how many of you use pacifies

well i am onnly 23 weeks but i am already preparing myself with what i should be doing as a parent.  I work at a daycare and i see A LOT of 3 year olds using pacifiers and i dont want that.  I guess i am just parinod if use a pacifier for my child then they will never get off of it-a lot of people i work with said they never use it-so what if i give in if my baby is crying hysterical in the middle of the night?? whats ur advice?? also i plan on breastfeeding but want to go on some sort of birth control-is there a birth control i can go on while breast feeding?? thank you ladies

[sarubers]

Hi. As for pacifiers. My son never used one. You will know if your baby needs one or not. Just please dont be like those moms who go to the store and buys evey brand of pacifier to find one that the baby will take. Thats dumb. Eventually, if a baby does "need" a pacifier and you dont give it one, they will suck their thumb. But, I do have to say that babies who use pacifiers have a lower risk of SIDS. So keep that in mind also. About the birth control, I think that some of girls who are breastfeeding take a weak birth control pill.

[Mony0283]

thank you-yeah if i have to use one i will use one-i just dont want a 3 year old using one-i'll prob end up giving him one-my boyfriend added a bunch to my registry but i deleated them-ha didnt even know he did it

[JJety]

I gave DS a pacifier.  I started using one in the hospital when he was born.  I weaned him back to just nighttime use around 13 or 14 months.  By 16 or 17 months I clipped the tip off of his binkies and he didn't like them anymore with them cut, so he just held them at night.  Then over the next couple of weeks I threw away one at a time until they were gone.  The weaning was really easy once I heard the idea to clip the very tip off.

[Mony0283]

thank you-i will remmeber that(:

[trekchick]

I used a Pacifier with my DS.  He was about 1 1/2 when we took it from him cold turkey...hasn't had it since.  I never wanted to use one either buy my DS was a sucker and I couldn't keep him attached to the boob all the time.

[deanne11]

I did not give my DD one but at 4 months she went to the babysitter and they started her on one....I WASNT happy...to hard to break her...took me until she was almost a year to break the habit.

[cugirl]

I read recently of a story where a mom tried everything to get her daughter to give up her pacifier.  Finally she told her they had to send the pacifers to other babies that needed them..so they put them in a envelop and mailed the off.  I dont remember how old the daughter was.  But I think pacifiers are fine to use as long as your not using them 24/7.  Everytime your baby cries doesnt mean he/she wants their pacifier.  Use it only at certain times..like maybe just at bedtime.

[jd1419]

I used on for my 1st DS--he was a pacifer baby.  He had all the time when he turned 1 we moved it to only having it in the car and at nap and night time.  Whenhe turned two we told him he could no longer have it.  We did build up to it for a few months before his birthday-what was going to happen when he turned two.  Never had a problem with it.  My other son would not take a pacifer at all--he is now two and never had one--it was sometimes hard whenhe was crying to get him to settle for he would not suck his thumb either.  as he got older he would suck on tags on a blanket.  Have gone through three blankets for the tags wore out.  Every child is different--so if he does not like the pacifer don't force it on him.  I figure if they can walk and talk they no longer need a pacifer and no bottle--just my opinion.

[Agiesmom]

I used one with my first and will most likely use one with this baby when she's born.  I didn't want to use one with my first, but my pediatrician recommended it--told me, "He's a sucker and he WILL find his thumb and believe me, you will have a much easier time getting rid of the pacifier than you will getting him to stop sucking his thumb."  She was right.  He stopped using it one day (after a "man to man" talk with the dentist).  Had he sucked his thumb, he would have continued to do it in his sleep without realizing he was even doing it.

[stephd]

I used one on my 1st DS and I plan to this time too (provided he will take it).  My DS was off it by about 15 (give or take a couple) months.  Mine just threw one away and threw the other in the toilet so I threw it away.  That was the end of that.  He didnt even miss it.  Good luck to you.

[cugirl]

A lady I work with did not use a pacifier with her DD...she refused too.  Now her DD is in Kindergarden and still sucks her thumb.  All the kids make fun of her and her mom has tried everything to get her to stop.

[pixijal]

Give the baby a binky, and take it away around 10-12 months...it works very well, and the child doesn't even remember they had it, but it gets you both through a lot in the early months....it is better than thumb sucking, which can really mess with their teeth!!!!!

[lawgirl17]

PS - the dr told us that pacifiers seriously reduce the risk of SIDS between two and eight months (I found it strange since he followed that sentence up by stating that the baby can't adequately control the pacifier until six months, but we chose to go with it anyway). Practically since birth she has only taken it when she finishes a bottle for a minute or two, and she takes it when she is really sleepy. She craves it during these times but has never been a fan of taking a pacifier at any other time. Hope this helps. Thanks!

