Pacifiers - Yes? No? Why/Why not?

nicababy · December 2011

Trying to decide whether to start giving DD a pacifier. There are times when she's really fussy and gives hunger cues, but then is just comfort sucking. I'm worried that it might make it harder to recognize when she's truly hungry though - something we're still working out at 4 weeks. I gave her one briefly yesterday when she started crying in the middle of a 7 hour car ride with no place to pull over - she fell asleep within a minute and stayed sleeping (without pacifier) for 2 more hours! I know some people are against using pacifiers, I'd like to know more about why?

Thoughts? Experiences?

Vieve831 · December 2011

we don't use them because my DS won't take one. If he would I would gladly give it to him. They are also supposed to help reduce odds of SIDS. My only concern would be breaking the habit down the road

gina2433 · December 2011

Don't see a reason not to? My LO uses it then throws it out when he falls asleep.

tonychelle · December 2011

We just started using one in about the past week, and I think it's helping her sleep better (most of the time). I really only give it to her when she's fussy - usually at night or sometimes when we're in the car. She eventually spits it out - sometimes she wants it back, sometimes she doesn't. I was giving it to her before then because she didn't want it, but they I tried giving it to her when she was fussy, and it seemed to work and calm her down. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't give it to her.

monkeys2gether · December 2011

Same here with my DD who is 7 weeks...I give it to her on occasion such as car rides to calm her or sometimes at night. I try not to give to her too often when going to sleep as when she drops it, sometimes it wakes her up.

chele129 · December 2011

I didn't really want to give one to DS but I broke down. He doesn't really like it but does use it occasionally. the first time we gave it to him I swear you'd think we were trying to kill him by way of pacifier. I decided to give it to him because he was doing a lot of pacifying on the boob...which I know is a good comfort thing but I also got scolded by the pedi because he was gaining too much (of course I feed on demand and was just doing everything that the pedi was telling me to do) He mainly only uses it when we are in the car, he doesn't use it when he sleeps

blairy926 · December 2011

Yes-babies want to suck and it makes DS happy. Plus, it can develop a habit, but it is probably easier to break than thumb sucking because you can eventually take the pacifier away, but you can't take their thumbs away

Some people don't because of nipple confusion, but we never had that problem.

HazelBee22 · December 2011

DD will take her paci. We reserve it for when she's really fussy or fighting sleep. It really helps her calm down.

oilseeker · December 2011

I use one with my LO, although DH hates it. I give it to him when he's fussy and trying to sleep, usually after he's fed and I've had to change him, which wakes him up again (he has a tendency to have really big poops about 15 minutes after eating, just as he's trying to get to sleep). I BF, but after 45 minutes of comfort sucking, my nipples just can't take any more, so that's why I broke down and gave him the pacifier the first time. I do try to watch and see what kind of sucking he's doing on the pacifier - if it's too vigorous and he's not nodding off quickly, I figure he's actually hungry and I feed him again.

I'm worried that it might set him up for a bad habit, but he also sucks on his hands, so I figure he'd either suck a pacifier or his thumb. I'd let him keep going with his hands since they also placate him, but he gets so frustrated when he twitches and they "disappear".

JKTTC1 · December 2011

gina2433:
Don't see a reason not to? My LO uses it then throws it out when he falls asleep.

Same here. DS wouldn't take the soothies. He only will take Dr. Brown's!

kclear · December 2011

it helps DS fall asleep when he's super tired and cranky. he only needs it a few times a week usually. once he falls asleep he spits it out.

KBBH · December 2011

We use one for DD. I asked that she didn't get one in the hospital because we were having enough trouble getting her to latch and feed. I didn't want her to be the least bit confused. 2 x they brought her into my room with one in her little bassinet thing, and DH and I took them and put them in our bags. Now that we are established and all is well, we use them often. At this stage of the game, we offer it to her pretty much regularly. Once she understands a little more about what it is, we "plan" on having her only use it for nap time and nighttime. My niece had one, and she knew - she would put it on her little book shelf in the morning, and get it off of her self and pop it in her mouth ONLY at those times - nap and night. That is our plan as well.

I was a thumb sucker and it was really hard to break. I do catch DD going for her thumb every now and then, and although it's adorable, I don't really want her to be a thumb sucker like I was. The paci works for now. She also spits her's out when she falls asleep.

lkm2006 · December 2011

We have been using them from the start! He will only take the soothies though so I had to stock up on those. I started the paci because he was constantly trying to find his fingers and would get frustrated because he couldn't suck them.

I don't give it to him at night because it would fall out and he would wake himself up and start crying. If he falls asleep with it I wait until he is in a deeper sleep and then take it out before putting him in the crib.

angelina477 · December 2011

I think after 4 weeks they say its ok to use them if you are BFing. We have used them with DD1 and also with DS. It helps soothe them. Why not!

sarahjames9 · December 2011

blairy926:
Yes-babies want to suck and it makes DS happy. Plus, it can develop a habit, but it is probably easier to break than thumb sucking because you can eventually take the pacifier away, but you can't take their thumbs away Some people don't because of nipple confusion, but we never had that problem.

This would be my answer! My 12 yr old niece STILL sucks her thumb!! It is way easier to take a paci away!

Sarahcakes29 · December 2011

We started using one at about 4 weeks, though DS only seems to want it when offered about 30% of the time. It's reserved for calming him in the car or after super long nursing sessions when he's comfort sucking and I just can't take it anymore.

Mrs.Greeko · December 2011

Guess I'm the lone non-paci user! Don't use one and haven't with any if my three kids. Don't see much of a reason to. None of my kids sucked their thumbs either. I am perfectly fine with them pacifying at the breast. Didn't introduce a paci because I didn't want to go in 10 times a night and put it back in, didn't want to have to keep track, didn't want to break the habit, and I really really hate seeing toddlers with a paci in their mouth. It works for me and my family so I'm okay with it. Shockingly enough my children have all been just fine without it.

mbgreenwalt · December 2011

DD won't really take one yet. I have to give her Prevacid in the morning on an empty stomach and then wait 20-30 minutes to feed her. During that time she is so hungry she'll use a paci. DD#1 wouldn't take one until she was 3 months old. It soothed her so we used it. When she turned a year we only used it for nap and bedtime. When she was 15 months we took it away cold turkey and she never missed it. My pedi told me that it is best to take it away before 18 months. It gets more difficult the more they become aware and attached, it is better for their teeth and it can delay speech when used too much. I'm not worried about using it young, but I will have it gone again by 15 months.

jb2rn · December 2011

Early on it can diminish hunger because baby will think he is full with sucking. I did try one (and felt really guilty) this past week to try to get him to sleep but he didn't like it.

AllieCat16 · December 2011

They gave ds one in the hospital, I did not object although I was neurotic it would affect bfing. We very carefully gave it to him in the beginning and now we give it after he eats (and still wants to suck) at bed time. He'd attach himself to the boob all day of he could. If I don't regulate that, he over eats and spits up. He likes the soothies.

cmb0118 · December 2011

I was just about to post this same question! Thank you. I am adamantly against pacifiers but on Wed night LO was crying most of the night and did not sleep then was cranky all day yesterday. I gave in last night and gave him a pacifier and he slept practically through the night. I feel bad about it because I would rather not give it to him, but I'm certainly not going to make a habit out of it.

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