Poll Discussion: Pacifiers

 

Today’s poll is on something that people always have questions about: pacifiers. Here are the questions–if you don’t have an answer for a question, just reply N/A:

  1. Did/does your child use a pacifier?
  2. What age did you start using a pacifier?
  3. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with breastfeeding or bottle feeding?
  4. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with sleep?
  5. If it did interfere with sleep, how did you solve that?
  6. Did you have any “rules” for pacifier use (for example, how often would you reinsert it, was it allowed out of the bed, etc.)? If so, what were they?
  7. At what age did you wean the pacifier?
  8. How did you wean the pacifier?
  9. How did your child handle weaning?
  10. Any pacifier tips?
  11. Would you use a pacifier again?

It makes it easiest for me if you copy the questions and then answer below the question. If you don’t have an answer for a question, just reply N/A. Thank you!

 

10 thoughts on “Poll Discussion: Pacifiers”

  1. 1. Did/does your child use a pacifier?First child did. Second child does not.2. What age did you start using a pacifier?At birth.3. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with breastfeeding or bottle feeding?No. She had the pacifier in the NICU before I was even able to breastfeed the first time, and breastfeeding went well. 4. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with sleep?No.5. If it did interfere with sleep, how did you solve that?N/A6. Did you have any "rules" for pacifier use (for example, how often would you reinsert it, was it allowed out of the bed, etc.)? If so, what were they?Yes. Allowed only in bed, in church, the carseat if needed, and in stressful situations. I would reinsert as much as needed.7. At what age did you wean the pacifier?3 months.8. How did you wean the pacifier?CIO cold turkey.9. How did your child handle weaning?CIO for about 3 days then went to sleep fine without it.10. Any pacifier tips?No.11. Would you use a pacifier again?I planned to use it again and maybe even wait until 4 months to wean (for sure wean before 6 months when the need for non-nutritive sucking diminishes), but hubby wanted to try without. I'm SO glad I didn't use it because it made me pay more attention to getting waketimes right to help sleep rather than just trying to fix sleep with a paci. Second child didn't really want it though, and sucked his thumb instead which I'm afraid will be a bigger problem.

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  2. 1. No2. n/a3. n/a4. n/a5. n/a6. The only rule we had was no pacifiers. This was easy because our hospital also had a no pacifier policy and we just went from there. 7. n/a8. n/a9. n/a10. I think we got along great without them with both kids! I loved the simplicity of not using them as well. My first did have a high need to suck but that passed by 6 months. 11. No plans to introduce one with our future babies.

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  3. 1. Yes2. Immediately3. No4. No (we used Wubbanubs, so they transitioned from staying in place to being easier to find)5. N/A6. Not until 18 months, then limited to carseat/bed unless teething.7. Plan to finish weaning at 2 years8. I plan to detach the stuffed animals (Wubbanub brand pacis) and attach them to a small blanket.9. N/A10. Just highly recommend the Wubbanub pacis as they have worked so well for us.11. Yes, but I wouldn't try to force it if the next baby didn't take to it as quickly as my first one did.

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  4. 1) Yes2) Birth3) No4) No5) No6) I would only go back and reinsert the paci one time when he was too little to do it himself. I felt he had to learn to self soothe without the paci. When he was an infant it was definitely used more- now we only allow it at naps and at night. 7) Haven't weaned him yet. Planning on doing it in the next couple months, when he turns two.8) n/a9) n/a10) Definitely set "rules" for the paci (i.e. when it can be used). For whatever reason, it bugs me when I see toddlers with pacis in their mouths all the time. We don't even bring the paci out if it's not naptime or bedtime.11) Yes

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  5. Did/does your child use a pacifier?1. No- sucked thumb2. No- sucked thumb3. No4. YesWhat age did you start using a pacifier?4. The night that she was born. She just wanted to suck and suck, and I couldn't keep up with her. Plus, I'm big on scheduling, and even at birth didn't want to "feed" her that frequently.Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with breastfeeding or bottle feeding?4. NoDo you think the pacifier ever interfered with sleep?4. NoIf it did interfere with sleep, how did you solve that?Did you have any "rules" for pacifier use (for example, how often would you reinsert it, was it allowed out of the bed, etc.)? If so, what were they?4. NoAt what age did you wean the pacifier?4. At about 6 months when we were sleep training she ended up not really using the pacifier any longer. We were no longer swaddling her with her arms wrapped up, and for some reason she was able to go without it. We had been rocking her with the pacifier in her mouth, but when we just put her down and let her fall asleep on her own, she didn't seem to mind not having it.How did you wean the pacifier?4. See aboveHow did your child handle weaning?4. See aboveAny pacifier tips?I think pacifiers are great. My first 3 kids just didn't seem to want one. But, I think it helps kids fall asleep a lot more easily, and they need a soothing device at times. But, I agree that for many, weaning from the pacifier is quite a trial!Would you use a pacifier again?See above

