What Do You Think? - Elgin,IL

My oldest used one until we cut the tip at 16 months, my youngest gave it up on his own at 5 months. Every baby is different. My personal pet peeve with pacis are seeing them in the mouths of talking toddlers. Sorry just my opinion.

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Pacifiers are 'bad'... IF it becomes a replacement for needed feedings/nursings for baby.
Sometimes, a parent may give baby a pacifier, but actually, the baby needs a feeding.
Babies feed often. They need to feed on-demand.

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Well, here's my take. I saw some family members kids suck their thumbs until they were in school. It was hard for them to stop. I decided that I didn't want my kids to do that. So I gave them a pacifier. My doctor explained to me that the sucking instinct diminishes around 5 months and then the paci becomes a habit. He recommended that I take the paci before 6 months. I did for my older one at 5 months, and the only one my younger son would take (he was picky) broke when he was 4 months old and that was it for him. Neither of my kids sucked their fingers or thumbs after that.

It's so much easier to break the paci habit than the thumb habit. I sucked my thumb for 2 years and my dad insisted that I stop. He painted my thumb with something nasty tasting to break the habit. My mom said I played with one hand for 2 days, holding out my right thumb so I wouldn't put it in my mouth. Glad I didn't have to worry about that with my own kids!

So there you go!
D.

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I think they are fine.

Only 1 of my kids liked them, the other 2 didn't ever take to them. My nephews both liked them. All 3 of the kids who took to them didn't have a problem getting rid of them and no issues with speech or anything of that nature.

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Before I had my first son I swore up and down that my kids would never use one.

Then he started screaming and screaming and screaming so I gave him one. He totally loved having a pacifier. He used it for a year and then willingly gave it up.

With my second son I had pacifiers on hand in case he wanted one. He never did so we didn't force the issue.

I think the rule of thumb is that a pacifier is for the *child* if they want it and not for the *parent* because they want their kid to be quiet.

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Best invention ever. Weaning can prove difficult for some children but have you ever seen an adult with a pacifier in their mouth?

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an infant has the NEED to suck for the first 3 months. After that the pacifier is for emotional need only. I used it for the first 3 months and then weaned my son off of it. By the time he was 5 months he was pacifier free.

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Some of mine liked them and some didn't. I find that they are very helpful. I nurse on demand, but some babies have a much stronger sucking need than others. It helps also when you are in the car and can't pull over and the baby is fussing. Once they are walking, we generally require the pacifiers to stay in the bed, not when they are walking around.

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Good.

I was a judgmental, anti-pacifier person before I had kids. Then I realized that some kids just need them, and who am I to go crazy over someone else's kid walking around with a binky in their mouths. None of my business.

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I don't think they're good or bad. They're a tool - they pacify and comfort. Sometimes, that can be very, very helpful and (dare I say) necessary for a Mother's sanity.

On the other hand, statistically, babies who are given a pacifier wean earlier and may feed less often. They're chance of ear infection and oral yeast infection may increase. Their mommas may experience a decline in breastmilk production and/or other complications. It's recommended that if a family chooses to introduce a pacifier it is done after baby has completed its 6 week growth spurt, which also allows baby to establish a good latch and attachment to the breast.

My LO never took a bottle or a pacifier. If she had, I would have been VERY willing for someone else to give her a bottle with breastmilk (and myself a few hours of space!) and would probably have used a pacifier occasionally. I figure, why sweat the small stuff when our lives as mothers are already so difficult?

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LOL... in answer to Grandma T... yes, I've seen hundreds of adults with pacifiers in their mouths. But they were 'candy kids' / 'ravers'... who were taking drugs that stimulated parts of their brains that usually turn off as infants/toddlers.

I think binkies are great. My son HATED them... if he sucked, he wanted milk to come out of it, from day 1 he spit out anything "empty". But for many kids/moms they're life savers / finger savers.

For babies, they are great.

For toddlers and up. YUCK!

2 out of 3 kids had them. But my rule is only for bed once they turn 1. GONE completely by 18 months. Our 2nd would just use me as a nuk. But our 3rd is 5 months old and REFUSES to use me as a nuk. He will only nurse when he's hungry but yet he NEEDS something to suck. Just screams if I try to use me though....LOL

I think they are a great source of comfort when they are little. Both my kids were exclusively breastfed so we introduced then when they were around 8 wks old. My daughter ended up being a thumb sucker so she never took to the binky. My son had a voracious appetite so the binky helped me get a break ( I felt like I was nursing him constantly!). He loved it and it helped him sleep. Once he hit 9 months and started throwing it out of his crib, no matter how many we put in there with him, we weaned him off it. It actually wasn't too terrible of a transition so I recommend taking the binky away before they are 10-12 mos.

