Question - when did you get rid of the pacifier?

[karolyp]

My DD is about to turn one and she uses the paci when sleeping. I've even seen her wake up, fumble around for it, and put it back in her mouth to go back to sleep. My question is, can continued pacifier use past the first year be harmful to her teeth development? Should I take it away now or just let her continue on using it?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Opinions?

TIA?

[tbriese]

my DD is 13 months and we still use the pacifier at night, in the car, and during diaper changes. both my pediatrician and dentist told me that unless she's still using it at 3-4 they were not worried. i'm sure there are opposing professional opinions out there but we're ok with what we've received :-)

[randomkid]

Hi Karoly:

Grace is still using her paci and actually just started using it at 9 months. She was never really interested before and also didn't suck her fingers. I would have given anything for her to use a pacifier! She often could not get herself back to sleep at night and nothing seemed to calm her down. Every once in a while I would try it and she'd refuse. I just figured it was one habit I wouldn't have to break. At 9 months, she was having trouble settling down for a nap, so I thought I'd give it a try. She took it and it has been a blessing ever since! She now has something to calm her when she is upset, when she wakes up at night, and to settle her down. I started noticing that she didn't put as many other things in her mouth as she used to. It is definitely satisfying a need. Before, she put absolutely everything in her mouth and, if she couldn't pick it up, she would put her mouth on it! I think it's important to let that need be fulfilled.

If you use the paci in moderation, I don't think it's a problem. Grace is without it way more than she has it. If she is playing and happy and picks one up, I take it away and she is fine. She only has it when she really needs it. I think problems with teeth arise when it is overused. If she only uses it to go to sleep, then spits it out, I wouldn't worry.

Happy Birthday a little early!

[daniele_ut]

We had a very similar experience to Kim and her dd. Logan wouldn't take a paci for the longest time, and I figured it would be fine since I wouldn't have to break the habit. He started frequent night waking at 8 months because he was teething and I gave him a different brand of paci that I had laying around out of desperation one night and he went right to sleep. He's used it for sleeping, car trips if necessary, diaper changes, etc, ever since. He is now VERY attached to it. My dentist said it's not much of a concern until about age 3. He said even if the upper teeth start to move outward a bit, they will revert as soon as the child stops using the paci. I watched a Kids Health segment on Discovery Health on Sunday that said the exact same thing. I was stressed about trying to take it away by 18 months, but he really still needs it right now, so I'm going to let him lead on this for a while.

[lilycat88]

We just had DDs first dentist appointment last week and the pacifier use question was one of the first out of the dentist's mouth. He was very clear in stating his opinion that by 18 months it should be gone. It's not an issue for us since DD never used one but I thought I would pass it along. Perhaps pediatric dentists feel more strongly about the issue than general dentists. I don't know.

Jamelin
Mom to Susanna born 6/29/2004

[Lynnie]

DS1 is at the age where most dentists say to worry: over 3 1/2, but when we finally took the pacifier away soon after his third birthday, the little bugger moved to his thumb. Which he sucks quite often. Occasionally, I will let him have a pacifier at night, since he sucks his thumb anyway, and I don't know really what my rationale is beyond that. I am dreading the trip to the dentist.

So, my advice is, if you can get away with removing it before they figure out they can just use their thumb, then go for it.

I am going to try some major bribery for his 4th birthday if I can't come up with any better solutions when I do some searches in books and online. But I fear I am fighting an uphill battle since DH did it forever. And I mean forever.

Good luck.

[ribbit1019]

We had a mass weaning around 13 months, breast, paci and bottle were all gone in 4 weeks. She initiated the weaning from the breast and then the bottle followed suit. The bink was the hardest to get rid of. I felt very strongly that she should be off the bink before she became really attached to it. For her teeth and my sanity's sake. :)

Christy
Maddy born 6/09/04
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040609/3/4/0/-5/.png

Little Man due 3/02/06
http://bd.lilypie.com/cKLom4/.png
Co-Owner Ribbit Baby

"I did then what I knew how to do. When you know better, you do better." ~ Maya Angelou

[kijip]

I have been worried about this as Toby still has his to sleep with. At his dentist appointment I asked and the dentist said to get rid of it no later than 4 and to not stress about it now if it was just a limited thing. He said that all day use or thumb sucking (contant access) would be more of a concern. He is a pediatric dentist and said the most important thing was to avoid tooth decay in this period. While I know it means very little, Toby's teeth are perfectly straight with enough room for bigger teeth to fill in so while totally anecdotal, the paci has not hurt him thus far. The perfect teeth thing is a function on my husband. Lucky duck.

