BFing moms: do you give your babies a pacifier?

[citymama]

I have no idea when or how to use a pacifier. We didn't use one with DD1 except on one particularly long car ride. We've used one twice with DD2 and she seems to really like it. So how do you decide to use it, or not? I typically respond to sucking cues by offering to nurse, and figure we'll hold the paci in reserve for long car or plane rides. Is this how others use pacus too, or is it a daily thing? If you BF, esp if you EBF, doesn't this confuse the baby somehow? Just curious.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i only used one when we were in the car, to calm him down if he got fussy and were still aways from home. i think when he was like 2 mo old i tried a couple times in the crib but it would always fall out after a few minutes. plus the only one that DS really took to was the "Soothie" brand. i like how u can put your finger in it and provide something more substantial for him to bite on.

on planerides, i just nursed to calm him down (DS was lap-baby, wasn't in own seat). i guess i only used pacis in the car bc that was the only occasion that i couldn't calm him any other way (i couldn't hold him or nurse him). sometimes i think he was just tired and the paci would help him fall asleep in the car. also sometimes i knew he was hungry but we were still 10 minutes from home so i used the paci to just console and "stall" him until we could get home and nurse. also sometimes if we were out in public and i couldn't nurse i would give him the paci.

i don't think pacis ever confused my EBF baby at all..never really had any issues with nursing really or him being "addicted" to the paci. maybe it's bc i only used it occasionally though. when we go out see a lot of babies with pacis in their mouths constantly (like for an hour or so) while they are playing, riding around in a stroller, etc. that was never my DS at all...i did try a couple times giving him those "regular" pacis (not Soothie) and he would spit it out within 2 seconds. the soothie brand was the only one he liked, and i had to pretty much hold it in until he calmed down and fell asleep.

[PMJ]

I agree w/ Ms. pacman.

I also EBF (exclusively breast-fed) -- right?

I only use paci when DD is really fussy in car or out in public, and I KNOW it's not b/c of hunger. I honestly wish she took it a little bit more in the crib, b/c I still wake up twice a night to feed her, and I don't really think she is hungry. She just needs something to suck on.

How old is your child? I only heard -- some kids might get confused if they are really little. Once they are older, they know that nipple ain't giving them any milk !

[wimama]

We would use them when we went out of the house mostly. In the car and at daycare. But, the biggest time he needed them was when shopping. He would get stressed out and overwhelmed at stores. I had to wear him in a sling carrier and give him his binkie. Then he could handle the stimulation of the stores. If all his binkies fell out and got dirty we were done for the day. I started clipping them to the sling. LOL.

As much as he needed them, back then. He gave them up at about 4 months old. He starting spitting them out and I stopped offering them.

[ncat]

Neither child was really interested, and we didn't try very hard.

[belovedgandp]

I've had three EBF kiddos that all took a pacifier.

I started all of them within the first week as newborns. They had a need to suck and I was happy to feed them and sooth when needed, but not all the time.

My youngest is still 3 months, so we'll see how she does. The older two used them to sleep and calm down especially in the car. They were never kids with it in their mouth while playing or out, just for sleeping and temporary comfort. By 9 months or so it was exclusively used in the car and bed. By 1 1/2 only in bed and between 2 1/2 and 3 gone completely.

[tarahsolazy]

I had to go back to work fairly early after my kids were born, 5 weeks and 8 weeks. We used a pacifier for both from a few weeks old on. Both nursed well, one for 20 months, one for 13. Neither had trouble with confusion, although they also recieved bottles of breastmilk while I was at birth. Both loved the pacifier, and I liked that they had a source of comfort when I wasn't available. Mine used them for a long time, my son until almost 4, DD is still at it at 3. They stay in the bed, though, at this age.

[crl]

My ped mentioned pacifier use lowering the risk of SIDS.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070111104340.htm

Catherine

[edurnemk]

Yep. I intended to wait at least 4 weeks to avoid nipple confusion, but it didn't happen taht way. I gave in at around 2 weeks IIRC, not much initially, but later on he started wanting to suck his thumb and I figured it's easier to take away the paci than to break that habit, so I let him have it more often.

