Our baby is due any day now and we cannot decide weather or not to allow her to have a pacifier.?

Question

It seems in my experience a kiddo either has a pacifier habit or a sucking thumb habbit. Which is easier to break them of??? Which is worse on their teeth and jaw???

Answer 1

i just had a baby girl on April 16th and i was in the same boat, i asked around ALOT and the pacifier was definitely the best choice. Some of the benefits are prevention of SIDS, it works out there tongue muscle so they begin to talk and eat solids sooner, stimulates there gums so there teeth come in well, and also teaches them to self soothe. I started using it in the hospital and its been a life saver, and it hasn't disrupted her nursing at all. The con to a thumb is you cant take take them away.


**p.s. my dentist and doctor told me to wean her before her 1st birthday because it would be easier for me and her and better for her teeth**

Good luck and Congrats!

Answer 2

Congratulations.

Go for the pacifier. It's SO much easier to stop the pacifier use than thumb sucking.

The best time - from everything I've read - to get rid of it is about 9 months of age. Then it'll take a night or two for your baby to get over it - but she/he'll be okay.

Today's pacifiers are designed to have a reduced impact on teeth and jaw development.

Answer 3

your baby will let you know :)

We had decided not to use a pacifier when our son was born. However, once he arrived things changed! I breastfed our son and so any time I was in the shower, etc my husband was helpless to calm our baby down. He finally approached me after about 2 weeks and asked if we could go ahead a buy a pacifier.

Once we picked a pacifier and brought it home, our son HATED it lol. He would push it out of his mouth and cry even louder. We thought he just needed some time to get the hang of it, so we continued to offer the pacifier. He never took to it. He did however start sucking his thumb around four months of age.

I am sure it is much easier to break a child of a pacifier habit than the thumb. However, the American Dental Association says as long as a child has stopped sucking their thumb by 4-5 years of age, they won't suffer any permanent affects to their teeth or jaw. So just let your baby take the lead on this one :)

Answer 4

First off i have four boys and each one of them used a pacifier until they were about a year and a half. Theres nothing wrong with it and only use it to sooth them. When they are infants they love their pacifiers. My boys are now 8,6,6,and 4 and all of them have perfectly healthy teeth and jaws. They see a dentist every 6 months and there has been no problems. There are alot of really good pacifiers out there. and i never had a problem breaking any of them of this habit. Again my kids didnt run around the house sucking on it. I only used it when they needed to be comforted. Some babies refuse to use a pacifier. Our 4 year old never wanted his until he was about 6 months old, then only used it a hand full of times. So you just never know :) But i dont see any harm to it

Answer 5

I know from experience that thumb sucking is the HARDEST to break. My parents gave my older sister a pacifier, and not one to me. I sucked my thumb until I was in 4th grade. I had the worst teeth, that needed braces, which costed my parents a fortune. My sister and brother both had pacifiers, and had healthy straight teeth. They also stopped needing one after they were only about 3..and i always had my thumb. Im in my third trimester now and am definatly going to let my baby have a pacifier over sucking his thumb. Hope this helps!!

Answer 6

i think thumbs are a lot better than pacifiers but, that's just my opinion. you guys will have a lot more difficult problems to concentrate on and to agree/disagree about once the baby is born. for the first few months, it doesn't matter how each of you feel about pacifiers. the bay will decide! if you don't have one available, then it's a moot point. if you want the baby to take one and they won't, it's a moot point. if the baby wakes up in the middle of the night (like for the first year!) and can't find his pacifier and won't go to sleep without it, who is going to get up and look for it? what about the next time? and what about when the same thing happens four times in one hour? what are your reasons for diagreeing? do you want to be able to control how long the baby uses the pacifier? do you not like the wway a baby looks with a pacifier in its mouth? do you think it's not healthy? the thumb is definitely a harder habit to break becasue the baby has total access to their thumb. but that's also why thumbs are such good soothers for babies. and babies should (I think) get to comfort themselves when they feel the need. pacifiers can get lost and dirty and get taken away by you. if you want to be able to control when the baby uses the pacifier then give it to him, and take it away when you want to. otherwise, let the baby ahve their thumb and they can decide when to use it. some babies don't form either habit. some babies suck their thumb for a short time and give up the habit early. some babies suck other fingers and the teeth issue is not important becasue usually sucking the othe fingers doesn't hurt their teeth. good luck!

