Just Take the Pacifier!

Some kids never do take the pacifier. My boys never took it (they were exclusively breast fed) and my daughter stopped taking about 3 months old (she was bottle fed). It doesn't hurt much for him to suck on his hands. If you feel worried about germs from other people when they grab his hands, carry baby wipes with you and wash his hands after they greet him and before he has a chance to put them in his mouth. He'll probably give up on his hands in a few months.

I just had my 5th a couple months ago, and none of mine really like a binky. If she is sleepy, she will nurse for a few minutes before dosing off and then I can sometimes slip the pacifier into her mouth and she will continue sucking that until all the way asleep. I wash my babies hands with soap in the bathroom as people always touch their fingers and hands. I will go to the restroom to wash her hands about 2-4 times at church b/c so many people touch them. It grosses me out and now I never do that to other babies. Kids are just different.

Mine wouldn't take pacifiers, either. Don't push it, it just means breaking the habit later. I use baby wipes on their hands, especially if someone has been touching them a lot, or if we're going in the car and they want to suck their hands. He'll self-soothe soon.

Honestly, be glad he doesn't take a pacifier. It's much harder to get rid of at an older age. If he can find something else to suck on now, like his hand, then I say don't force him to take something that makes him so upset.

My daugther was really hard like that too. My doctor recommended dipping it in a little bit of sugar. Not for every use, but just to get them to take it at first. You can also try your milk or formula, just a nice taste on it at first.

I'm trying to get my baby to do the same thing. He loves to comfort suck. I know people get frustrated with binkies when their kids get older, but heck! You get more sleep when they are younger! I've tried all sorts of pacifiers, and have dipped them in sugar water. He does take it sometimes now. We are still hoping. Babies need some sort of other way to soothe themselves to sleep, besides mommy. My first one needed mommy and he didn't start sleeping through the night til he was 16 months old. So I'm doing something different this time. Maybe it's selfish cause it's for my own sanity, but I really don't think it's a bad thing to give them a binkie. I mean really, do we walk around and see other adults and say to each other, "Oh look at his mouth. He must have been a binkie baby!" Um, no. Same thing with thumb suckers. In rare cases does it really pose harsh side effects. So there's my opinion. Keep trying with the binkie. Maybe he'll get it and you will get more sleep and he ill be so happy too!

Finding a substitute to suck at 2 years isn't the best route - after all, pediatricians and dentists will be encouraging parents to be getting their kids off of pacifiers by the time they are 2-3 years old. Besides, then you are just reinforcing the habit for a longer period of time and postponing the break. How about trying something to chew on, like animal crackers when possible? My son is very oral and he loved to suck on his blanket once I took the pacifier away. He'd soak areas. He'd suck on anything. I simply just had to start taking away his blanket or cow or whatever if he did it. He pitched a fit but he did figure it out. If he wanted them he had to keep them out of his mouth. We still have to remind him sometimes but that's all it takes.