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  6. 1st daughter, 2.5 years old1. Did/does your child use a pacifier? Yes, she did2. What age did you start using a pacifier? 3 months3. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with breastfeeding or bottle feeding? No4. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with sleep? Yes!If it did interfere with sleep, how did you solve that? We started having all kinds of night waking and horrible naps so we decided to pitch the pacifier, cold turkey 🙂 Did you have any "rules" for pacifier use (for example, how often would you reinsert it, was it allowed out of the bed, etc.)? If so, what were they? We spent the summer at a university for summer classes and it was not a situation where you can have a crying baby. So I started using the pacifier when we got there (3 months old). We used it to put her to sleep and in the middle of naps. When we left she was 5 months and I could totally see a huge sleep problem developing. So we ditched the paci. At what age did you wean the pacifier? 5 months oldHow did you wean the pacifier? Cold turkey.How did your child handle weaning? A couple days of rough going-to-sleep – but sleep was going bad already so it wasn't like that was all new. After a couple days, WOW. We had our good little sleeper back… LONG naps and 12 hour nights! Any pacifier tips? I am obviously not a paci fan… anyone I know that uses them has sleep issues wih their kids and I experienced it myself. They can come in handy in some situations,but I would weigh the pros & cons carefully. Would you use a pacifier again? I did with my second, I thought I could just use it for those times you really need one, like church. 2nd daughter, 5 months old.1. Did/does your child use a pacifier? Yes, she did2. What age did you start using a pacifier? One week old3. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with breastfeeding or bottle feeding? Yes! She is a bit tongue-tied and had some trouble nursing effectively. I could tell a HUGE difference between the days she had sucked on the paci a lot, and the days she hadn't. On the "paci days" she would "click" constantly while nursing, but on the days she hadn't had the paci much, she didn't. So I quit using the pacifier after a couple weeks, and she improved a lot.4. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with sleep? Not sure, we weren't at that stage yet. 5. If it did interfere with sleep, how did you solve that? N/A6. Did you have any "rules" for pacifier use (for example, how often would you reinsert it, was it allowed out of the bed, etc.)? If so, what were they? I used it during her colicky times and witching hour only.7. At what age did you wean the pacifier? 4 weeks or so8. How did you wean the pacifier? Cold turkey – she was so little it wasn't an issue9. How did your child handle weaning? No issues10. Any pacifier tips? Pacifiers are definitely handy and I wanted this baby to take one for those times when you just really need one, but when having to choose between breastfeeding and pacifiers (which I had to in the case of this baby), I mean, that's not even a real choice to me :-)11. Would you use a pacifier again? Maybe… depends on the baby.

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  7. Did/does your child use a pacifier? Yes, he did.What age did you start using a pacifier? About 3 weeks. Before that, occasionally just had him suck on my finger for comfort.Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with breastfeeding or bottle feeding? Not that I ever noticed. We breastfed and it never seemed to interfere.Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with sleep? Yes, I do. But not sure to what extent. I just know that somewhere around 6 months maybe I had the sense he kept waking up at night because he was looking for his pacifier. It was around then I tried to stop using the pacifier for sleep (used it during our pre-sleep routine, but took it out before I laid him down. Did some cry-it-out.)If it did interfere with sleep, how did you solve that? (See previous question/answer)Did you have any "rules" for pacifier use (for example, how often would you reinsert it, was it allowed out of the bed, etc.)? If so, what were they? Basically only during our pre-sleep routine (story, song, pray, kiss), and at church when we wanted to encourage him to stay quiet.At what age did you wean the pacifier? Started at around 6 months with taking it away for sleep. Fully (total removal) at around 12 months. But he wasn't using it much.How did you wean the pacifier? When we decided to fully take it away, we just put it in a drawer and forgot about it.How did your child handle weaning? Seemed to do just fine, HOWEVER his thumb-sucking increased greatly. But with that, he got sick around 15 months and I think his thumb really hurt from sucking it so much that he just stopped.Any pacifier tips? I would say only try to use it when absolutely necessary. I would advise against just letting them have it all day whenever. Would you use a pacifier again? Not sure. It did come in handy at some points (specifically at church so I could focus– we didn't have a nursery but a back room for parents to be with their babies with video-stream of the service). But I think it really impacted his sleep (and therefore mine). I'm more comfortable with cry-it-out now, so I don't think I may want to use the pacifier again? We'll see.

