Why Take the Pacifier Away?

im sorry to say but if i see a kid in the store or anywhere that is able to talk clearly and looks over 2 then i think its bad parenting. Its not hard to wing them. All you do is not give it to them when they go to sleep and yes they will cry but usually it only take a few days of that and its done with.

i can tell you from my own, my mom didn't take my pacifier away before i started remembering things, then i went to my thumb....was addicted to that until i was 8! i was in braces for 4 years! and even still my tongue, got so used to it, that even to this day (i'm now 27) my tongue sits in the top of my mouth pushing my front teeth out (seriously)...it's important that you do take them away at a healthy age so it doesn't 1 get them teased later in life when they start having over night visits with friends back and forth 2 dental care and 3 just time to grow up a little more, and that's just part of growing up...losing the binki...this is all what i went through, getting teased because my adult teeth got pushed out and croocked, and because i didn't break the habit until a later age...got teased.

dont' traumatise them but definately get them off of it when teeth start really making a difference...i lucked out with my daughter, i moved right about the time she needed to get off it...so i told her we had to leave her binki for the next baby that moved in....worked out BEAUTIFULLY she was ok with that, and put it in her room waiting for the next baby...no i didn't leave it there, snuck it out

Well, I was afraid my daughter would be like my sister, so we only let her have it in her bed (or the car if we were on a long trip). My sister was addicted to her pacis, she had them hidden all over the house and even took them to kindergarden!

Pacis can cause teeth to grow in crooked, and can also cause speech problems if they have it all the time. If you're just giving it to them at bedtime, it's not as big a concern.

In studying energy medicine, I learned that the roof of the mouth is a point where two key energy meridians (Central and Governing) connect, and that holding the tongue there (if you're a big person), or sucking your thumb or using a pacifier is a way to stimulate this powerful connection. This then induces one to "hook-up" ones energy which can calm and balance the entire energy system. So, rather than take the pacifier away (unless is leaches toxins, in which case replace it), get one for yourself too.:-) They'll give it up when their amazing intuition about self-care tells them that they're sufficiently safe in this big new world. Until that time, let their inner healers do their thing!

All the best, J.

When I was living in the UK it was not at all uncommon to see children of 3, 4, 5, or 6 years of age walking around sucking on pacifiers. I had a 6 year old trying to talk to me on a train with that thing in his mouth. I think that is just uncalled for. There is no reason a child of 4 or 5 needs to suck to fall asleep. We should be teaching our children good sleep habits, not giving them handicaps they will have to learn to overcome later. But that is just my opinion. I took my sons away at 2. But I had never let him have it at bed time anyway, only in the early waking hours and at nap time, because I wanted him to learn how to sleep well, not to rely on pacifiers to bring him a false seance of comfort.

I think it's silly to argue over something as simple as a pacifier. They do not hurt kids and if they need to suck what does anyone think they are going to suck...a finger...a blanket corner...a toy's ear...anything they can find and fingers don't get lost and are much harder to get them to stop doing.

Let them keep the pacifier as long as they want it.

Hi S., First of all do you really want an object providing comfort for your child? shouldn't there be enough comfort within the family? adult people use drinking and drugs for the same reason it comforts them temporary just like the paci does for baby's. I never allowed my baby;s to use a pacifier comfort is what me and daddy were for. Have you ever been at a store and have seen 3 and 5 year olds with a pacifier? that's because they are very addicting. I read two articles true or not don't know but makes sense, The first one said that Pacifier's were designed for new borns to strength their jaw muscles so they could nurse, they were not designed for comfort, parents started that not the manufactory. The other article read that prolong use of a pacifier may cause eating disorders because the child has always been comforted with some thing in their mouth, that's why people smoke, over eat, for that same comfort. You may be thinking this lady is crazy, and that's ok, but I have 27 years experience in mother hood, never and raised beautiful healthy happy children with out pacifiers, prolonged bottles or breast feeding. I know at least in my case this was the right way because my kids are 27, 23, and 21 and are living proof before my very eyes my way was right at least for my family. J.

