. She didn't even preach any reasoning at all as to why soothers were bad, just that "he doesn't need those filthy things" and insisted he just suck on someone's finger. Excuse me if I'd like to actually have both hands free to eat my dinner once in a while, or when I can't reach into the back seat of a moving vehicle to sooth my son when taking him out of his car seat isn't an option.

On the flip side, a friend of mine has a 3 month old daughter that I just met for the first time when we paid them a visit recently. He went outside for a cigarette with my boyfriend while I offered to stay inside (I don't smoke anyway, even when I'm not pregnant) and keep the baby occupied. Soother stayed out of her mouth the whole time I was holding her because I was bouncing her and she was really enjoying it and stayed quiet and all that -- didn't seem to need it. The SECOND that my friend came back inside, he was like omg where is it and stuffed the paci back in her mouth. Every time she would spit it out, back it went. I felt like he was afraid to hear her make noise, which I don't agree with -- but my son is 4 and he's only been a parent for 3 months so I understand but would do things differently than he would. I obviously don't sit there with him and his daughter all day so by no means am I in a position to judge, it's just kind of how it felt.

We'll definitely have a couple around just in case but it's mostly a just in case kind of thing. Everything in moderation, if nothing else seems to work either.

choogasian · December 2010

I have no doubt we will use a pacifier. I see nothing wrong with them. I imagine we will wean about 1 year old or so. I think thumb sucking is disgusting, and I never want my child to do that, so I think pacifiers are much preferred. I think the teeth connection is bogus. Much more of a problem if your 5 year old is sucking his thumb... just my 2 cents.......

MommaA117 · December 2010

we will get a few. If she takes it, fine. If it soothes her I'm happy. I'm not a fan on seeing toddlers with them and having to pop it out to talk. Indifferent

It will get "lost" when it needs to go.

AJBMD915 · December 2010

We'll try it for this baby if she's fussy, wants to suck a lot. Being used as a human pacifier is not always fun. We used them w/ DD as she really only wanted to sleep with my boob or a bottle (when I was pumping) in her mouth. I was really afraid of weaning her off it, but it was a breeze. She just started to lose interest around 14 months and was just using it for naps and bedtime. Then I had an emergency appendectomy and while DH was her sole care provider he figured since she was falling asleep w/out nursing, he'd get rid of the pacifier to. She gave it up w/out a fight. I know this isn't the norm, but I figure we can gradually wean baby #2 around the same time. There's no way I could handle being a human pacifier this time around with a toddler to take care of too.

on_the_move · December 2010

erbear:
Wait and see if 1) baby will take them and 2) you need them. They can be a lifesaver for a fussy baby (unless you want to be boob in mouth 24/7, but try as I might, I could never get my kid to take one. I'd get some to have on hand.

Yup I agree with this exactly! I was fine with offering it to DS, but he didn't want them. If you don't offer a pacifier you may end up with a thumb sucker and that is a lot harder to break.

missmiss307 · December 2010

I'm not set on one way or the other, but I'm going to try to do without them. A close friend with a six-month-old has had great success with not using them, but obviously others have had better results by using them!

green bean · December 2010

if lo takes it then yes we will give it to him if he wants it, Iam not going to use it all the time but somtimes like the car or trying to cook dinner if hes dry fed and fussing then i will give it to him if hes trying to sooth himself, i agree with pp it only messes with the teeth if you let them keep it until they are like 3 or 4 years old .,

TheMrsHodges · December 2010

My husband doesn't like them at all. I don't mind either way. My mom used pacifiers with me and my brothers and none of us ever had any problems getting off the pacifier and we never had any thumb sucking problems either. So we're going to see how it goes and play it by ear.

jengon · December 2010

I am on my 4th baby and never used one and never will. They are used too much to shut a baby up. IMO there are plenty of other ways to sooth a crying baby. It's not about teeth to me. I have also worked in daycare before and it is ridiculous how much parents use them. It takes forever to get them off those things because they get so use to them being popped in their mouths at every whimper. If you never start them on it you won't have the problems that come with it. I should say, this does not mean all parents or babies but from what I've seen it's a lot of them.

etude de la vie · December 2010

I wanted DD to take a pacifier SO bad but she refused. My breast was the only pacifier she wanted. I bought every brand possible.....still won't touch a paci.

You can plan all you want but really it is up to them!

I started introducing the paci in the hospital and ebf for 8.5 months (no bottles no formula). She just didn't want to suck on a paci, but had no problem when I introduced a bottle at 6 weeks and the rare occasions she needed a bottle with pumped milk.

jbd1020 · December 2010

I don't plan to use them constantly or for several years, but I'm definitely going to have some on hand. I'll be breastfeeding so we'll try to wait a while to introduce one, though. AAP says they can reduce the risk of SIDS so that's good enough reason for me.