I nursed him for a year with no problems.

[infocrazy]

I would but she won't take it. Actually, the only kid who would take it was DS1...who I waited until 3 wks to offer it! He mostly used it during naps/at night. Never really during the day after he was about 6 months, but he used it until 2.

DS2 had colic/reflux--boy did that kid need to take it but never really did!

DD won't take it, but at least she finally takes a bottle since that was an issue too. I was hoping to get her to take it since I've heard it reduces SIDS risk but no luck on her taking it.

[cairo06]

I couldn't get either child interested, although I tried different types/brands. DD eventually ended up sucking her thumb, DS nothing.

[hopeful_mama]

We first tried them at times she was inconsolable and we knew she wasn't hungry, maybe several weeks in. And that's mostly how we use them now, when she's upset and having trouble calming herself down, especially in public places. We don't put her down in her crib with one, though when really desperate I did try a few times with no success. Sometimes I'll use one if she's upset and having trouble calming herself when putting her down for a nap in her swing, and sometimes because of the angle and being better at sucking now she'll keep that in until she falls asleep.

I was very relieved when she found her thumb, as she can't drop that! Again she mostly just uses it when upset, though the past couple days she's been sucking on it more often so I'm worried it's getting more common.

[egoldber]

Younger DD was given one in the NICU, but after that we waited until about 6 weeks. It was a godsend for me, because otherwise she liked to hang out and nurse all.day.long. She was EBF and always preferred to nurse to the paci, but paci was what let DH get her to sleep instead of me having to nurse her to bed.

[wendibird22]

DD1 was never interested despite my wishing (sometimes praying) she'd take one so that something other than my boob would sooth her. DD2 has one for car rides and daycare. She sometimes uses it but not often. She much more enjoys chewing on the paci holder than the paci itself. She's rather found of her fingers and thumb which I prefer to the paci...can't get lost, don't have to dig around the crib to find it in the middle of the night, etc.

ETA: I think we started giving it to her at 4wks or a little later. I EBF and made sure to offer to nurse first before soothing with the paci.

[sste]

Citymama, our newborn was a robust BFer from day 1 and he suffered zero ill effects from our introducing pacis, bottles, etc. early. We used pacis from day 1 (of all types) and bottles starting at about day 10 - - and I think I waited longer than I needed to with the bottle! He also suffered no bad effects from zero skin to skin contact immediately post-birth and four hours in the nursery while I was in recovery (probably being bottle fed - - I made it a policy not to find out under the circumstances!).

So, based on my subject sample of 1 I have to confess I have wondered whether all the BF recs about pacis, bottles, etc. are accurate or perhaps are accurate only for a subset of babies that are less BFing inclined? Or if bottles, pacis, etc operate mainly on mother supply in low supply situations and that has been reinterpreted as having ill effects on baby BF interest? OR is it possible that the BF "rules and recs" are working against BF success by stressing the parents out? I want prospective, randomized data (!) and I am not clear if the paci, bottle business is the product of this or just lactation consultant lore.

If you are worried I would just give the paci in the middle of the feeding break window. Our practice was we gave the paci whenever we desperately wanted to shut the baby up and we were relatively confident baby was not hungry!

[carolinamama]

DS1 was a paci addict and actually had a better latch than DS2, who wouldn't take one. It was nice that DS1 liked it since it gave him something else for soothing other than bfing. I don't mind bfing for comfort but sometimes that just isn't possible. Nice to to know that a child could be soothed when I wasn't around. It was a pain to keep in his mouth for the first few months but after that it was great.

[lizzywednesday]

Not anymore. They gave her one in the ICU to keep her calm and feeling her strong suck encouraged me in wanting to breastfeed, period, because if she could suck a paci so strongly, I didn't see why we wouldn't be able to get a strong latch and feeds. (I just didn't want her to have it period, not from a nipple confusion POV, but from a habit POV - DH's youngest niece & nephew both kept a binky for a LONG time and their teeth look like the pictures from my childhood pediatrician's office warning moms not to give their babies bottles at night, so I've always been a little wary of pacifiers in general!)