Well, there is a man that I see in my local grocery who sucks on a cigar stub CONSTANTLY. I fail to see why people get bent out of shape when they see a toddler with a paci and start tsk-tsking when YOUR statement was absolutely right! Everyone uses a "crutch" to help them relax.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with one of the posters. Some babies DO need a paci. Sucking on a paci reduces SIDS by 90%. That's enough for me!

I was an arrogant, know it all parent who sneered at other parents who popped paci's in their kids mouths........and THEN I had a baby! lol! My son was desparate to suck on something, and my bleeding breasts needed a break. I ran downstairs and ripped open the sample pack the hospital had given me and put the paci in my son's mouth and nearly swooned with relief.
Later, our chiropractor said she was glad to see a paci in his mouth because the sucking motion actually helps everything go back into place after a traumatic birth.
My friend is a pediatric dentist and she says to get rid of the paci by age 3, and that she would much rather see a pacifier than a thumb.

We wondered how we would ever get the paci away from our son. At age 2 he took it out of his mouth, bit a hole in it, said "It's yucky" and chucked it in the garbage himself. It was astonishing.

My daughter never took a paci. And my mom told me that I, as a very, very, very strong willed toddler, had TWO in my mouth at any given time. And my teeth have always been perfect.

To each his or her own!

If you ask a child neurologist, they'll say it's totally normal to have the urge to suck as it is a brainstem function. It is actually one of the many signs of intelligence and is a healthy indicator that children use this to self soothe. It is a huge concern when a child does NOT have the need or strength to suck.

Only Americans are so concerned with weaning their babies from boobs, bottles and pacifiers.

I have no doubt you know what is best for you children.

After speaking with my Ped & Dentist and being told there was no medical reason to get rid of it & dealing with a daughter who had SEVERE separation issues, I decided to let her keep it until her baby teeth began to fall out. The Ped & Dentist both backed me up on this, so I ignored all the nay-sayers and did what I thought was best for us. I add here that my daughter had a shoestring with 3 pacifiers tied to them because she would suck one while fingering the other 2. We gradually weaned the times when she would use it - Bedtime, Car, Movies, House - until she was just using it at Bedtime.

(SIDE NOTE: Pacifiers are smaller and shaped for the mouth, unlike thumbs, hence the fact that prolonged pacifier use does not have a link to need for braces later in life as thumb-sucking does. Since thumbs are larger and tend to push up on the roof of the mouth, they can gradually re-shape the placement of the teeth resulting in the need for braces.)

When my daughter got her 1st loose tooth when she was 6 ½ years old, I started preparing her that when she lost it, she would no longer be able to suck on the pacifier which, by this time, she only did it at night. We went out and bought a special lovey (one of those little blankets with an animal head) and I sewed her favorite fingering pacifier to the underside of the head so she would not be able to put it in her mouth while sleeping. The night she lost her tooth, we gave her the new pacifier-equipped lover and she went to bed fingering that one, but not sucking any and she never went back to sucking.

I know people say it is harder to get rid of when they are older, but I found it easier because I could explain it and give her a reasonable substitution. She is now 9 years old, still had the pacifier lovey in bed with her among all her stuffed animals and is no worse for the wear. As a matter of fact, she does not have major separation issues any more and she is a well-adjusted girl with no dental problems!

Stick to the decision that is best for your family!!
~ B.

From a strictly medical standpoint, it's not just braces you need to be concerned about, it's their palate. The roof of the mouth is supposed to grow a certain way, and something in their mouth that shouldn't be there causes the palate to grow wrong. It can be too narrow, which can cause lots of problems when the rest of the baby teeth come in like molars, and again when the adult teeth come in. In addition, above the roof of the mouth are the sinus cavities including the nasal passage. If the roof of the mouth doesn't grow into the proper shape, it can narrow or impinge on their growth as well, causing sinus narrowing, blockage, etc. I know, because I had those problems from other growth issues not paci or thumb sucking. Do you want to take the chance on your children having sinus infections one after another? It is a real possibility. Please figure out a way to stop them now before more structural damage is caused. It will be worth it for them in the long run.

Actually the first questions is: why give it to them in the first place? To answer your question: Because they don't NEED it and it has now become an addiction.

You brought up the question and the subject of vices - I put that back on you - why would you have them develop a vice at such a young age? They didn't even get a chance to learn to self soothe...

