Pacifier Addict at age 2

[Anonymous]

My mom tried to take the bottle from my brother for 9 years.
Since she did so he never drank milk anymore.
It's been 18 years now and he still doesn't take milk.

MOMS PLEASE...
read a lot, think a lot but do what's the best for YOUR FAMILY.

there's no magic trick.
trying out is not wrong.

but make sure you're following your heart and not what people told you to do.

[Anonymous]

I just want to know when we're all going to go out for a drink? I think we ALL could use one!

[Anonymous]

Seriously. The bitchy factor is higher than usual. Maybe we should all ask for oral sex for Christmas. (see what to get hubby for Christmas thread. Whoa.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP -

I tried to take away the paci cold turkey from DD when she was about 2 and a half. We went for 4 weeks straight with no exceptions... she screamed and cried the whole time. She needed it to get to sleep, and essentially just ended up giving up naps, because she would cry for 2 and a half hours straight without the paci. By night time, she was so exhausted that she could fall asleep on hger own with out the paci BUT she would wake up every few hours. This went on for an entire month. At the end of it I was exhausted, she was a complete wreck, and she STILL hadn't forgotten about the damn paci. EVERYONE assured me that kids get over it, they don't remember that they ever had the paci., she'd stop crying so much in a week, tops. Well, it didn't work out that way for me.

I'm sure some of the nice boundary people here on this thread would have agreed -- kids just get over these things -- well, sorry, mine didn't.

I relented, and gave her the paci ONLY for naps and sleep. She really NEEDED those naps at 2 and a half, and having her cry the wole time wasn't doing her or me any good.

She now doesn't nap anymore, so she only has the paci just before bed.

Her "boundary" is, no pacifier anywhere except bed. When she wakes up, it goes under her pillow. That's it, end of story. It is working for us, and no, I don't fear that I am failing to show my child boundaries, or that I am allowing her to call the shots. I gave her the paci to begin with, she developed a habit, and it seems to be one she isn't ready to give up yet. But I see signs she is growing less dependant on it, and she puts it under her pillow every morning without complaint.

I am another one that believes you should just take the paci away, but I also believe it should be done much earlier than 2.5yo. My DD loved her paci from day 1, but on the advice of out pediatric nurse we decided we would take it away before she got old enough to really understand and rationalize with us on it. Her advice was between 6-9 months. This doesn't help OP, but as advice to new moms, I would say that it is probably much easier to take it away slowly or cold-turkey when they can't really ask for it. I think the same thing goes when switching from bottles to sippy cups. We just took the bottles away one day and DD had not choice but sippy cups and cows milk.

I think when people say that kids just get over things, I agree for the most part, but with things like paci's and sippy cups I think it's easier to do it earlier than later.

[Anonymous]

I also had one of those seemingly rare DDs that couldn't tolerate cold turkey from binky at age almost 3. She cried for it for weeks. I almost gave in a month down the road and then she finally stopped asking for it. Everyone including my doctor said it should take a week. Yeah right! Is there a trend for some kids? My friend told me about this survey about pacifier users and thumb/finger-suckers. Check it out. I'm hoping the person doing this will get some answers to this madness!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Mj3TarS3NaGF1c3Epsph8Q_3d_3d

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bVQDsMQJzMHcc7Jg6LfiGw_3d_3d

[Anonymous]

I have never, ever seen an adult with a pacifier. If there are some out there, then they are using it in private. I forced my baby to give up a lot things already (sleeping with me, drinking from a bottle, sleeping in a swing, etc. and I now feel that the battle and discomfort is just not worth it. She'll give it up when she is ready and at this point, i don't care if it is at 2, 5, 10, or 30+ years old. There are worse habits out there and I do most of them (except using a pacifier), so who am I to take this comfort tool away?

