My 2nd son is 2.5 months old now. He is a paci kid. My first son was not, although I begged him to take it during his colic phase! But he never wanted it. So this is new territory for me. Of course the grass is always greener..despite my begging my first son to take the paci, now I'm concerned about it! I do believe in their biological need to suck at this age. Occasionally if he loses the paci he has found his thumb.
Some have said paci is better because you can take it away down the road. Others say thumb is better because you don't have to worry about them not being able to find it in the middle of the night. That's my biggest fear about it at least in the short run - getting to the point where he's sleeping longer but wakes up only because he lost the paci. I have friends who got up through the night to stick it back in well after their babes were not eating at night - no thank you.
Someone I know also told me that she was told by a NICU nurse that as the sucking reflex/need begins to diminish (somewhere between 3 and 4 months) they will start pushing the paci around with their tongue and this is a sign that they're transitioning from the NEED to suck to it being a soothing habit, and that this is a good time to pull it. My son is already starting to do this - instead of a wide open searching mouth, it now takes him a minute sometimes to really take hold of it and start sucking because his tongue is in the way. Anyone else used this sign as a guide to pull the paci? How did you do it?
Thoughts? Suggestions? Thank you!
My son would not use a paci.
He was a thumb man since before he was born.
He kept it up till he was 6 yr (but by then it was only at nap and bedtime).
Taking away a thumb (good luck with that) or a paci at 3 - 4 months when they want something to suck on just makes for a miserable baby.
Trust me you WANT your kid to suck a pacifier vs a thumb.. you can take a pacifier away at 2-3 when they outgrow it, you can't take away a thumb. Most pacifiers are built to put less pressure on the palate and front teeth whereas a thumb is NOT, I've asked a dentist and they said that a pacifier will not effect adult teeth whereas a thumb sucking habit lasting into ages 5+ will almost always require braces.. stick with the pacifier and if they wake up looking for it so what? They'll find it (with or without your help) and go back to sleep.
PACIFIER!!!
I honestly sucked my thumb for ever. I think I was between 9-11 years old when I finally stopped....only to have braces for 5 years. We just took away our 2.5 year olds binky last week.
I didn't even read your whole question. The binky is better, even dentist will tell you, it is shaped to fit in their mouth. But the fact is he has already found his thumb and will most likely favor it over a binky. My daughter sucked her fingers because I took the bottle away too soon and didn't understand what would happen. She sucked her fingers and did so until well into elementary school. Her jaw is recessed, they wanted to break it in high school to fix it and make it right, her fingers are permanently crooked, etc...the binky is something they will eventually lay down even if you never tell them they can't have it.
It may not be up to you! I offered a binkie to all of my children. My first used it for a couple of months and then decided his thumb was better. He sucked his thumb till he was 5. My middle child wanted nothing to do with the binkie or his thumb. My youngest wasn't interested in the binkie but decided she liked her pointer and middle finger better. An orthodontist told me as long as they stop sucking their fingers by the time their adult teeth come in it's fine. I say go with what your baby needs or wants!
Neither is better. Paci you have to take away, but there are also 6 year olds who still suck their thumb. Pacifier habits are easier to break. thumbs are more readliy available in case the paci goes missing/is dirty...
So really, do what is best for your child at the time. If you want to take the paci away this young, go ahead. But he is still very, very young and hasn't learned the art of self soothing... and won't for many more months. If you take it away now, or very soon, he will likely go to his thumb. It would be a little (okay, a lot) foolhardy to take it away so young.
I'm definitely a fan of paci vs thumb. If you get a little pacifier clip, you can clip the paci to them. In the middle of the night, when it pops out, they just grab it and put it back in. It doesn't get lost since it's clipped on them. When they are really little, sometimes I have had to go back in a put it back in her mouth, but when she got older, she has been able to do it herself.
My 4th is my only one to take a pacifier, and I have been surprised at how much more helpful a pacifier is! She soothes easier at night and sleeps through the night. My others didn't and were much more difficult than she is. I would not take it away at 3-4 months. I don't believe that the need to suck goes away at that age. My older three babies used me as a pacifier through the night up until they were close to (or even past) a year old.
Since I have so many now (baby #5 was born two weeks ago), I NEED to make sure I get as much sleep as I can, and a pacifier is a huge help for my 15 month old (haven't used it for my 2 week old...won't until she's older).
Anyway, so for us, definitely the paci - use a clip to clip it on him, and I would use it until he is considerably older because mine have all needed to suck until they were way older than 3-4 months.
Good luck!
i guess i will be the voice of (respectful) dissent. my son was a thumb sucker from early on (about 4 weeks and slept through the night from then on). we had zero problem with it. it is genetic, all of us in my family did it. and now at 5 my son has no clue that he ever did it, even though he still takes his lovey blanket to bed every night. i told him he used to suck his thumb (and cuddle with his lovey) when he was a baby and he looked at me like i was crazy lol. i don't think i saw him suck his thumb much past age three or so. i think if there is more upheaval in a kiddo's life it will last longer, divorce, moving, unpleasant home situation, etc. that creates more of a need for the child to be comforted, but the natural progression for most kids is for them to stop sucking their comfort item before their adult teeth come in, so it isn't an issue. mostly i just think they need SOMEthing, and i am surprised to hear you're thinking of taking it away already. if you pull the paci now, most likely he will just suck his thumb. which is NOT the end of the world by any means. but just be prepared.
I had no idea about the suck reflex going away around 3 months, but my first 3 kids spit out their pacifier just at that time. Since I read their cues and didn't force it, they stopped with it at that time. My fourth, however, hit that age at a time when I had the flu and a million other things were going on. I encouraged him to take it even though I saw him spitting it more, and I missed the window - he took until until about 8 months. I did spend a few nights going to put it back in (the other ones found their thumb). If you see him spitting it out, heed his timing - and you still might end up with a thumbsucker!
I vote pacifier. You can eventually take it away, the thumb you cannot. You can limit its use to bed time, etc. And pacifiers, if they give them up early enough, don't lead to the dental issues that prolonged thumb sucking can. I wouldn't take it away any time real soon since it will still be some time before he can self-soothe. My daughter had a pacifier and sometimes it got misplaced in the crib in the middle of the night, but it only took a minute to find it and then I zonked right back out again. When she was a year we started keeping the pacifier only in the crib so it was only for sleeping. We didn't break her completely of the "binky" until she was 2.5 years, but all it took was the "binky fairy" coming and leaving her a big girl present in its place - she cried for a few nights but eventually realized that the binky was not coming back and she got over it.
.
Interesting theory... I'd say try it! Both of my kids were neither paci or thumb suckers!! I think they nursed a lot more for the first few months in order to satisfy their "sucking" need, but outside of that, neither of them took a paci or sucked their thumb...
I have a kid who (would NOT take a paci or suck her thumb) stuck her finger in her belly button as her comfort spot. And one who sucked his thumb til he was 6. I agree that sometimes you don't get to choose their preference, but I think the paci is easier to take away.