Sorry, but I am not a fan of pacifiers. They are for the adults comfort of not hearing a crying baby, not for the babies. Babies will learn to stop crying at bedtime if they are given a chance (it may take a while but it will happen) but once you give them paci they always have to have it.

There are no pacifiers in nature and a natural weening process.... For some reason, humans have chosen to go against the natural weening process and coddle their young so as not to upset them.

Have they been to a dentist and have been told they are fine? I've just heard it could also cause the shape of their mouth/ jaw to change. It may not effect their baby teeth, but the adult teeth coming in later. My sister was a thumb sucker and she had buck teeth. They were so bad the kids would tease her and call her Bugs Bunny in first grade. She started braces in second grade!
I don't have personal experience since my kids haven't used a pacifier, so can't say for sure.

Im sure that there will be gasps at my response...

My daughter was 4 when she got rid of her paci. That said, it wasn't really because I wanted her to... It was because of everyone elses comments. Her teeth are in wonderful shape. No overbite or crossbite. The dentist said her teeth are in better shape than most he's seen at her age. Never once had a cavity even. She's got 5 adult teeth now at age 7. Not one issue.

I was 4 when I gave mine up and went immediately to thumb sucking. I only had braces because of TMJ - Later to be found that the reason for my TMJ was because my wisdom teeth were fully grown in by age 14 and the root wrapped around my jaw... Otherwise, I would've never had braces. I sucked my thumb until I was 11.

Does it bother me? Nope. I'm with Riley J....

And *gasp* my 2yr old son still has his paci & has a bottle just before he goes to bed.

.

Horrible for the teeth. I wouldn't go by just what they look like. Your kids do not have their permanent teeth yet- many irreversible orthodontic effects will not appear until the permanent teeth begin erupting.

Emotionally, I really don't think there is anything wrong with it. It some sense I suppose it's no different than a special blanket or stuffed animal kids use. It's the physical damage that is unsettling to most parents.

Prolonged pacifier use can cause dental damage when permanent teeth come in...slanted teeth, misaligned jaw, it can narrow the roof of the mouth and tilting bottom teeth.

My son was a thumb sucker until pretty recently. His is almost 5 and we broke the habit about four months ago. He has developed a pretty severe cross bite. There is a small chance his permanent teeth come in in may correct it, but the chance is slim. Most likely he will need an expander and braces and lots of dental visits...thank goodness my BIL is my dentist!

It's terrible for their palette, jaw, and teeth. My mom let me use a pacifier until I was 5 and it totally messed up the development of my palette. I'm STILL trying to get it fixed, at 28. They might not use them during the day, but between naps and nighttime sleep, they probably have one in their mouth half the day.

Binkies / Pacis are better than thumbs and better than comfort eating/ other oral fixations. If there's no dental reason to get rid of it, I'm with you. I don't see any reason to.

My own son used a bottle at night until, gosh... 3? 4? Any difference between a bottle and a sippy except for in our own minds one is more "babyish"? Nope. None at all.

I think it is a personal decision and it depends how often they use it. If it is just for sleeping, I would be less concerned, but it always bothers me when I see kids that are 3 and older walking around with one, and don't even take it out to talk.

My son is a thumb sucker, and I have never tried to get him to stop, or made a big deal out of it. He does it when he is tired, or upset, and always takes it out to talk. I have loved that he has this comfort. A couple weeks ago, he hurt his mouth in a fall, and it hurt to suck his thumb. I can't say that I am sad that this helped him wean from it, but if this hadn't happened, I would be like you and let it happen more naturally.

I couldn't get my daughter;s thumb out of her mouth as it is attached to her. She ended with an $800 habit appliance at 7 before her full set of braces at 11.
I'm all for a crutch, just not something in their mouths, even as adults, my FIL's was a cigarette.

I do not like pacifiers at all. None of my kids ever used them. The only time I think pacifiers should be used is when they are newborns and they have that urge to suck. That's what I think they were intended for. Many parents that I know use it for their own convenience. Their baby starts to cry, oh just put a pacifier in there and they'll stop, they don't try to figure out what the baby needs, that's directed towards my sister, not you ;)

My kids found their own way to soothe themselves. My oldest boy played with his hair in the back of his head and my other son sucked his thumbed when he was tired and hungry. He is now 10 months and stopped doing that.

