Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's why I don't think it should just 100 percent be an issue of the child deciding. Most people (kids included) will "decide" to just keep doing the thing they are already doing for a long time, absent some encouragement or incentive to do something different. That's why we encourage kids to potty train, right? Otherwise, they're not just going to say out of the blue, hey, I'd like to stop going to the bathroom the same way I have for the past two and a half years. Yes, if your kid is having a complete breakdown and your doc says it is ok to leave the paci, by all means take a break and try again in a bit. But I would not say, oh, whenever she decides, and not continue to work on the issue.

Funny, that's exactly what my DD did.

There's a difference between encouragement and forcing a child to do something. I encouraged my child to give up her paci, but I ultimately left it up to her to decide. She made the decision when she was five, and felt very proud of herself for doing so. I see nothing wrong with that.

Anonymous wrote:Here's why I don't think it should just 100 percent be an issue of the child deciding. Most people (kids included) will "decide" to just keep doing the thing they are already doing for a long time, absent some encouragement or incentive to do something different. That's why we encourage kids to potty train, right? Otherwise, they're not just going to say out of the blue, hey, I'd like to stop going to the bathroom the same way I have for the past two and a half years. Yes, if your kid is having a complete breakdown and your doc says it is ok to leave the paci, by all means take a break and try again in a bit. But I would not say, oh, whenever she decides, and not continue to work on the issue.

Funny, that's exactly what my DD did.

We waited until age 4 (bed only since age 1) and we did the paci fairy. It was painless for everyone. I felt dumb for stressing all those years. Her teeth are fine, according to her dentist.

Don't sweat it OP.

FBO wrote:I havent read this whole thread, but my kid used one until she was about 3 months old and then never again. Now though, she sucks her thumb most of the time just like one would with a paci - minus the tantrums.

Whats the consensus on the kids using the thumb vice a paci?

Harder to take away the thumb and the thumb is not as well designed for the upper mouth as the paci so you should try to get them to stop sucking sooner then with the paci (for "buck teeth" issues)

Here's why I don't think it should just 100 percent be an issue of the child deciding. Most people (kids included) will "decide" to just keep doing the thing they are already doing for a long time, absent some encouragement or incentive to do something different. That's why we encourage kids to potty train, right? Otherwise, they're not just going to say out of the blue, hey, I'd like to stop going to the bathroom the same way I have for the past two and a half years. Yes, if your kid is having a complete breakdown and your doc says it is ok to leave the paci, by all means take a break and try again in a bit. But I would not say, oh, whenever she decides, and not continue to work on the issue.

I havent read this whole thread, but my kid used one until she was about 3 months old and then never again. Now though, she sucks her thumb most of the time just like one would with a paci - minus the tantrums.

Whats the consensus on the kids using the thumb vice a paci?

My son ADORED his paci. Oh my goodness. What an oral fixation with the damn paci. Literally one day he was like "I don't need it anymore" and we were DONE. Kids need it to self-soothe. Don't just take it away. My son is the most stubborn kid and I thought he would have a paci until college (joking, but I was concerned). No joke - gave it up on his own one day.

Move onto bigger worries and let your 2 year old have her paci!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Um, she's really 7 and talks about her paci, interesting.

And?

And no more to it lady, just interesting to me.

Anonymous wrote:

What's wrong with teaching a 5 year old how to make her own decisions?

A five year old is not mature enough or knowledgable enough to make many of her own decisions. My son would decide to continue picking his nose in public if I just left it up to him. So I don't.

Um, my 5 year old made the decision to stop using her paci.

Anonymous wrote: Um, she's really 7 and talks about her paci, interesting.

And?

What's wrong with teaching a 5 year old how to make her own decisions?

A five year old is not mature enough or knowledgable enough to make many of her own decisions. My son would decide to continue picking his nose in public if I just left it up to him. So I don't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter had hers until she was 5, when she gave it up on her own. Her teeth are pretty darn straight. She's almost 7 now and still talks about her paci -- she misses it. But she feels pretty accomplished for giving it up on her own. I think that counts.

I'm going to go against the grain and say let your child have it -- she's only using it for bed and it seems to provide some level of comfort for her, so be it.

No, giving up paci at age 5 doesn't count for anything. That said, I don't see what the big deal is with 2.5 using pacifier.

Why doesn't it count for anything? What's wrong with teaching a 5 year old how to make her own decisions?

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, i just dont see a reason to impose hours of screaming on your.kid when dentists say its not harmful until 3 or 4. A three year old is much better equipped to handle this - a 2.5 year old can't understand why they can't have it.

Same here. OP, I haven't read the entire thread, so I don't know what others have suggested, but I would feel comfortable waiting a little longer, especially since it's only used for sleep. There are bigger fish to fry at this age.

Can someone reassure me I am not ruining her teeth/mouth for the rest of her life? I just don't think I can handle going through the hours of screaming again with no success.

Just saying. So if she were successful, the hours of screaming would be ok?

Anonymous wrote:

"Can someone reassure me I am not ruining her teeth/mouth for the rest of her life?"

I guess the best person to ask that question to is a doctor or dentist. I don't understand why OP didn't ask a doctor or dentist before initially taking the pacifier away. The problem that I have with the post is that it seems to me like OP's real reason for not wanting to do this is because it upsets her daughter, not because her opinion of whether it should be done (which can reasonably vary from family to family) has changed. To me, that in and of itself is not a good reason. Advice, directly from the child's medical providers, is.

I disagree. It sounds to me like OP had it in her head that she needed to take it away just because that's what you do, but then when it turned into a huge problem, it occurred to her to see if it was even necessary to take it away at this point.