Does this drive anyone else nuts?

Question

I can't stand to see a toddler that's 2-3 years old with a bottle, pacifier, etc hangin out of their mouth. Any other parents feel the same way?

well, both my kids had bottles...I couldn't produce breast milk so they had to have formula. My oldest was weaned at 11 months and my youngest was weaned at 10 months.

Just wanted to add to shelby...lol kind of stereotyping aren't you? I had my oldest when I was 18.

Yea, I never gave my pacifiers either RP. It's not hard to break a habit when you don't start it to begin with.

Answer 1

i think it's just laziness on the parents. If they just spend more time working with the child and not just taking the easy way out and shutting them up with the bottle or pacifier. Not to mention that its not good for the little one's teeth. Yes I just want to slap the parents sometimes.
My children were off of the bottle at 12 months, max and off the "binky" at around the same time.

Answer 2

Actually, use of pacifiers has been proven to reduce the risk of SIDS by over 70%. SIDS is a risk until the baby is 2. I'd say that's ok, though my kids didn't keep theirs that long. Around 18 months old, the paci gets "lost" and just never found. I never had an issue getting my kids off of them. The bottle either. The bottle is a different story. Some kids' large motor skills are not as adept as other children's, so a sippy cup may still be awkward for them. I try to ditch the bottle totally about 18 months or so.

Answer 3

I think before I was a mom, and had lots of mom friends, I didn't understand it. But now I just try to live and let live. Kids are all different, and all have different reasons for why they need soothing things. Some of them are more oral than others. Others need to be rocked to sleep, which some parents might find annoying. I find a child soothing itself to be pretty inoffensive since it doesn't affect anyone else. I'd much prefer that to the parents who let their kids run wild through a store.

I have a friend who adopted a boy at about 1 years old. He's 2 1/2 now, and he always has his thumb in his mouth. He had a hard first year, with very neglectful and cruel parents. His thumb comforts him. Who am I to think this is inappropriate? Since I've been around him, and their life, I've realized that you just don't know things about people at first glance. And we should all just give each other a break. Moms are all doing the best we can.

Answer 4

I have 3 children and all my children was off the bottle and pacifier at the age of 1 almost 2. However, my daughter gave me a hard time with the pacifier and it is really hard to take it away. But I did manage to take it away before the age of 2 in half but it is difficult.

It may drive you nuts but you do not understand the frustration that the parents have to go through.

Answer 5

Beleive me...the parents might not like the idea but it takes a while for the kids to get rid of their habit. Fortunate for me...my son will not take a pacifier or bottle...he is 6mos. He will only take breast. Too bad he can't have that in his mouth hangin all over the place.

Answer 6

The passy doesn't bother me as much as the bottle. If the child can walk around and hold the cup, it should be switched to a sippy. It's hard to make the switch, but it's better for their teeth to wean off that bottle. I breast fed and bottle fed with both my kids. Lucky for me, breast fed babies don't usually take to pacifiers.

Answer 7

It's probably not a good idea. Parents who allow that are thinking that they don't want to be harsh with their children. But really what the child needs at that age is plenty of attention, teaching, learning, discovering, etc.
Sometimes, they are too pacified to progress into learning the things they should be. Parents need to be more involved with the child, and distract them from wanting those crutches.

They remind me of smokers sitting around with nothing to do but puff on the cigarette. They have the very same bored look on their poor little faces.

Answer 8

No I'm not a parent, I'm going to try getting pregnant shortly after I get out of college, but anyways I dont know why but it bothers me also. I dont know what it is about it, I know it cant be healthy, like for there teeth and such. I saw a 4 year old with a bottle the other day. Crazy stuff.

Answer 9

Yes absolutely, the bottle should be done with at a year old, pacifier at 6 - 9months

Answer 10

Yes Yes yes. OMG i hate to see it. When my daughter turns one, those bottles are going in the trash. My Mother in law tried giving my daughter a pacifier and i nearly hit the roof. Those things are NASTY and no child of mine is having one of those things. I would rather she suck her thumb if she needed comfort. However, she doesn't do that either, so i guess i'm lucky.