Pacifiers - Did you use them

moped wrote: I was told by the nurses not to give her a soother until at least one month, and I personally would be fine never to give her one but she is a thumb sucker already so i resorted to one the last couple of days - did you use one?

Jack never quite figured out the concept of one so we never really used it

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Both boys took one in the hospital. They were jaundiced babies, so had to be under the bili lights for like 7 days, Wesley was in the NICU, so I wanted them to be soothed while under the lights. Wil loved a paci until he was a little over two and Wesley never took one after we got home from the hospital. Never took a bottle either. You know he uses me for that!

Calimama replied: Nope, Miabella never used one.

Bamamom replied: Yes with both kids - they are lifesavers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: Logan used one, but he basically weaned himself off it by 6 months. Then he just chewed on them when he was teething.

stella6979 replied: Yep! Avery HAD to have a pacifier, it was the only thing that would soothe her. Our Dr. said better a pacifier than a thumb/finger cause pacifers you can throw away. As soon as she turned a year though, we got rid of them.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: yep, both kids used them for the first couple of months. they never had anything to do with them after that. I was lucky in that regard.

Boo&BugsMom replied: Tanner had one until he was 1 then we took it away when he started to get up in the middle of the night every hour and want US to give it back to him. He was lazy and wouldn't find it himself, even though it would be right next to him. For him it was an addiction and habit that needed to be broken. After a few nights, all was well. At that time though when he did have it, it was a lifesaver because he was a very oral child and it was his soother and he'd go right to sleep with it. He took one before he was 1 month.

Aiden took one for the first few months but then started refusing it and hasn't had one since so he doesn't have one anymore. At times I wish he would take one, because I think he'd fuss less to sleep but I am glad I wont have to break him of it. Depends how you look at it I guess.

jem0622 replied: Depends. If you are nursing, then don't. You need the stimulation to produce what she needs.

My oldest DS took one from age 2 mos until 1 yr. He went cold turkey all by himself.

My youngest DS didn't really take to it until I went cold turkey on BF. He had no interest in giving up the mi mi...so we had to take it away at 3 yrs old.

The girls hated the paci.

Danalana replied: It sounds like she needs to suck...I heard if they are sucking on their fingers or thumbs, they really need that extra sucking. Of course, I have no REAL idea yet.

luvmykids replied: All three of mine used one here and there but never got really attatched. The 1yo I babysit is the opposite, I have about a dozen stashed all over the house because she CANNOT be without one

moped replied: Well funny thing - the last day or so she has been gagging when i give it to her - so apparently she desn't want a soother - I guess i can be the human pacifier!!!

My3LilMonkeys replied: Brooke used one a lot and then gave it up on her own by 9 months or so. Madison was a thumbsucker from Day 1 and nothing could convince her to use anything else.

HuskerMom replied: We never used one with Keith, he sucked on his fingers for a couple months then stopped that. I don't think we're planning on using one with this baby either.

Brias3 replied: Yes, all three of mine used one. My last two got really attached and had them (at bedtime) till about a year of age.

I didn't want to resort to them, but didn't want thumb suckers either.

Calimama replied: Forgot to say Miabella never sucked her thumb either. Weird huh?

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Could be the size. ??? Aiden never took to the bigger bulbs and he gagged too. He had to have the smallest ones, wheras Tanner liked the bigger ones. If the smallest ones are too big for her she may take it better in a month or so.

lovemy2 replied: Olivia is a thumb sucker - NEVER took a paci - Dylan also started sucking his thumb earlier and I used to try like crazy to take the thumb out and put a paci in - he just spit it back at me and put the thumb back in - granted the thumbs is a much harder habit to break but its always there and it never gets lost So for now I will stick to my plan to have an affair with an orthodontist in order to pay for their braces Although I have to say - Olivia goes to the dentist regularly at so far he sees no damage done from her thumbsucking.....