Phil&Corinna · December 2010

nde99:
ambrandau2:

Yep.

My sister and I were thumb suckers. It took my parents so long to break us of the habit. And we both needed serious braces later in life - it's debatable if that is related, of course, but our orthodontist felt there was a correlation. Esp. in my mouth.

So with my much younger brother, Mom used a pacifier and she told me it was so much better. She was able to wean him easily from them when the time was right (two fussy nights and then he was fine.) And his teeth are perfect.

Again, I know that is debated (the teeth thing). I can only go off our own experiences. But from what I've read, pacifiers are much easier on teeth than thumb sucking, and it's hard to prevent the latter.

This. Sucking is naturally soothing for babies and in a recent study pacifiers have been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. I will probably wean our LO around a year.

All of this. DH and I have naturally straight teeth but if LO needs braces, so be it. Most kids I see now have braces - its not like he would be an outcast because of them.

collyflower · December 2010

We will use them if our LO finds it soothing. We used them with DD - more when she was younger and then gradually reduced our use of them over time. Her pediatric dentist said it was fine for her mouth up until the age of 2 and that it is preferable to use a pacifier over thumb sucking.

globetrotting7 · December 2010

Don't believe in the bull people say about the paci or thumb-sucking messing up a kid's teeth. I sucked my thumb until I was about 4 and have a perfect smile and I have never needed braces. Pacis also help reduce the risk of SIDS.

My nephew never sucked his thumb or took a Paci but his teeth aren't coming in straight. Another thing, if you plan on breast feeding, and not using a Paci, many babies will cry for the breast not because they are hungry but because they want to be soothed. Good luck weening a child off the boob...

BetchySprout · December 2010

tokenhoser:
They only mess up teeth and become an issue if you let the kid keep them as long as they want. If you phase them out at 6-8 months, then you avoid all that.
We'll likely use them. I'll try to avoid it for the first few weeks to better establish bf-ing, but frankly, I know very well I'll do anything I have to if it means a bit more sleep. And really... I don't want to be a human pacifier, either. Babies like to suck.

Yep, this. We weaned Jack off his around 6 months and it was really no issue. He doesn't suck his thumb, never even showed interest in it. DH, his sister, and my sister all have thumbsucker teeth, trust me, I am trying to avoid it.

march2008 · December 2010

I will buy a few to have in case our baby likes them. I do not want to have a child that is still using one after the age of 1 though. I like the above posters idea about the "binky fairy" coming to take it away and leaving a toy. That's a really cute idea.

I had a friend who's little girl used a pacifier until the age of 3. She had to have 2 pacifiers at all times - one in her mouth and one to hold. The world would stop if we couldn't find TWO. That was nuts. They finally decided to have her "mail" her pacifiers to other babies that might need them.

croberts22 · December 2010

I plan on using them. I had one when I was a baby. I know one problem can be getting LO to stop using them. My parents had very little trouble getting me to stop using the pacifier. My sister never had one (because she didn't want it) and sucked her fingers instead. It took YEARS for my parents to get her to stop.

I had braces, but I think it was a family messed up teeth trait and didn't have anything to do with the pacifier. (But I could be wrong).

Lisa102304 · December 2010

Yep. If not only because 1) I don't want my boobs to be a pacifier, and 2) it can help reduce occurrence of SIDS. BUT, I will stop using them earlier than I did with DD.Of course, baby will be the ultimate decider. He/She may or may not even like them.

I never used a pacifier as a baby, neither did my brother. And we were not thumb suckers either. We both had jacked up teeth that needed braces.

wall0307 · December 2010

If this baby likes them, we will use them. DS never really liked them.

ekbrick83 · December 2010

No plans on using them. No one in my family ever has so that's one factor and I'm also an early childhood teacher and have seen my fair share of children, well over the pacifier age, still using them and horribly interfering with their speech and teeth. I've had to coach many parents on getting rid of them which can be so difficult for both kids and parents.

Mrs.Saxy · December 2010

yes, we used them for DS and weaned him off right before he turned 2. If I did it all over again.....which I will be....I will only give my baby the pacifier when he/she needs it. A lot of times with DS we would give it to him because it was there. I think that created a lot of issues because he was always offered it.

MNgirl326 · December 2010

Do yourself a favor and never say never.

You can't make some of these decisions until you have the baby. I would have a few on stock in case you need them. If you have a baby with collic/ acid reflux you will need them. period. I would also have a few different kinds on stock, because like bottles, babies have preferences.

My LO sucked on a pacifier and brreastfed (and had bottles) and never had nipple confusion.

pacifiers..do you plan to use them?

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