And I fail to see what the difference is between singing a child to sleep, reading a few bedtime stories, using a lovey or other night time routines are compared to using a pacifier. The dental problems have been refuted, esp. for those who only use pacifiers for sleep. So what is the BIG deal????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never, ever seen an adult with a pacifier. If there are some out there, then they are using it in private. I forced my baby to give up a lot things already (sleeping with me, drinking from a bottle, sleeping in a swing, etc. and I now feel that the battle and discomfort is just not worth it. She'll give it up when she is ready and at this point, i don't care if it is at 2, 5, 10, or 30+ years old. There are worse habits out there and I do most of them (except using a pacifier), so who am I to take this comfort tool away?

And I fail to see what the difference is between singing a child to sleep, reading a few bedtime stories, using a lovey or other night time routines are compared to using a pacifier. The dental problems have been refuted, esp. for those who only use pacifiers for sleep. So what is the BIG deal????

To say the dentists have refuted the idea is not accurate. Some dentists absolutely are against them, some aren't. I think it depends on your comfort with them. The problem alot of people against them have with them, me included, is not at night, when it might be a comfort thing. The problem I have is using them as a plug, because they might be crying during the day and you don't want to deal with what ever it is. Also, their not practicing their words, vocabulary, etc. when something is in their mouth muffling the sounds that help them form words. Some kids walk around at the park, or play with pacifiers in their mouths, when they can be learning different comfort situations, social cues, and learning to elaborate on things which might help them in their future preschool years.

[Anonymous]

to the PP - aren't you superior to the rest of us!

Good grief - it's not used as a plug. Have you ever tried to put a pacifier in the mouth of a truly distressed child? For some children, the pacifier is a transitional object, in the same way that a blanket or a beloved toy is for others. My pediatrician said as much at my DD's two year old appointment and her dentist said the same thing. I chose not to stress my child out by taking it away to satisfy the judgmental attitudes of others.

That said, we didn't let her take it outside after she turned two, and restricted its use to her bedroom when she turned three. She made her own decision that she had outgrown it when she was three and a half. It was torture every bedtime for about two weeks, and then it was fine.

If you are a paci hater and don't want your child to use one, then take it away when they are less than one and a half.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never, ever seen an adult with a pacifier. If there are some out there, then they are using it in private. I forced my baby to give up a lot things already (sleeping with me, drinking from a bottle, sleeping in a swing, etc. and I now feel that the battle and discomfort is just not worth it. She'll give it up when she is ready and at this point, i don't care if it is at 2, 5, 10, or 30+ years old. There are worse habits out there and I do most of them (except using a pacifier), so who am I to take this comfort tool away?

And I fail to see what the difference is between singing a child to sleep, reading a few bedtime stories, using a lovey or other night time routines are compared to using a pacifier. The dental problems have been refuted, esp. for those who only use pacifiers for sleep. So what is the BIG deal????

Then I guess you've never heard of Flavor Flav-also drinks from a baby's bottle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:to the PP - aren't you superior to the rest of us!

Good grief - it's not used as a plug. Have you ever tried to put a pacifier in the mouth of a truly distressed child? For some children, the pacifier is a transitional object, in the same way that a blanket or a beloved toy is for others. My pediatrician said as much at my DD's two year old appointment and her dentist said the same thing. I chose not to stress my child out by taking it away to satisfy the judgmental attitudes of others.

That said, we didn't let her take it outside after she turned two, and restricted its use to her bedroom when she turned three. She made her own decision that she had outgrown it when she was three and a half. It was torture every bedtime for about two weeks, and then it was fine.

If you are a paci hater and don't want your child to use one, then take it away when they are less than one and a half.

Your not someone that easily handles opinions different from yours, I'm sure. Are you being serious? Look, give your child a pacifier when their 3 or 4. Fine, I'm not saying not to. You get on this superior kick, instead of looking at the content. Some people use them as plugs or easy way outs. A four year old on the jungle gym should not have one. Just an opinion. Oh, let me remind you that this site is about opinions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never, ever seen an adult with a pacifier. .

I have! Odd looking duck on the bus. Another fellow-- late teens or early 20s-- was unabashedly sucking his thumb, also on the bus. And then there was the fabulous-looking drag queen I spotted in a bar driking from an ordinary Avent bottle. Of course, you see all kinds. And I assume that these folks had other eccentricities, which were not caused by their oral fixations. Just sharin'!