It really can cause problems with their teeth if you let it go too far. I don't think you're past that point but your 4 year old is probably getting close to the age where you want to cut him/her off to prevent possible damage.

I'm with you. My son is 20 months and uses his paci only at night and naptime. He never has it in public. I personally struggle with insomnia and have for years. So does my brother (and he never took a paci when he was little!) It is such a blessing to get a good night's rest, and seeing my son go down for his without a fight because he can relax is invaluable. I suspect he'll break the habit himself at some point, hopefully before he hits high school. ^_^ Kidding. I do intend to wean him off of it, but I don't intend to stress about it, and I'm not in any rush.

EDIT: Also, I'm a nail-biter. It's a nasty habit, and very hard to break! I've struggled with it for years! I really don't want a thumb-sucker for the same reason. I prefer the paci, which I can wash, carry extras, and take away when I don't want my kids to have them. Love it!

You have a lot of responses already and I don't have time to read them so I am more than likely repeating what has already been said!. I think the main reasons why they say to get rid of it sooner is because of teeth , it can make a childs teeth grow outwards , but as your kids only have it at bedtime and don't walk around all day long with it stuck in their mouths then that is not an issue for you , the other concren is speech and how it can interfere , but again unless they have it all day long and talk with it in their mouths then not really an issue. If you are ok with your kids using it for bedtime and they are happy and still need it then keep using it , what some people see as an issue others do not and there will always been parents with varying opinions , my 5 yr old daughter still needs a pull up for bed even though she has been potty trained for 2 yrs now and never has accidents in the day , some parents would be horrified by that but she is not ready to go all night and I cannot face all that laundry so she will wear it until she can go without.

You are doing a great job , in the hardest job in the world and there are much more serious things to worry about than how old kids are and still needing paci's/pull ups/bottles etc!

The biggest issue for me is teeth and age with a paci.

Teaching your kids to have a crutch is really not ok. Yes some people depend on coffee and a late night cocktail but that's a bad habit. If your kids can't function without their crutch now what will their crutch become at 16? Teaching good healthy habits is better done at a young age. Teaching them to feel confident in themselves and not being dependent on their crutch is a good lesson. Plus you have to think of a little girl going to her first sleepover with a paci is going to have some social consequences for her. Growing up I knew a girl who kept her paci well into elementary school. One slumber party is all it took for the kids at school to find out. Kids made fun of her through middle school and it finally got dropped in high school.

Life is tough enough. Don't allow her to learn to be dependent on anything other than herself.

Well I think it can be used as a crutch and after a while it can cause dental problems. There are other more "grown up" ways to self sooth themselves to sleep like reading, quietly playing with a toy in bed and things like that. I'm one that doesn't see the harm in having your child struggle and learn the skills needed in life. It doesn't have to be an ugly or a mean thing to push through and learn a new way of doing things. To me it's a part of parenting. We are raising our children to be adults.
C.

I am with you on this one. Sucking is self soothing. Every chikd is different. Some like pacifiers, others don't. Personally I prefer a pacifier to a thumb. A pacifier will eventually be left behind. A thumb is always there. When I worked in labor & delivery I would occassionally have a grown, laboring woman sucking on her thumb. Never had anyone sucking on a pacifier!

I don't think it will diminish with time. I know people who still suck their thumbs as adults and I have students who are 9-12 who suck their fingers. However, if you want to get rid of it, do it sooner than later. If you want to do it gradually, then do it that way. Since it's in the bedroom, I personally wouldn't worry about it too much.

My son was very attached (had to have it constantly) to his so I weaned him from it after he stopped using the bottle. That way, he still had something that provided comfort w/ the sucking action that babies need. Around the time the bottle went away (12-13 months) I started taking the pacifier after he fell asleep and he only had it at bedtime. As long as it was gone when he woke up, he would go all day without it. By 14 months, it was gone completely. He was big for his age then so I was thrilled because I hate seeing a preschooler with a pacifier and had feared he would end up wanting it that long (he was that attached!).

