Pacifiers: yes, no, and why

kfry22

My husband and I have differing views on pacifiers. He feels that they are a necessary newborn item and will be used in our home with our LO. I feel that they can be avoided and personally don't care for them for a few reasons. I was wondering what Mom's with older little ones thought and how they worked in their family. I am also curious what FTM are going to do. I don't want to this to be a controversial or judgmental thread, either. And so far in our BMB, I have not seen any pacifier discussion. So, will you or won't you be using them and why??

morganabyrd

I've heard that a paci habit is easier to break than a thumb-sucking habit. Yes, I've heard some horror stories about how hard it was to get rid of the pacifier, but not all kids experience that. I'll take my chances

curfam4

We used one for DD and will use one for this baby again.  I find they really help with baby's need to suck, and can help settle an overtired or unhappy LO.  That being said, we only use them in bed or in the car.  I did not ever want DD (and won't with this baby either) to have one in their mouth all the time...I'm not a fan of that

joules11235

We didn't use one with our first.  Breastfed if she needed it.  If we didn't start, then we didn't need to ween off.  Never even found that I wanted her to have it.

LiveNLove44

DD didn't take one, so it wasn't really up to us either way. They gave her one at the hospital, and we tried it once in awhile to see if that would help her soothe, but it wasn't her thing. She did suck on a blanket which I find a little gross, but it's what she figured out to be her soothing technique. We will go with whatever works for our LO, but we are also proponents of weaning at an early age to ensure they continue to develop new soothing techniques. 

bbiutmcph

We used them with both boys and will offer with DD. it wasn't that difficult to break and they are a God send when you can't feed them immediately, they are just fussy or just need a little more comfort. I don't think there is anything wrong with a pacifier as a baby.

I have also heard they are recommended for another SID prevention.

ElleMF728

I tried to get DS to take one but he never did.  I will try again with this LO.  I try not to have too firm opinions about things like this since every baby is different and I never know how desperate I'm going to get.  Lots of babies need to suck for comfort and my nipples were sore and bleeding so I definitely preferred him to suck on something...anything else. 

midge519

My son loved his but he stopped wanting it at 2 months old. My daughter was back and forth but I found it helpful when all she wanted to do was comfort suck and not actually nurse. We intend to have one to use if the baby takes it this time around. We don't want a thumb sucker if we can stop it (yes I know some kids just have to have their thumb) but a paci is easier the break than a thumb

smlowe9311

I voted other as we will try with dd2 after 4-6 weeks so that we can establish a good bf'ing relationship first. Dd1 took one on and off for a few weeks around maybe 2-3 months I think (and she would take it more easily with my parents than me as she always wanted the boob if she needed comfort when I was around). I'm not opposed to paci's it just depends on the baby for us.

amberrmariee20

We used a pacifier for my son, he was tongue tied, they believed it could help stretch his tongue tie, it did not, he only used it till about 6 months old. However we chose to use the hospital brand one they gave us, it's one piece all rubber with no hard plastic, to eliminate a bigger chance of choking.
If we choose to use one this time it will be the same kind we used last time. I highly recommend them !

krae771

I avoided it at the beginning because of not wanting to interfere with breastfeeding.  I then offered it to him about 6-8 weeks and he didn't want it.  I was happy that we wouldn't have to use a paci at all because I was never a fan of them.  Then around 4-6 months, we were having some sleeping issues and tried it and he took to it immediately and still uses it for sleeping at 21 months.  He is completely obsessed with it now, we have to hide it during the day because if he sees it, he wants it but we try and reserve it only for sleeping and maybe long car rides.

I don't mind him using it for sleeping because it is a comfort item for him and it helps when we are in new situations.  I also have a niece that didn't use a paci, instead she sucks her thumb and they had a very, very hard time breaking her of it.  She is 5 now, and still will suck her thumb when she thinks no one is looking.  I am not excited that he still uses a paci & less excited about weaning him from it, but I do prefer it to thumb sucking. 

DylansCandyBar

bbiutmcph said:

We used them with both boys and will offer with DD. it wasn't that difficult to break and they are a God send when you can't feed them immediately, they are just fussy or just need a little more comfort. I don't think there is anything wrong with a pacifier as a baby. I have also heard they are recommended for another SID prevention.