Answer 7

Neither of my kids would take the pacifier, much to my disappointment. I always was jealous of those content little babies sucking on the pacifier like Lisa Simpson! But neither of my kids sucked their thumbs either. My advice is that if your baby takes the pacifier, let her have it. If it makes them comfortable, then that's less worry for you. I would not, however, put in in her mouth whenever she makes a peep. I'd use it only when she's unruly, especially in public.

BTY, my first child fell asleep with a bottle of water almost every night because he was so cranky. He is 23 and has perfect teeth. My 16 year old that never had a bottle in the crib had braces. Go figure!

Good luck and congratuations!!!

Answer 8

My advice is to only use the pacifier as a replacement. You need to keep in mind that when babies sucks on pacifiers or thumbs for too long, it creates pressure in their ears and may cause an ear infection. So I wouldn't advice that your baby stay with a pacifier for too long especially when sleeping. Only use the pacifier to keep them calm while you prepare their bottle or to break a thumb sucking habit. Simply put, only use the pacifier when needed.

Answer 9

At times, it really becomes difficult for the parents to avoid giving pacifier to their baby. It is postulated that babies who feel insecure tend to get inclined towards sucking their thumb, so in order to overcome the habit most of the parents decides to give pacifier to their babies.

However, baby himself chooses his self-soother but it would be better on the part of the parents to know the pros and cons of each.

THUMB

Pros:
1. No question of loosing it
2. It’s free
3. You may avoid building up of germs by keeping the hands clean

Cons:
1. It’s possibility of becoming a habit is always present
2. Sucking thumb after 24 months may affect the teeth and jaw alignment

PACIFIER

Pros:
1. It’s not expensive
2. Frees your baby’s hands and fingers
3. It’s easier to do away with the habit

Cons:
1. You’ll have to look for your baby’s pacifier if he looses it during the night
2. There’s a possibility of building up of germs easily
3. Like the thumb sucking, it too may affect the teeth and jaw alignment

Answer 10

I raised 3 children,and that was the least of my worries.My son is 31 years old 6'3" 280 lbs and he still uses a pacifier.Just kidding!! When we speak on the phone he ends the conversation with "I LOVE YOU DAD", My daughter says the same thing, but shes daddy's girl.The point is don't concern yourself with a pacifier,after there crying for an hour and a pacifier will make them stop...Just don't spoil your children,make sure they do something in exchange for something they want.When they cry,See to there needs,but don't pick them up until they stop crying,short of them being sick or injured.Love, and common sense, will pay off in the end. Don't act on emotion,stop and think before you act.Oh! my 3rd child? He had Cerebral Palsy,and he was blind,I learned a lot from that little guy. He taught me what true love is, it's love for me, and not what I could buy him. Hugging him was like hugging an angel,the stress of your day was gone,instantly,To see a handsome little guy with an infectious smile,when you came home from work.All the problems he had,all the hurdles we had to jump over,just to keep him healthy.I miss him, he's my little angel now,and I'm a better person for knowing him. I have some wind chimes hanging out side,when they sway together and make there in chanting sounds,I know he's with me,there was no breeze,it was a calm still day.a smile crosses my lips,and a tear rolls down my cheek. I wish you all the best,and you'll kmow what to do, you already started,by asking this question.

Answer 11

Pacifiers are much better on teeth, even before they come in. Also, they are better on fingers and/or thumbs. Some babies have a need to suck, and all babies get pleasure out of it. The pacifier makes life much easier.