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  8. 1. Did/does your child use a pacifier? – Yes, she did.2. What age did you start using a pacifier? – 2 weeks, because she was breastfeeding great and clearly had a need for additional sucking.3. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with breastfeeding or bottle feeding? – No.4. Do you think the pacifier ever interfered with sleep? – No, except for when she was congested a few times, and wanted to have a binky but couldn't breathe through her nose. Other than that, she slept much better with one than without one.5. If it did interfere with sleep, how did you solve that? – N/A6. Did you have any "rules" for pacifier use (for example, how often would you reinsert it, was it allowed out of the bed, etc.)? If so, what were they? – I don't recall reinserting really being an issue because she learned to reinsert it before she was five months old. We only allowed binkies for sleep times and in the car, with occasional other exceptions like to help keep her quiet in church or to help with pressure changes during airplane flights.7. At what age did you wean the pacifier? – 18.5 months8. How did you wean the pacifier? – Cold turkey. I'd been planning to do it soon anyway, and then she threw a fit one night because we didn't give her *THE* binky she preferred, so I just said, "They're gone."9. How did your child handle weaning? – NOT well. Everyone we had talked to said that they experienced sleep disruptions for no more than a week. Our strong-willed daughter cried at every nap and bedtime for SEVEN WEEKS. It was discouraging since CIO hadn't been a part of our lives for over a year, but we stood strong and she eventually got over it.10. Any pacifier tips? – I am not anti-pacifier because I do think some kids genuinely need more oral stimulation, but I also don't like it when kids have them in their mouths ALL. THE. TIME. because binkies can delay verbal skills and create dental problems in older babies/toddlers. The dental concerns were the main reason that I wanted to be done by about a year and a half.11. Would you use a pacifier again? – It depends on the child. I won't introduce it unless I really see a need for it, because I am not one to promote sleep props or any sort of emotional dependence on any object (special blankets, stuffed animals, etc.)…but I don't regret using it for our VERY oral daughter, since it helped give her a sucking outlet, helped with her reflux, helped relatives calm her when I wasn't around, kept her calmer in the car, helped her sleep better when we traveled, etc. The seven weeks of post-binky sadness didn't outweigh the benefits of using binkies for our first child, so we're remaining open-minded for future children.

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  9. 1. 1st-no (finger sucker), 2nd-yes (answers below are based on this child)2. about 2 weeks old3. No.4. Yes, once child was old enough to put the pacifier back in herself if it fell out of the crib and she couldn't find it, she would wake and fuss until it returned.5. We added more pacifiers to the crib and strategically placed a few lovey's in the cribs corners once she was older.6. Yes, as child got past 15 mo we reduced the use to car and nap/bedtime only. 7. 21 months. I would have weaned earlier, but we had a move to a new house and needed her to transition without another huge change. It just felt like she wasn't quite ready to wean off pacifier.8. We did cold turkey as she was chewing through the pacifiers.9. Had a difficult time putting self down initially to sleep. Once asleep, no difficulty with waking at night. Car rides-only fussed for a few trips and then didn't ask for it anymore.10. Using a pacifier with a child is a decision that can be based on many factors. I think it can be appropriate to use them.11. I would consider it for another child. It would depend on the child. I think I would wait a little longer to introduce the pacifier. Our 2nd child had severe reflux and really benefited from having a pacifier. Our first was a finger sucker and obviously used this to calm herself. In fact, we used a pacifier and she started knocking it out to put her fingers in. I can't rule out a future child's need for the pacifier. The benefits for our 2nd child definitely outweigh the few weeks of learning to put herself to sleep in a new way.

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