Pacifier use

[DesertWind]

I don’t use pacifier for my 2 boys but I am convinced that was because I breast-fed both of them. Babies need to suck and breast-feeding them often already satisfy them. At night, I also sleep with the BB and whenever he wakes up, I will let him suck and he will get back to sleep real fast. I stopped breast-feeding my kids when they were 10 months old and by then, they just switch over to the milk bottle for their sucking needs instead! Before the kid sleep we will give them one bottle of milk so that they will suck and drink, feel full then can sleep through most of the night.


But I can sympathize with parents who do not breast-feed surely the pacifier is something that they cannot do without? Otherwise how to soothe a crying baby and their need to suck?

[hokkiengirl]

Hi!


My two elder boys used the pacifier to settle themselves for a nap or for night-time sleep till they were about 2.5 years old. My third one hated it, so he's never used it.

I tried to remove the pacifier from Boy No. 1 when he was 18 months. Didn't work. A lot of screaming and crying and distress. Hubby stepped in and told me to give up. He said kids will give it up eventually. He was right. I waited till my son stopped napping at 2.5 to 3 years of age, and because he was so tired after one whole of day non-stop activity, he fell asleep straightaway with little protest. He stopped using it within a few days of stopping naps. I didn't even bother weaning Boy No. 2 off the pacifier 'early' on. I just waited for the naps to stop.

Having said that, I never allowed them to use it except as a sleep prop past the age of one. I think it looks kinda awful for big kids to be walking around with that in that mouths outside. (personal opinion ah. :))

For using the bottle to soothe to sleep, if it contains milk, please, please do wipe down or brush your kids' teeth before they sleep. Otherwise, the sugar in the milk often causes dental problems. I know of kids who have had to have their teeth extracted under general anaesthesia when they were very small because of all the decay caused by milk. Yeww. And it affected the subsequent formation of permanent teeth.

[tigger88]

I breastfed my kids too but gave them pacifiers as I do not want to be their human pacifier.


I feel very tired to keep latching them when they want comfort sucking. All my kids stop latching at around 3-4 months old once they are more used to bottle feeding.

My DS1 and DD1 stopped using the pacifier at 2 years old. I just cut the pacifier and they fussed at most 2 days and got over it. However, it's a different story for DS2. I tried the same method when he was 2 yrs old. He turned to sucking the bottle for comfort and need to suck the bottle (with mik) throughout the night! Gave him water instead and he cried badly. :gloomy:

I was worried about tooth decay and as I was preggy with my 4th child then, I was too tired to \"fight\" with him and gave in. He is still using pacifier at 3 yrs old now. He is ok without one during nap time in childcare but once he is home, he will look for his \"best friend\".

Sigh...now his baby sister is using the pacifier too so I guess it will be even harder to wean DS2 off...I am taking it easy and hopefully he can stop using the pacifier on his own. :xedfingers:

[DaddyCircle]

We didnt give our DD any pacifier so far .... 9th month now ... and she still havent show any signs of thumb-sucking yet ... so we hope she can stay pacifier-free all the way with only bottle allowed into the mouth ...