[asha]

I was really terrified abt this one too. I tried so hard to get rid of it when DS was 9 months, 12 months 14 months etc. Just did not happen. Then when he was around 16 months, he gave it up. All by himself, he started throwing it out of his mouth. In less than a week, he was completely off.

I am not sure how it works with other kids though.

[lizajane]

i thought i would take dylan's at 12 months. i changed my mind. he just started to sleep all night. i am over it. suck away, happy baby!!!

[proggoddess]

We started limiting access to the paci around age 1 or maybe 13-14 months. She'd only get it at night or on very long car trips (over an hour), and only if she was crying and nothing else would calm her down. We also use it when she is sick.

DD is almost two and we use the paci maybe once or twice a week. This week has been more often, perhaps because she is teething or is having nightmares or something. In either case, she wakes up after a couple hours of sleeping and just cries. At that point, I say it's better to give her the paci than to give her a sippy of juice.

In the morning, I will ask for the paci before she can come out of the crib. This week, she has voluntarily handed it to me and said "No." She tried to throw it away in the garbage yesterday evening, but I stopped her. (It's me that needs the crutch right now!)

We've taken to hiding her paci in a high dresser drawer. Maybe more to limit our access to it than hers. :) But if she does see it, she definitely wants it. She's like a recovering crack addict that finds someone's unused stash. :)

[Dcclerk]

My DS is 2 1/2 and had been using his paci only in his bed since he was one. I thought that was just fine. No overbite, teeth have fine spacing, etc. And, we had the easiest transition 2 weeks ago. Basically, he was just chomping on his pacis and eventually they would split open. He didn't like that and would immediately throw them away, because they were broken. I told him we didn't have anymore once his stash was gone, and sure enough, a week later, his last one broke. He wanted "somepeen for my mouff" and found a stuffed animal that he would chomp on for a second or 2, but that was it. I was shocked at how easy it was to get rid of it.

[karolyp]

Thank you all for your advice. I'm going to follow her lead and let her continue using her pacifier.

Like many PP's, my DD wouldn't take it either, but I kept pushing it and pushing it on her until she did. I was soooo desperate for something (besides me) to help her to self soothe. And I am afraid to take it away now, she'll find her thumb. And don't tell anyone, but I sucked my thumb until junior high! :o

[karolyp]

liza, I totally understand. Now that she'll use her paci to soothe, she is *finally* sleeping a little better. But I just had to tell you that I LOVE your siggie....too funny!!

[g-mama]

Liza - you crack me up! I am desperately trying to get Marco to take a paci because he is up every 1.5-2 hours at night - ugh. It is nearly killing me!


~Kristen

Paolo 11-00
Benjamin 8-03
Marco 12-05

[randomkid]

Liza:

What is it with those Jan '05 babies? DD has never been a great sleeper and at 12 months is finally starting to do better - thanks to that paci. Like you said, "suck away!" - LOL!

[pixelprincess]

We got rid of Rowan's paci a month before his 2nd birthday. It took over two months for him to get over it completely so it wasn't the easiest transition for us. Not sure if we waited too long? He was quite the binky addict too.

On a positive note we had a recent dentist check up and his teeth are in excellent condition. So all that paci use didn't have any ill effects on his teeth. The funniest thing is that I have a box of pacifiers in a basket...he calls them baby toys. You'd think he'd have a better recollection of his paci-use days!

Good luck.

[aliceinwonderland]

He needs it for sleep...

He can go an entire day without one (if he doesn't see it, he doesn't ask, and because he has no word for it, this is easy). And I have been able to put him to sleep for the night without one. But he wakes up (DH goes to him, and the man breaks down in the middle of the night and gives him the paci. Can't really bitch, since I am asleep for this whole thing, but still).

Naps are a whole 'nother beast. I don't think he'd ever go down for a nap but for his paci.

[niccig]

Like other pps, I've worried about the paci. He only has it to go to sleep and normally spits it out as soon as he's asleep. It's rare that he sleeps with it in his mouth. For now it's not doing any harm, so I've accepted it.

Nicci