[Anonymous]

I *wish* my 4 year old would use a pacifer - she's a thumb-sucker when she's tired or nervous and there's not much we can do to wean her off that. No thumb fairy to send her digit off to.

And I'm sure it's doing a lot more damage to her mouth and teeth than a pacifer would.

So with my second child I'm letting him have the pacifer at night/naps and when he's over-tired until he's about two. Hoping by then he's over needing to suck for comfort and won't pick up the thumb.

OP, if you see your DC interested in the thumb, you may want to evaluate taking away the pacifier.

P.S. Any tips out there to help stop a preschooler from sucking her thumb?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I *wish* my 4 year old would use a pacifer - she's a thumb-sucker when she's tired or nervous and there's not much we can do to wean her off that. No thumb fairy to send her digit off to.

And I'm sure it's doing a lot more damage to her mouth and teeth than a pacifer would.

So with my second child I'm letting him have the pacifer at night/naps and when he's over-tired until he's about two. Hoping by then he's over needing to suck for comfort and won't pick up the thumb.

OP, if you see your DC interested in the thumb, you may want to evaluate taking away the pacifier.

P.S. Any tips out there to help stop a preschooler from sucking her thumb?

A friend had this problem and she was lucky that she happened to be watching a cartoon with her daughter and one of the characters had buck teeth. Her daughter ironically asked her mom why the character looked like that and the mom told her from sucking on her thumb and her daughter cried soooooo hard and asked her if she will look like that too. Her mom told her if she stopped now - then she would not. She stopped cold turkey and is now 5 and has never done it again. If you are interested I can try to find out the character of the cartoon, but only if you are serious bc she moved overseas. My son is 18 months and loves his pacifier - it has helped me soothe him so many times. I know that when he is ready he will give it up, as he has limited us know when he is playing he doesnt use it. Only when he is upset or tired. My newborm is now 5 months and I actually tried pushing it on her and she refuses it. I am scared about the thumb sucking bc I have also seen kids that are older have blisters or deformed thumbs from this.
Good Luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I *wish* my 4 year old would use a pacifer - she's a thumb-sucker when she's tired or nervous and there's not much we can do to wean her off that. No thumb fairy to send her digit off to.

And I'm sure it's doing a lot more damage to her mouth and teeth than a pacifer would.

So with my second child I'm letting him have the pacifer at night/naps and when he's over-tired until he's about two. Hoping by then he's over needing to suck for comfort and won't pick up the thumb.

OP, if you see your DC interested in the thumb, you may want to evaluate taking away the pacifier.

P.S. Any tips out there to help stop a preschooler from sucking her thumb?

A friend had this problem and she was lucky that she happened to be watching a cartoon with her daughter and one of the characters had buck teeth. Her daughter ironically asked her mom why the character looked like that and the mom told her from sucking on her thumb and her daughter cried soooooo hard and asked her if she will look like that too. Her mom told her if she stopped now - then she would not. She stopped cold turkey and is now 5 and has never done it again. If you are interested I can try to find out the character of the cartoon, but only if you are serious bc she moved overseas. My son is 18 months and loves his pacifier - it has helped me soothe him so many times. I know that when he is ready he will give it up, as he has limited us know when he is playing he doesnt use it. Only when he is upset or tired. My newborm is now 5 months and I actually tried pushing it on her and she refuses it. I am scared about the thumb sucking bc I have also seen kids that are older have blisters or deformed thumbs from this.
Good Luck.

here is an article http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=277781

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never, ever seen an adult with a pacifier. .

I have! Odd looking duck on the bus. Another fellow-- late teens or early 20s-- was unabashedly sucking his thumb, also on the bus. And then there was the fabulous-looking drag queen I spotted in a bar driking from an ordinary Avent bottle. Of course, you see all kinds. And I assume that these folks had other eccentricities, which were not caused by their oral fixations. Just sharin'!

He was sucking his thumb because he was on crack cocaine and needed to be able to do something other than grind his teeth.