CantWait replied:
Just my advice. If all she really needs is to suck, for your sake, don't be her pacifier. If you start that habit, you'll start her on a habit of not being able to a. soothe herself or b. be constantly needing you, which will be hard for you to get things done whether it be showering, cooking, anything. I know thumb sucking can grow to be a nasty habit when they're older, but really it's probably something she'll grow out of eventually anyways.

Like already said, it could just be the type of paci you're giving her.

Jackie012007 replied: Carly wouldn't really use a pacifier until she was a month old - we tired practically every time, and she did gag on a few of the larger ones - she ended up prefering the NUK ones. They are nice and small, she had a real preference to those until about 6 months of age, then she would take anything.

Now that she is almost 1, I've cut the pacifier use to only during naps and at night. During the day, she only gets the teething pacifier - it's larger and textured for teething, not sucking. I'd like to have her off of the pacifier before 18 months - I hate going to the store and seeing 3 year olds with one still in their mouth.

Take it from me, discourage the thumb sucking! I had a horrible dental experience because I refused a pacifier and I sucked my thumb until I was 8! I had to have dental surgeries because the pressure of my thumb on the muscle between my front teeth forced them widely apart - I had to undergo 3 different surgeries starting at about 11 years of age to cut the skin in the front, shave the muscle in the back and then shave the muscle some more - then I had a jaw spacer and then braces for a few years.

It still didin't work - to this day, I have to have my front teeth bonded together every few years - they take the white filling bond and force my front teeth together and then bond them. It will eventually break because of the pressure, and then I have to go back in, have the bond shaved off and then go through the procedure again. It is very painful and irritating! And this is all because I sucked my thumb, and for so long!




* edited for misspelling *

Crystalina replied: My kids only had them in their mouths one time and that is when the nurse first brought them from the nursery to me in the hospital. I popped them out of their mouths and said I would prefer them never to have them and they never had them after that. We never missed them.

Boo&BugsMom replied: I'm actually surprised the hospital/nurses said to wait until she is a month. I had never heard that before. Our hospital hands out the soothies like they are going out of style. We had about 6 to take home with us for each the boys. Did they give a reason Jen?

msoulz replied: No, I don't use them - I find they get in the way of talking and eating.

My son wouldn't take one until he was about 4 months old and then we couldn't get it out of his mouth until he was about 2 1/2. But it was great for him as he was a really cranky kid and that helped a lot.

My daughter never took one, but she would put anything else she could get her hands on in her mouth. Go figure!

Boo&BugsMom replied:


I never used them for anything aside from napping/sleeping. When they were teeny tiny I'd give it to them for soothing, but after the first couple months it was only for sleeping. Aiden is the same way about stuff in his mouth. He's not a paci baby, but gosh EVERYTHING needs to go in the mouth with him!

Celestrina replied: No, Ben never took to one. He is still a thumbsucker and we're not quite sure if we want to do anything about that yet.

Brias3 replied:
I was surprised at that too.

They were passed out in abundance at our hospital too. In fact, they gave one to Mason when he was in the nursery at the hospital for an hour or so the day we were going home. They brought him back into the room and he had one in his mouth, which I'm not sure I was particularly pleased with, having not been asked my preference on the decision to give it to him I'm actually shocked he took it- Aliyah didn't use one as a soother until she was about two weeks old.

moped replied:
I think she told me because of nipple confusion.....

msoulz replied:
I do remember something like that being said. They didn't offer any when my kids were born but I was (attempting) to nurse them. However, they did both get supplemented for a few days because of jaundice and that didn't seem to confuse them. Maybe because it was so early and they were still learning though?

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Interesting. The nurses at our hospital talked about nipple confusion between bottles and breast, but not with a pacifier. Maybe because a paci isn't for eating? Never thought of it. Neither of the boys had nipple confusion with their paci.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: From what I remember, nurses don't all have the same philosophy. I had some talking to me about nipple confusion and others shoving a paci in my boys mouth every minute. Nurses that woked side by side. I thought it was battle of the nurses at times, with all the conflicting advice!