My daughter on the other hand loved her pacifier when she wanted it but didn't want it a lot. Typically only when she was starting to get hungry (so she had it while we prepared her bottle) or when she was real tired. She started using less and less and by 8 months didn't take it at all. For her, it was more of a hassle to remember to take it just in case than it was to just not have it. For our older family members who thought kids didn't need one at all, they were thrilled!

Neither kid sucked their thumb...can't say they didn't pop the thumb in at least once but not repetively. Neither have a problem w/ their teeth.

I am not anti-pacifier for babies but I am anti-pacifier for children. I personally like to see the pacifier disappear around 1 - 1 1/2 years but definately by age 2. Beyond that, the kids are just too old/big to be sucking on a pacifier. Obviously, some special need children may be exceptions but not the rule.

The sucking reflex is natural for a baby and very much needed. It soothes and some studies have show it is beneficial to encourage pacifier use to help this reflex (I read the sucking reflex can help reduce chances of SIDS in babies). Because of oral/tooth development, bottles should go away around 1 year of age and pacifiers should soon follow (you don't want to wait until it has become a problem before you take the pacifier). I have also seen children who used the pacifier so much that you couldn't understand what they were saying even without the pacifier because they could not talk clearly (they mostly talked w/ pacifier in their mouth and couldn't speak clearly). Now the child has a speech delay...last time I saw this child she was 4 years old and you couldn't understand a single word. She had the pacifier mostly because her mother continued to give it to her (I saw her mom pop it in the daughters mouth even when the daughter was showing no interest and didn't even ask for it). The longer you wait, the harder it is to take it.

For those that start sucking their thumbs, even if they don't cause damage to their mouth/teeth they may to their thumbs. I know a little girl whose thumb nails grow weird now because she sucked both so much.

I think because people need to find age appropriate things for soothing themselves. A cocktail is great for someone 21 or older, but is it okay for a 15 year old? I'm not sure if that is a great comparisson. But I assume neither of your kids still use a bottle. A pacifier is used for infants to give them the sucking sensation of nursing...at least that is my understanding of them. So those are the same as if you were to see a mom in public nursing a 4 year old. It just isn't the American culture. Not saying it is right or wrong, but not our culture. So I think it boils down more to that. Pacifiers are looked at as baby items, not for toddlers or preschool aged kids like yours are. To each their own as parents, but I defninitley think all things like that should go around the age of one. And if they were to be walking around Target like that, other kids would probably poke fun...not that it is right either, but they were most likely told they were for babies.

Thier Teeth, basically the main reason I never gave my son one and if I was going to would be to avoid the bill of braces and other dental issues possibly linked to pacis. Same reason parents try not to let thier kids suck thumbs. That was MY reason, but we all have our own.

It's actually a really good question and it depends on why your child uses one. For very young children, the paci is often a way of accessing the oral input they are looking for without having to nurse. As children get older, they are calmed by the sucking feedback they get.

My thought is that you don't want your child having the paci as his/her only means of self-soothing. At some point the paci needs to fade and be replaced with a stuffed toy or something else that can be used without social scrutiny. You don't want your kids to go to Kindergarten with a Binky!

The other piece of it has to do with a child's forming articulation skills, at least that what I have been told by a few speech pathologists. If children are continuously trying to speak with a binky in their mouths, they do not learn the correct way to form sounds b/c their tongue is not in the right position to do so.

Just my thought here, but I would really try to get the paci faded out for the 4 yr. old. The "cold turkey" method is really the best. Just tell her that you are getting her ready to start school in September (Kindergarten or preschool, whichever it is) and that just like she needed to use the big-girl potty, she now has ditch the bink.

I was an admant binky-hater until I actually had a child. I truly think that my husband and I were more dependent on it than my son was. We literally had them stashed everywhere, just in case! My son got a nasty cold at 18 months and he couldn't breathe with the bink in his mouth and actually refused to take it when he was upset. So, we put them away and told him that he was too big and that we gave them to his baby cousins. Not sure if he understood all of that, but he only looked for it a few times and we've been binky-free for a year.

