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10203682 tn?1418693754

Pacifiers

What are they even for? I'm a ftm and my husband and I have agreed to not use one for our daughter because I didn't have one and my teeth are perfect and I never had braces my bottle was taken at an early age aswell but I'm really curious what are the benefits of a pacifier?
14 Responses
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Avatar universal
Honestly, a kid will have braces because of their genetics. A pacifier doesnt automatically mean they will have braces. I used one until i was a few months old but needed braces because my teeth were crowded. My husband never used a paci and now has to have braces for over two years because of his genetics.
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11292060 tn?1418858964
Yeah aside from them being a form of comfort and soothing the baby they DO reduce the possibility of SIDS. If you want you can look more about that up online or ask her pediatrician once you have her.
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Avatar universal
I have had two kids on number three now and never used a pacifier and don't plan on it they never sucked there thumb either if they would start to just pop it out of there mouth in a cute fun game way lol
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Avatar universal
It sooths the baby if not they will find something to satisfy their sucking reflex. Either will cry for a bottle and just drink a very small amount or try and suck their fist or thumb or if you are breast feeding they will want your boob all the time
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Avatar universal
It's a lot easier to take away a pacifier than it is a thumb. My parents didn't give me a pacifier because they didn't want me to get use to having it but that backfired because I sucked my thumb until 2nd grade. They tried everything but I just did it when they weren't looking.
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10203682 tn?1418693754
Thank you, I'm very sure I'll want her to have a pacifier, I hate listening to babies cry I always want to fix everything haha! Oh well my family does have generally crooked teeth and so does my husbands his aren't too bad except for a small space between the front two, but I'm still concerned for her teeth.

I know what I mean about putting everything into their mouths, my little cousins put everything and anything into their mouths even though they had bottles and pacifiers. I also remember very clearly putting things into my mouth especially anything pourus that I could fill with saliva then suck it out. I was gross I know haha XP

I'd like to avoid it though if possible I've noticed that comfort items for myself is anything fuzzy and soft, even my dog is fuzzy fluffy and soft :/
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Avatar universal
I am a pediatric dental assistant and prolonged use of a pacifier, thumb, or bottle CAN affect a child's teeth! The Dr I work for says its recommended to take both bottle and pacifier away by age 2. Prolonged Pacific/bottle/thumb habit can not only affect the baby teeth but also the top and bottom jaw bones as they form, either causing them to be protruding or too far in. It can soothe babies, but that is what it is for, babies, not toddlers. With that being said my daughter had a pacifier until 18 months and I plan on doing the same for my second. It really helped me keep my sanity, especially in the car or public places where you don't wanna be the one with a crying baby.
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11292060 tn?1418858964
My son only used a pacifier the first two or three months and then decided he didnt wan. One anymore. He was very attached to his bottle though and so after he turned a year old I would only give him water in it at bed time and made him use a cup during the day. Hes teeth are just fine and he had no problem letting go of the pacifier and never sucked his thumb. My daughter on the other hand was very attached to the pacifier from thr day I had her. If she wasnt eating then she wanted her pacifier and nothing else would soothe her to sleep other than that. One thing I liked about it is I was told its good for them to have when sleeping because it reduces sids is what I was tols. Im not exactly sure how but thats what her doctor told me after she was born. She did have trouble letting it go but let her bottle go at a year old no problem. When she got past 9 months I started only letting her have the pacifier in the car and at bed time and then little by little weened her away from it until she didnt want it anymore. To each their own. They can be difficult to get rid of for some kids like my daughter but I think if it makes them feel happy and safe and thats all they want theb why not give in and let them have it. My babies can decide for themselves if thats something they want or not it doesnt matter to me either way.
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973741 tn?1342342773
S ucked my thumb and could actually put my thumb UNDER my two buck teeth.  ha ha.  So pretty!!  You should see the pictures.  Teeth fell out.  Teeth came in straight.  Now, had I continued to s uck my thumb as my permanent teeth were coming in? I don't know.  I will tell you that teeth are always moving.  That is why so  many kiddos need spacers and then a second set of braces after the first that straightened their teeth.  

Ha, I didn't use a pacifier. But I almost guarantee that you will say to yourself at some point "man, I wish my baby took a pacifier."  Never say never hon.  