However, she's rejected the binky from me at any time she's not being given her medicine, as sucking on the binky is the only way I can guarantee she's swallowed her doses!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Ds1 never would take one. Ds2 loved his...which ended up being not so good. He was happy to suck on that rather than nurse and we would have crazy nursing spurts as a result. Maybe the growth spurts would have been like that w/o the pacifier but it seemed to me more like he just got really hungry and b/c he hadn't been comfort sucking on me that the supply wasn't up to where he wanted it to be. I started limiting the pacifier a bit more and nursing more often and that helped. He gave the pacifier up on his own at 5m. He self weaned from nursing at 17m.

Beth

[brittone2]

No. I never tried with baby #1 or 2.

With DS2 (baby #3) we had a 9+ hour car trip to make when he was 7ish weeks (we were moving). I used a soothie on my finger while sitting in the back next to him just to calm him down a bit. He wouldn't keep a paci in but with my finger there he'd suck enough to fall back to sleep in the car in between stops to feed. But that's been it for his paci experience.

[JTsMom]

With DS1, we had serious nipple confusion issues. I think it was a combination of things that led to it, so I'm not saying it was just the paci, but I think it played a part in it.

I'd had a C/s, and I think the epidural made him sleepy, so we had a hard time getting him interested in nursing during the first 24 hours, but when he did, he had a good strong latch. My nipples were kind of flat, so that made things harder.

Then, we were separated from the time he was about 24-48 hours old. During the separation, he was given bottles and a paci. It was *very* difficult to get him off of both, and he totally lost his ability to latch. I spent weeks trying to fix the issues the bottles, paci, and separation had caused, and it was extremely stressful.

Obviously, after that, I'm very nervous about any possibility of nipple confusion, but now that DS2 is 4 weeks old, I am considering letting him try a paci in certain situations. He's been very fussy at certain points in the evening, and he wants to suck, but doesn't want to nurse. I've let him suck on my finger for a few mins, and that sometimes helps. He has an incredibly strong latch, and after 4 weeks, I doubt there's any possibility of nipple confusion, but I'm still nervous about it. If I do try it, I really want to keep it limited though, and I'd ditch it as soon as I could.

[newg]

My ped mentioned pacifier use lowering the risk of SIDS.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070111104340.htm

Catherine

this is the main reason why we used one with DD. I used it at night and when she got fussy during the day (and it wasn't because she was hungry).....
She stopped using it on her own around 6months and switched to two fingers, which she is still only using when she's tired.

I plan on giving the next DD a paci for the same reasons.

[Momit]

DS used a pacifier. We were worried about nipple confusion etc. at first but it was never a problem. He also got used to taking pumped breastmilk from a bottle when he was a few weeks old, and that was ok too. Shortly after he turned 1, we started only giving him the pacifier at night and then by 15 months he was completely done with it. He didn't really seem to miss it.

[MamaMolly]

I have given both girls a pacifier. DD1 didn't have a bottle for 2 months, then DH had to have surgery so I pumped and my aunt gave her expressed milk while I was at the hospital with DH. She nursed for 16 months.

DD2 definitely needs/wants to suck and NOT on my boob. She gets really mad and frustrated when she wants that sucking and milk comes out. Pops off, turns red, fusses and is generally not a happy camper. I give her a pacie and she is happy, happy, happy.

[ewpmsw]

I'm not a paci fan and only planned to use it for a short time with DD #1. DH and I were more hooked on using it than she was. It was great for car rides. Just before we decided to start weaning her from the paci (I *think* six months was our goal), she stopped wanting it at around 4 or 5 months. It never seemed to interfere with BFing, and DD was almost exclusively BF because she didn't care for bottles at all. We'd encourage DD to self-soothe by putting her fingers up to her mouth - She decided her wrists are the perfect thing, and still sucks on them when she's sleepy or upset.

[SunCB]

NOPE! Mine never liked them and would just spit it out if you put one in.

[swissair81]

I did use pacifiers with my first 2, but getting them to give them up was a real pain. My youngest wouldn't take one, but I wished he would have. It might have helped for the first few months. I think I'm going to try and give one, but take it away at 5-6 months or so. Hopefully, my baby won't be addicted to them.