Good. Some babies just need them! Neither of my kids took them and I really wished they would have so they could soothe themselves at times.

My daughter was addicted to hers and it was a lovie/soother for her (she early on showed signs of an "addicted" personality! LOL..a nuk she later called a Dowdy, a blankie and a Beanie Baby! Ugh!) But the "Dowdy" never left the bed after she was about a year old. It was a sleep soother item. She is 16 and still sleeps with the blankie under her pillow.

I find it so interesting how some kids take to one and some don't. Its definitely a yes or no, full on or off item, in my experience with daycare kids the last 14 years..my own child and my nanny family before that. I have a 7 mos old in care right now who I wish to* whoever is watching over us all* would take one.

I have three kids, my all used it for about 2-4 months, but not much after that and not all the time. It worked a little at first, but when I saw they weren't too interested in, I let it go. One less then to break them from.

as long as you stop the paci before they are 18 mos you will be fine. The closer to a year old that you take it away the less dramatic the withdrawal will be. Pacifiers are actually a wonderful tool to calm a child, keep it from mouthing things, and can prevent SIDS.

Both good AND bad. I hated that the hospital put one in my child's mouth before even asking me. And later, yes, I did find myself handing her one to soothe her. She was happy with it and it helped her sleep through the night. When she was about 6 months old though I slowly stopped giving it to her in the morning and then one day, handing it to her, she threw it back at my head. From that point on I put them in a drawer and didn't bring them out. She hasn't made a fuss for one and when she sees other babies with them she doesn't have an urge to take them from the baby, she just points and says "bink". I do think bottle/paci/etc builds up a lot of suction that doesn't help their teeth. I don't know if this is fact or myth but just the general concept seems to make sense to me... therefore I have my 21 month old drinking in regular cups now (not even sippy spouts) as much as possible just so she doesn't rely on drinking with that suction element.

Hello. My daughter uses one too. she is 18 months old and we are in the process of weaning her from it. I don't mind her having it, but now that she begins to talk, I ask her to pull it out of her mouth to tell me something, or if were going to a store or someone's house real quick, I ask her to leave it in her carseat. Alot of people don't like that she has one, but I don't care. Some people say that I'm just helping her put bacteria in her mouth. I know it sounds gross, but she doesn't get sick very often. So, "No", I don't think they are bad.

For my kids it was a necessary comfort...and easy to get rid of when the time was right ~compared to thumb sucking...because you can't just throw your child's thumb away :)

My boys all had pacifiers but they were gone by the time they turned one. It drives me crazy seeing kids walking around with pacifiers in their mouths.

I'm not gonna say good or bad. Both my daughters LOVED their binkies. In fact, the youngest one is still addicted and she is two. My son - never cared for it. Maybe its a girl thing????

Good if necessary until about 1 year or 18 mos at the max. I would say beyond a year, it should only be for bed. by this time, they should begin to soothe themselves in other ways. also, beyond this time, they can start to affect teeth, and frankly, kids look silly when they are 2 or 3 or older and walk around with them. they are meant for babies.

the pro to pacifiers is that they can be taken away...thumbs cannot!

My son used one when he had to stop nursing due to be placed on NG tube feedings. He used it for a couple months to satisfy the sucking need that they have and then we weaned him off of it.

My older son never took one.

They only need that sucking satisfaction during the first few months. After that it is an emotional need/habit. I believe it is easier to break the habit and wean them off sooner rather than later.

My daughter used one until she was about 15 months. My son has never wanted to use one. I have issues with people who let their kids talk with paci's in their mouths, it just bothers me, that is why I took away my daughter's when I did. She really didn't have an issue with it and didn't seem to care that she didn't have it. I know a few kids who had them for far too long, which I think is a little weird, but other than that, they are nice.

It saved me with my daughter...but I didn't want her to have it for her first bday so we weaned her off a few months before. It was rough but it worked out. She is five now and fine.

My son wouldn't take a pacifier.
He was a thumb man since before he was born.
By pre-school he was only sucking his thumb at nap time and bed time.
He stopped after that.

If she would suck her thumb instead, then embrace it! My son loved his pacifier and it was a God send. Whatever works for you and her, just do it! :)

GREAT! I never really liked them before I had kids, but my daughter was a sucker and at three days old we gave her one and she loved it. All my friends with babies the same age who wouldn't take pacifiers were jealous because it was so easy to calm her with the pacifier. As she got older we only let her have her pacifiers in her crib and it helped her to LOVE her crib. When she moved out of her crib she could only have the pacifiers in her room for quiet time/nap time/bed time and she loved all of those times. Recently (she's almost two and a half) we decided one day to try taking away the pacifiers. She saw me cut the tip off the end, tried it, and gave it back to me. Never asked for it again, and still goes into her room for naps and bedtime very easily.