Also keep in mind that the longer your child uses a binky, the harder it will be to get rid of it.

binki's are actually better for the mouth then thumb sucking- and I was a thumb sucker until I was nine! My teeth are fine though. I think it's just parents dont' want their kids dependent on something like that when they are entering school- whether it's preschool or kindergarten.
I don't really see a problem with the binki when babies are babies- I had one on it until he was a little over 3- but we took it away because it was affecting his speech- he wouldn't take it out to talk! I had another one decide on his own that he was done with his at two! He literally threw it away on his birthday and didn't ask for it again- no coaching from me either.
I think it depends on the kid and the parent- you don't really want to send you child off to school with one- they will get made fun of. But if it's not affecting anything- I don't see the harm in a binki when they are little either.
~C.

Their teeth may look okay, but unfortunately, they wont for long. Since you say that your kids don't take them during the day I wont say my other concern, which would be children learning to talk while they have a binky in.
I don't know if the desire for a pacifier would go away. I, personally, slept with a blankey until I was 14. You certainly don't want your kids with binky's at that age, right?!
It's up to you, of course. But, I would be worried about the teeth. Talk to their doctor, talk to their dentist, and then make your decision.
L.

I wish you had posted your question last week, when we decided to plant my 2 1/2-year-old's pacis in the ground and grow a lollipop tree (we tried the paci fairy idea when she was 1 1/2 - at that time, both the ped and ped dentist convinced me it was time and that the best would be to go cold turkey - and it was a miserable day for all of us!). My daughter doesn't take a paci at daycare now and hasn't for a few months, and only used it at night or when she napped at home. We thought it'd be easy given those conditions, but since then she's been resisting sleep and still whines for her paci at night (although the tantrums have gotten better). We decided to take it away since it seemed like she couldn't calm herself down without it, and if she'd wake up in the middle of the night and wasn't able to find her paci in her crib, she'd cry for us. We thought it was time to take it away for good, since she wasn't seeming to develop any of her own soothing or coping mechanisms. I sometimes doubt my decision, but we do seem to be past the worst of it. Still, I wonder if she'd have figured out other coping mechanisms on her own and given up the paci when she was ready.

agreed. many parents see the VERY rare exceptions, kids who enjoy a binky until kindgergarten age, as cautionary tales and don't want their baby to be *that* kid. but very very few children cling to the bink past their toddler years, and if they do, so what? i save my 'musts' for more important things.
my younger dropped the binky a little before 2 and took to his thumby. by the time he was in kindergarten he did indeed have a callous around the base of his thumb.
and then he quit.
the callous went away.
khairete
S.

We weaned our daughter off her soother when she was 2 (slowly and patiently). I'm expecting another baby and didn't want there to be battles over whose soother was whose! lol.

I think if you kids are only using them at night, then it's probably not a big deal. But if they're using them throughout the day, the soothers may be impeding their speech or causing dental problems that you can't see.

I've heard that it can cause their teeth to grow improperly. I would specifically ask a dentist and see what their opinion is. We got rid of ours at about 12 months because I would get irritated if they were talking to me through the paci (which is of course not a problem for you if it is just nighttime and naptime!). Looking back, I feel like we should have waited until 18-24 months, but I wasn't good at the "just for bedtime" rule. Also, it may become an issue if they are using them when they enter school - they might get picked on, or called a baby, etc...

Those are my guesses, but I'm not sure either.

mine is a thumb sucker not a paci baby. I would break the 4 yr old before he starts school or the kids would cruely break him for you. the 2 yr old no reason why stress my 2 yr old still sucks his thumb and is slowly giving it up along with his blanky. as long as both of these stay in the bedroom who cares. they will give it up on thier own.

I totally agree with you.

My son... from about 6 months old, LOVED his binky. He loved is Binky day and night, 24/7. We took it away just before he made 3 years old.

The REASON, for Us, that we took it away was... it was deforming his mouth.
In other words... when his mouth was shut... there was still a gap or a "hole" between is upper and lower mouth/teeth... just where the Binky would be. His mouth, would not shut, completely.
In cases like this, and per our Ped Dentist... the mouth, IF prior to 3 years old... the mouth is still able to go back to its normal formation.
For my son... it took about 6 months... for his mouth/teeth/palate... to go back to a normal formation. Then by 1 year later... it is now normal.
His teeth/mouth gap is gone... and his mouth shape, is normal now. It can take, up to 1 year... for the mouth to regain, normal formation.
BUT if it does not... then that is a problem.