[citymama]

Thanks everyone.

One thing I don't understand about the pacis and SIDS claim: presumably, it reduces risk by keeping baby in lighter sleep b/c she is sucking on it at night. So does that mean people leave the paci in baby's mouth *all* night long? Arent there risks associated with that too? And how on earth can babies keep the paci in their mouths for that many hrs at a stretch? The logic doesn't really hold up. By that logic, second and third kids must have lower risk of SIDS b/c it's never quiet enough for them to fall into deep sleep!

[swissair81]

babies naturally suck in their sleep. it is a reflex. if there is something in their mouth they suck on it until it falls out (and they hopefully don't wake up screaming)

[DrSally]

We used it with DS to fall asleep. After he was done nursing, and if he wanted some extra sucking, the paci helped. It's a double edged sword in a way b/c if they loose it and want it back, I remember having to go in there for a few months to get it back for him. It can also help during car rides to help them chill out. At 5 months, however, DS spit it out and wouldn't take it again. DD took one a few times for the first few days of life, and then adamantly spit it out and would not take it at all. She nursed a lot more at night and it was actually a bit of a pain that she didn't have a supplemental sucking aparatus for the first few months.

I like the soothie--no BPA.

ETA: With DD being a premie, the nurse suggested we try a paci b/c she didn't have any comforting measures with her under the bili-lights. I really like Dr. Sear's advice on paci's--to use them for babies extra sucking needs.

[hillview]

Neither child was really interested, and we didn't try very hard.

:yeahthat:
I tried for a week or 2 and it never caught on.
/hillary

[boolady]

Thanks everyone.

One thing I don't understand about the pacis and SIDS claim: presumably, it reduces risk by keeping baby in lighter sleep b/c she is sucking on it at night. So does that mean people leave the paci in baby's mouth *all* night long? Arent there risks associated with that too? And how on earth can babies keep the paci in their mouths for that many hrs at a stretch? The logic doesn't really hold up. By that logic, second and third kids must have lower risk of SIDS b/c it's never quiet enough for them to fall into deep sleep!

I could be wrong, but I thought the idea was that the pacifier helped keep the area around baby's nose and mouth somewhat clear or protected from being right up against soft bedding or the mattress, particularly when they start to roll over on their side or stomach. I didn't think it had to do with how soundly they slept, but I could be wrong. DD absolutely slept with hers all night, and slept well. If it came out of her mouth, we'd pop it back in when we went to check on her or to bed. She was very refluxy and colicky, and once she took to a pacifier, it soothed her a lot and helped her sleep much better. She was EBF, and it never affected nursing.

[Dr C]

Both of our kids used them. DS took to it right away, with DD it took some coaxing. Both were EBF and we introduced pacis early (within the first week). Never interfered with their latch. In fact, the lactation consultant recommended we work on DD's latch with the soothie because she tended to be a bit of a "chomper" and it would teach her to suck more and chomp less. Not sure it really helped (lol) but she seemed to get the hang of nursing pretty quickly and it never interfered. IMHO having the paci as a soother was AWESOME. Even now it can buy me a couple of minutes (to finish the dishes, to pour DS a cup of milk, to pee, etc) with DD before I need to pick her up.

We weaned the paci for DS at about 8-9 months. Haven't weaned DD's yet; probably ought to do that soon. It was great getting rid of it early.

[doberbrat]

we tried to give dd1 a paci. she'd spend hours and hours comfort sucking. but everytime we tried, her latch deterioated so we had to stop.

dd2, we steered clear till she was 8ish weeks and she's never had an interest. well, she likes the soothes, but she chews on the edges instead.

[infomama]

Offered it to both, dd1 used it and dd2 didn't want it.

[lmh2402]

yep, offered to DS within his first week

he was mostly EBF (he got a pumped bottle of BM once a night from 2-3 weeks on) and it never interfered with BF or latch

he took to it pretty quickly, but was never overly attached

he would use it for falling asleep or calming/soothing himself. but we never had to pop it back in repeatedly at night

he self-weaned at around 4-5 months