[stephd]

You can take a pacifier away but you cant take their thumb away!!  That is how I looked at it!!  I know someone that sucked her fingers until she was 15.

[anxiousmomtobe?]

I used soothers with both my children.  I used them only to settle for sleeping by the time they were a year old.  They gave them up between 2-3.

They never had them in public, I hate it when a 4 year old can't be understood because they have a sookie in their mouth!!!  

My daughter traded it at the dentists office for stickers and a timbit.  My son thinks the wind blew his away.  It just disappeared one day, I think our dog ate it.

Some folks are really anti-soother, for me it gave my poor breasts a break from non-nutrative sucking.  And my kids found it a soothing way to fall asleep.

[duehring]

I have 5 kids and I haven't been able to get any of them to take a pacifier after they were about 6 weeks old. They just gag on them and spit them out.

None of them are thumbsuckers either. They all have had blankies that were their security item. Most of them sucked on a corner of their blankie to go to sleep for the first couple of years.

[HIS GIFT TO US]

They now think pacifiers help a baby keep breathing throughout the night so theres a less risk of SIDS, my DS used one for several mo. It was no big deal to him when we took it away :) But don't feel so bad for the 3yr olds, at the mall we see girls w/ em all the time (they r like 16 & 17yrs Yuck LOL now that when ya got a problem!!:)

[anxiousmomtobe?]

The teens with soothers are using them as drug paraphenalia.  Apparently "E" and some other narcotics give you dry mouth and the soothers ease that.

Gross.

[JJety]

Duehring brings up a good point.  Some kids aren't suckers at all.  They won't take a binky and they won't use their thumb.  It's just that if some kids are absolutely hellbent on sucking on something, it's nice to have it be a pacifier so that you can wean them off of it versus their fingers.  It's totally dependant on the child.

[ange800]

I never used one my daughter used her thumb she weaned herself off her thumb about 16 months old and she only really sucked her thumb at night  im not planning on using one with the next baby I see 3 year old with them and it looks terrible you also see 3+ year olds sucking their thumbs I guess im very lucky my daughter weaned herself from her thumb. Good luck

[Liza55]

I gave my baby a pacifier in the hospital. I don't see it as a bad habit at all- it's ok they're soothed by the sucking- it's natural!!! Already on her own, she doesn't need it as mucyh

[mandymoo1983]

go the pacifier although in australia where i am from they are called dummies as already stated you cant have your baby attached to the breast 24/7 can you and yes a dummy is easier to throw out then a thumb is i no a 20year old man if you go into his room while he is sleeping he will be sucking his thumb with out knowing it how embarresing especially when he came home with his first girlfriend he hasent lived it down lol

[lawgirl17]

We use one on the baby that we care for (we have had her since birth), but we are planning to have her broke of it by the time she turns one (we haven't decided whether to do cold turkey around 10 months or progressively get rid of it ... either way, no more pacifier before she is one).

It really does help young babies relax, which is what made us choose to use it (the hospital recommended it). However, it frustrates us to see older children still using them ... if you have a mouth full of teeth, can walk around, can talk, etc., there are so many other security blankets that a child can have other than one that is really bad for their mouth/teeth.

This is just a personal opinion though ... different parents choose different routes for their own reasons. We just didn't want our children to be the ones being picked on in kindergarten because they can't break habits that we failed to help them break at a younger age so that there was a smaller impact on them. No matter what you decide, just make sure it is right for you. It is always best to do a lot of research and make your decision after being fully informed. Good luck!

[baby4Staci]

Developmentally babies dont need the pacifier to help them "suck" after a month old.  But like the previous posters said they will either use the thumb or the paci.  Most parents try to wean their kids from the paci around a year old.  I like the idea of sending them to the babies.. that is cute.  As far as cutting the tips of them i would be careful with that one since they can bite on them and break off pieces of the paci and possibly swallow it.  I plan on giving my baby a pacifier and since ive never had a baby before i will see what happens.. :)  I would rather wean a toddler off of a paci then to listen to him scream his head off as an infant..

[Mony0283]

thanks lawgirl-i will know at the time-i just dont want more obstical for me-i plan on breastfeeding but pumping it a lot so the baby is used to the bottle too-i just pray everything works out-ha

[lawgirl17]

Anytime! The reality is that you won't know your preference on a lot of things until you are in the situation and trying them with that specific baby since all babies are so different. We have had a lot of fun learning what she likes best, and we can't wait to conceive and have children of our own (we are caring for my cousin's baby temporarily - hopefully permanently - and are currently in a heated custody battle with her minor father). It is so fun just to be able to experience everything!

Good luck!