For us, we told our Son that Santa needed his help, and needs his Binkies to help the other kids. Then with him, we collected all his Binkies in the house, put it in a bag... and then "gave" it to Santa, mailing it to him. (we actually just stuffed the bag somewhere and told him we sent it off).
It took my son only 2 days... to adjust without his Binky.
He also had a Lovey that he sleeps with.
For my son, he did not have a hard time, without his Binky... nor did he get upset or tantrum about it. So we were lucky.

all the best,
Susan

Well, my 7 year old gave up the paci at age 3 (OK, I threw them all out and she was sad for about 2 days). My 9 year old gave up the paci at 8 months, and I clearly remember thinking "Yipee! I won't have to worry about taking it away later!" Problem is, she turned to her thumb and STILL sucks it while watching movies and going to bed. Can't seem to get that thumb out of her mouth. So far her teeth look fine, but time will tell. I'm not sure if your kids would switch to their thumbs if you took the paci's away. Have you tried taking them away and had lots of tears? Maybe you could try for a few days and see what happens? I don't know. Tough call. Good luck!

you are the mom you know what is best for your children i didnt have this problem i had both of mine of the paci my 3-4months but if i was in that situation i would worry about dental problems but i would help them transition very slowly so they dont turn to the thumb my cousin sucked her thumb in her sleep til 16 or 17 still does at 18 occasionally and it messed her teeth up pretty bad she had braces had them fixed but it was a habit for so long that sometimes in her sleep she still do it and could have to get braces again

My 1st was not a passy user and my 2nd was. Who cares? My passy-user used it exclusively at night and was done by 2...Yes with a little support from us, but we also supported him to become potty trained, dress himself, brush his teeth, read, ride a bike...

I guess what I am saying is that it is our job to recognize when one phase of our child's life is over and help them tackle the next one. Just make sure you do it when they are ready (or just-about-to-be-ready)instead of when you are ready. And sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference. If you are unsure, get advice from people or professionals you trust and go from there.

It doesn't matter if it's not an issue for your family. Ultimately, you do what works. My daughter gave up her paci around 2 (I convinced her to leave it for Santa) and it hadn't been serving any realy purpose for at least 6 months anyway--just a bad habit. If you're not stressed about it, great! Moms need less stress in their lives.

I had 3 kids that were all very attached to their binky and I thought it would be a nightmare when we decided it was time to take them away. I think each time, we had an episode of losing it and we just never replaced it, my kids surprised me and it turned out to be no big deal! Go figure! I hope it goes this smoothly for you, also! Good luck

My now 5 year old is still sucking her thumb. Most often when she is tired or upset, but sometimes just as habit.

I asked if she wanted me to get her a paci and she pretty much said, "Awwww [sigh]".

Personally, I think it is a growing issue, much like potty training. My issue with the thumb sucking and paci, is the germs. The paci is probably cleaner, but I guess much like a thumb, you couldn't catch them to wash every time they grab it and stick it in their mouth.

I've read a lot about delayed speech development. But if its during their rest times then that's irrelevant. I guess they could be thumb suckers which could really cause some problems. My daughter kept throwing hers out of the bed so that she could talk and sing herself to sleep. Best of luck.

We let our daughter have one until she was almost 5 and my son 3. The older they get the harder it is to take it away. It was much harder with my daughter than with my son. We took it away more because I was just getting sick of trying to find the darn thing at bedtime and at night. Of course teeth is a concern, but what kid doesn't have braces now a days. If you don't mind it, then leave it alone. I haven't found that the desire diminishes naturally though.

It can cause the teeth to become pronounced or bucky.

my son is 10 months old and s off the binkie i woupd throw all binkies away and let them suffer ya its rough but if you let them have the binkie any longer it could affect their speech i know a lil girl that is 2 yrs old and she talks with the binkie in her mouth and wont talk normal so do away with the binkie and find something else that their attatched to its going to be rough for a couple nights buts its time to get rid of it