All of this.  So yes, we use them and will continue to use them. 

saintpaulJess

We used them with our kids, but only for the first six months.

komorebi

My kids would never take them. But I'm not morally opposed or anything. It can be a good indicator of tongue tie if your baby has issues keeping one in their mouth, so i will be trying again this time just in case it works.

amberrmariee20

komorebi said:

My kids would never take them. But I'm not morally opposed or anything. It can be a good indicator of tongue tie if your baby has issues keeping one in their mouth, so i will be trying again this time just in case it works.

exactly ! My son couldn't latch to anything, they thought the pacifier could help stretch it, but we ended up getting his tongue tie cut at 3 months old.

Carmofrap

I didnt use them with my son. For one I wanted to establish a good milk supply so used my boobs as his pacifier in the early days. Then I also was against the fact that they are bad for the development of the infants mouth. I also didn't want to have to wean him from me and then do it again from a paci. However I told myself if he showed any signs of thumb sucking I would get him a paci.

mandy903

With my first two I avoided offering one off the bat until nursing was established. Neither of mine ever had any interest in it once it was offered. .. I will offer one and see if baby likes it or not. I see no harm in a baby using our not using a paci. I do see a problem with toddlers walking around with them. But that's a personal peeve. My son is autistic and has severe speech delays and in my opinion a toddler with a paci is missing out on practicing speaking. ..

adcoxmt

If it's the only thing that will comfort baby boy, I'm not opposed, but I've heard of babies just simply not caring for them (myself included apparently). I will, however, offer him this one first as my friend's sister got it for him:

eat111315

We used them with both kids. My son had some difficulty putting himself back to sleep in the middle of the night so we took away his paci at night (around 4 mos). He would wake up, it would have fallen out of his mouth but he was too little to find it again so he would scream... every two hours.

As others have noted- it's better than thumb sucking. You can take away their pacifiers but you can't take away their thumbs.

wchicagomom

I will attempt to introduce one early on because of the studies that show it decreases the risk of SIDS. I will also try to wean early so baby doesn't become dependent on it.

MamaOwl15

My son used a paci occasionally in the early days, and lost interest when he discovered his fingers. For a while, he'd soothe himself by sucking his fingers. Now, at 2, he neither sucks his fingers not uses a paci.

I plan to have some pacifiers on hand for DD. Once we've eatablished breastfeeding, I have no itention of being a human pacifier. I'll wean her off the paci early, though. Maybe she'll take after big brother.

I used to babysit two year old twins, and one of them was so addicted to her pacifier that she would talk with it in her mouth. I can't imagine that being good for speech development. I have nothing against infants using pacifiers, but toddlers, no.

1stComesLove421

We would give our 10 month old one on occasion, but she never really cared for them. If this new baby wants to use one, we don't have a problem as long as it doesn't become habit.

doe2813

With my DD's we had them but only offered as a last resort and they never really liked them so it worked out. So we will be doing the same with this Baby.

102215duryee

DD used one until 6 months. We didn't use them as a first soothing, but we did use it when she needed it. A pacifier habit is easier to break than a thumb sucking habit and babies do need some sort of self soothing. Depends on the kiddo.

I would just break the habit by one. That's where you run into problems with teeth and speech development. If they always have a pacifier in their mouth, they won't have much opportunity to use sounds babbling or using words.

ChariZae

I chose other because it depends on what this LO prefers. Both of my DDs used pacifiers, but DD1 didn't really care for it and decided to wean herself off at 6 mos. DD2 we had to take the pacifier from her at 12mos.

We introduced pacifiers after about a month or so, and only used them for sleep. We will probably introduce again after 1 month and see whether he likes them or not.

silly514

I say it depends on the kid. With our first, she wouldn't ever take it. There were times I desperately wanted her to but she just never got it. I won't buy more for this kid but I'll definitely have some on hand in case he is a Paci baby. I don't know anyone who honestly had a terrible time breaking the habit... Or any other problems so I don't have a problem with them.

millereliz13

I plan on using pacifiers if the baby accepts it. We are planning on being flexible but don't want our little guy sucking his thumb.

am&n

Both of my boys had pacifiers, it helped soothe them. However, by 3 months old, they decided they didn't want them anymore.