Every mouth is different and you are probably right to be concerned as dental issues are often hereditary.  We have pretty good teeth on both sides of my family.  There is a hereditary jaw thing that messes with teeth thought that three nephews have.  The lower jaw grows faster than the upper.  all three required two sets of braces and surgery.  Ugh.  So far not seeing it with my kids.

anyway, my oldest son was very oral until maybe two years ago.  He would chew on his shirt sleeves or anything around him would pop in his mouth.  It's a sign of anxiety.  Luckily it's not happening any more but what I'm trying to convey to you is that it is an impulse to s uck and chew to soothe.  fingers, hands, etc. as well as items all end up in the mouth.  You do your best if you don't want anything in there but make sure to have plans on other ways to soothe baby.  good luck
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10203682 tn?1418693754
My mom sucked her thumb as a child and still occasionally does, her teeth are see rely messed up and she hates it. She never allowed my brother nor I to suck our thumbs though and as soon as we could drink from a cup we lost out bottles ( our dad told us that they gave them to an orphanage of mice like Micky mouse) my younger cousin however had a bottle until the age of around 6 or 7 and his teeth are very messed up. Our dentist told my mom that because we were not sucking for very long it allowed our first and second set of teeth to be very straight and extreemly healthy.

I appreciate your advice though, I really don't want my daughter to have that type of comfort to where she can have that hanging out of her mouth :/

A good swaddle though from what I read above should help though for alternative methods of comfort? Do you know of any other methods I could use to avoid a pacifier?
Helpful - 0
10203682 tn?1418693754
My mom sucked her thumb as a child and still occasionally does, her teeth are see rely messed up and she hates it. She never allowed my brother nor I to suck our thumbs though and as soon as we could drink from a cup we lost out bottles ( our dad told us that they gave them to an orphanage of mice like Micky mouse) my younger cousin however had a bottle until the age of around 6 or 7 and his teeth are very messed up. Our dentist told my mom that because we were not sucking for very long it allowed our first and second set of teeth to be very straight and extreemly healthy.

I appreciate your advice though, I really don't want my daughter to have that type of comfort to where she can have that hanging out of her mouth :/

A good swaddle though from what I read above should help though for alternative methods of comfort? Do you know of any other methods I could use to avoid a pacifier?
Helpful - 0
973741 tn?1342342773
Oh one more thing about bottles with toddlers---  the one thing to be careful of is if they want to take one to bed for a nap.  Don't let them do that as the sugar in milk does lead to tooth decay.  but a bottle when awake and about does not damage teeth.  good luck
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10165853 tn?1456333837
They're just used as a soothing method. Like, lets say your baby just ate and was changed but is crying. Some people would give the baby a pacifier and sometimes the baby stops crying. :)
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973741 tn?1342342773
Hospitals and parents give babies pacifiers to help soothe them.  Babies are orally soothed.  S ucking helps relax them and trust me, that is really beneficial in a baby!  :>)  Pacifiers also don't do anything to a child's teeth.  In fact, they are said to actually help form the soft palate.  

My sons did not take to them.  You'll feel like your child at times needs something to soothe them.  So, we really did try to give them pacifiers.  They root and use their mouth in a way that makes pacifiers a natural thing.  But, mine didn't really attach to them.  I did a lot of tight swaddling instead.  Hospitals do give pacifiers in the nursery often.  Again, they are not considered bad for babies.

Parents sometimes have trouble getting rid of the pacifier down the road.  Kids get very attached to them and that can be a problem.

By the way, using a bottle also doesn't ruin teeth or make them crooked.  It's your permanent teeth that you get braces on and even if for some reason your baby teeth are crooked (which a bottle does not make them)--  your permanent teeth come in the way they are positioned within (deeply, so that bottles in the toddler years wouldn't affect this).  My older son was a big bottle guy into the toddler years, permanent teeth came in straight.  I s ucked my thumb (wasn't I cool) until I was like 7, no joke.  I had slightly buck teeth.  Then the top teeth fell out and I got my permanent teeth--- straight.  No braces for me.  

And that's the thing, babies like to S uck.  They even just find their own finger to do it and some are seen in the womb s ucking a thumb.  

So, that's the 411 on pacifiers and oral soothing for babies.  good luck
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