Pacifier or no

Dale was telling me the other day that while at a traffic light,there was a grown women in the car beside him driving,with a pacifier in her mouth

Dale was telling me the other day that while at a traffic light,there was a grown women in the car beside him driving,with a pacifier in her mouth

Now that's a COMPLETELY different issue. 

I agree... Dale was in the workvan at the time, so I won't tell you what Dale said his workmates had to say about it (keep in mind they are railway workers)

I lived with my sister when she had my niece. There was a lot of discussion beforehand, about whether or not the baby should have a pacifier. My brother-in-law brought up the point: "If it's between her sucking her thumb and sucking on a pacifer, I'd rather it be the pacifier. You can throw pacifiers away, you can't throw thumbs away."   It's my understanding that some babies just have that natural need to suck.

FWIW, we weaned my niece when she was about two years old, I think. I think you'll be able to judge once the baby's born whether or not a paci will be needed. You'll know what's best for her

I didn't want to use a pacifier, but it was a life saver for the car.  That and after I was done feeding because DS needed some more sucking time.  It was one of those things where we preferred the pappy over the thumb.  Unfortunately when I put him in day care they gave it to him more often despite my instructions not to.  I switched daycare when he was 1 and decided to use the opportunity to wean him off it.  That worked for a while, but he still got it at home.  5 days off for the hurricane and 6 teeth coming in at the same time, and we're back on it.  He's only 17 months, so I'm not to worried yet, but we're trying to get it away from him again.  I find that if I hide it until bed time, he's okay.  Getting it away from him at night will be harder.  He wakes up screaming if it's popped out and he can't find it. 

My biggest fear is that I won't get it away from him before his 2nd birthday.

My biggest fear is that I won't get it away from him before his 2nd birthday.

My daughter is 2.3 and still has one at night.  No real harm done.  My mother had a bottle until she was 4.  She became a functional adult. 

depends on the child if you make a big deal of it then it will affect how the child attaches itself to the pacifier...I say if he/she likes it use in time they will let go of it. I remember in one placement it was a big no no but in this placement the hospitals use it so there isn't  a fixed yes or no.

I used it for Jess but she never really took to it and in about the first few months she didn't attach to it and I stopped using it. She never sucked her thumb either ..to her all that is tres gauche or something..

We tried a pacifier with Ethan but he never wanted it, always spat it out or threw it away and one day he threw it somewhere where we couldn't find it and that was that.  He likes to suck his index & middle fingers when he's falling asleep sometimes. I'm quite glad because I don't really like them anyway.

I have no problem with him having it at night, but he wants it all the time now.  He goes in his bag to get it out or reaches into the crib to get it.  He also fusses at the counter if he knows it's up there somewhere.  It's almost like he want's it because he can't have it, like the TV remote, cell phones, keys, etc. ........

I have no problem with him having it at night, but he wants it all the time now.  He goes in his bag to get it out or reaches into the crib to get it.  He also fusses at the counter if he knows it's up there somewhere.  It's almost like he want's it because he can't have it, like the TV remote, cell phones, keys, etc. ........

He may be teething.  Sucking helps soothe the pressure he feels in his gums, which is probably why he's looking for it!  My son didn't have any teething problems until his incisors came in a month or two ago.  They were driving him crazy, and the only thing that made him relax was his pacifier.  Once the teeth came in, he went back to only using it at night with no problem.

Or, he could just be trying to drive you insane. 

My son would not take one after his birth, my hubby and I were at odds about it, but later on, we would give him one at nap, or bed time, and it helped him settle. He was never dependent on it. As soon as he was settled we would remove it, and therefore it was not something that he had access to. Basically, we would use it in an emergency......then take it away when it worked!! It was a cinch to wean him from, I spent a week in Florida with my hubby's family, and took it away then. As opposed to myself........I had one til I was three, and my older brother and sister would take it away from me, hide it, and say.......'where'd it go??'  so, that's what I learned to call it, my where'd  it go.

He may be teething.  Sucking helps soothe the pressure he feels in his gums, which is probably why he's looking for it!  My son didn't have any teething problems until his incisors came in a month or two ago.  They were driving him crazy, and the only thing that made him relax was his pacifier.  Once the teeth came in, he went back to only using it at night with no problem.

Or, he could just be trying to drive you insane. 

No, he's teething.  Poor little guy is cutting 6 teeth right now.  He went 6 months without cutting any teeth and I was worried they would all come at once.  Atleast 2 of the molars are almost in, just 2 more molars and both the incisors to go.  I should by stock in children's Tylonol. 

My son really liked his, he called it his "pluggie". I was at first hoping he'd suck his thumb or fingers, they don't wake up crying because they can't find them usually! But it is true that it's easier to take a pacifier away than to get a child to stop sucking their thumb. My sister teases that I sucked my thumb at night until I was twelve, I refuse to believe that!  Your baby will let you know when she gets here what she prefers, she may not even be interested in either like others have said!

Philip was sucking his thumb in his ultrasounds. Early on, when we couldn't calm him when he was sleepy (only when sleepy) we gave him a dummy and it worked a CHARM. Once he started showing an interest in his thumb (takes babies a while to rememebr how to do it) we encouraged him to use his thumb. As soon as he could suck his thumb we threw the dummies away. I personally think they are good for babies who like to suck (lots of babies aren't like that, philip is) - and that is where they come into handy. when an 8 year old has a pacifier in, or when you only give your kid the dummy (using the words accidentally interchangeably, sorry) - to Shut Him Up, that's where I think it becaomes a totally different issue.