This little one will be offered one as well.

MrsFaust1432

I plan on using them, but only after a week or two of BF so as not to create nipple confusion.

texasmomma84

I agree, it depends on the kid. I'll for sure be offering this baby a paci to she if she'll take one.

My first took one for a little while. But, he also sucked 2 of his fingers. He's almost 7 and *still* sucks the same two fingers. It definitely is hard to break that habit since he's literally been doing it since he was in the womb! (Seriously, I have an ultra sound picture somewhere of him with these two little fingers in his mouth!)

I tried with my second but he didn't like them. He also sucks on two fingers and I'm sure it's going to be hard to break him of that, too.

I hope little girl will take one and opt out of the finger sucking. We've tried everything we can think of to get our oldest to break the habit. Even having him talk to the dentist hasn't helped!

jem89

I am not against them but neither of my kids took one. They both did have a tongue tie too. I never tried once we had DD2's tongue tie released but she was the most mellow baby and I never missed the pacifier. My kids never sucked their thumbs either. DD2 will randomly put her thumb in her mouth as an indicator that she is tired but I have never seen her with it in there more than a minute.

kaza512

Pacifiers are actually a part of SIDS prevention up until around 6 months.  If you plan on breastfeeding, you shouldn't use them until good latch is established, which might be right away or a few days.  Personallhy I will try to use them with the plan on weaning by one year.  The dental concerns are only for prolonged use (like after 3+ years old). 

leighann1

This is one of those topics I haven't gotten around to researching yet, so thanks for starting this discussion! I appreciate the responses so far, especially regarding pacifiers and breastfeeding.

jenn2132

My son used pacifiers and only liked the Avent brand. Initially I used them because I read it helps decrease the chance of SIDS so as a FTM that was very comforting to me. I did worry he would have trouble weaning off the pacifier because he needed it to sleep at times but at 10 months he just one day didn't want it. Hit never affected him breastfeeding thankfully and I have to admit I think babies with pacifiers are so cute!

FirstTimeMamaAricka

We bought 2 that are really nice and full rubber or silicone i can't remember right now but they are one whole piece. We will offer it to him but either way it doesn't matter. I figure it will be helpful if i can't feed him right away.

loveleighmami

I wanted my first two to, but they weren't terribly interested. The second baby was a little more interested than the first. I will try with this baby and see. My first baby drove me nuts at times because she thought I was her pacifier, even if she didn't want to eat, and I would get sore. I'm team pacifier lol if the baby will take it.

kelsojohnso

I work in the dental field and I can see what they can do to teeth (don't get me wrong thumb sucking is WAY WORSE) I'll only be buying orthodontic approved paci's

rhiannonbaca

I sucked my thumb until I was 9 because my mom decided no pacifiers. She then realized you can take a pacifier away but my thumb is always there. She tried chili, nail biting cream, etc and it didn't work! I finally stopped on my own but could have been much worse

BabyOIsComing

I had always thought no, but when my friend's infant had a meltdown at the pediatrician's office, the Dr asked her if she had one. She said she wasn't using one and he said something along the lines of, "I've never had a patient go to college with one.". That was an interesting way to look at it, so we're going to keep a couple around and see what happens.

shannonescobar

I'm a dental assistant at a pediatric dental office and I see a lot of kids come in with an open bite from not stopping a pacifier habit or having a thumb habit. Thumb habits are harder to break since you can't take a child's thumb away lol. I'm going to have pacifiers for my twins because I think it is soothing and calming for them but I'm only going to use pacifiers and a thin nipple to try to avoid any dental issues just in case I can't get rid of them like I hope.

twogirlsandagreen

I would have lost my mind if my girls hadn't had paci. They both had major oral fixation and my nipples literally bled trying to keep them pacified. Hopefully this baby boy won't need one, but it isn't a big deal if he does. They are just a pain to keep track of!

My girls both only got them for sleeping (never while awake) so it was not an out of control habit in our home.