What do you think of kids who are 4 and still have a binky and bottle?

Question

I see kids who are 4,5,6 and even older who still use a pacifier and drink from a bottle, I think it is stupid. What do you think?

babysisterchrissy I take it your children or some one you know still does this, I am not trying to offend any one I just want to know if other people besides myself thinks it is stupid to still allow your child to use a binky. I am not including children with special needs them I completely understand the reasoning but other than that I see no reason for a 6 year old to drink from a bottle!

I would never approach any one and tell them they are wrong but I laugh at them inside think "what lazy parents" and wonder if they know how ridiculous they look as parents.

Yes I am a parent of an extremely gifted child, (she is 6 and is working on algebra) I believe that my child is an extension of myself and when people look at her they see me.

I do not point and laugh at the children GOD what kind of monster would do that? I just laugh inside at the thought of that being a normal healthy child who is still doing this. It is mainly found in hispanic communities for some reason, go to Miami you will see it there if you have not seen it before! That is where I am from!

Answer 1

I agree that it is a shame that some parents are so lazy and also ,they are allowing the child to have full control of them by giving them what they want. If they are a child of "special needs" then it is totally understandable, but if not then the parents have to understand that allowing this type of behavior is ruining the child. The parents have to instill better values and morals and let the child know that life is not all about them(child), and decisions have to be made by the parent until the child is of legal age to make their own decisions. I have two children myself and bottles and pacifiers were thrown out at 10 mos. of age for both my children, then I was able to introduce table food and cups to my kids. It was hard for my kids to understand why I did that, but it all worked out for the better, now my children are healthy and very bright!

A message for the parents who are getting upset or offended by this message: "I think that you should grow up yourselves and start being more mature and you must have sucked your pacifier and bottle longer than normal, and look what it created.......!

Answer 2

Well, if the kids were really that old and didn't have special needs, then, yes, I'd think the parents were doing their kids a big disservice (and the kids are going to start being picked on big time by their peers). However, I've got to say that I'm around kids a lot and can't think of any time I've ever seen a 4-year-old, much less a 6-year-old, with a binky or bottle, so I can't imagine it's terribly common. If I were to see a large child with a binky or bottle, I'd pretty much assume that either that they were very big for their age (I do know kids who were so big that they appeared 4 when they were 2) or that they had special needs. So I wouldn't be quick to judge. If I knew the family and knew that there weren't any special circumstances, I might politely ask the parents whether they were concerned about their child potentially getting teased for that behavior....

Answer 3

There are so many things that can go wrong with the development of the teeth by keeping kids on their binkies and bottles.
I just think most of the time it is because the parents just don't take the time to get rid of the binkie or bottle.
If it is not needed for a special needs situation then
Yes, I think it is ridiculous too.

Answer 4

Hmm... I think they are being deliberately delayed by their parents. Maybe the parents are not intending to delay their children, but no doubt, THEY ARE. I have a cousin who had a bottle of orange juice every night until she was 6 years old! She slept with it... now she is 13 and every single one of her teeth are capped. Yes, parents need to stop this.

Hey Heather... I understand where you are coming from... You are laughing at the parents, not the child, right? Because it isn't the child's fault at all. I remember being in 4th grade and there was a girl who always a pacifier in her mouth... no one cared! I always thought it was wierd... I noticed a lot of people that age having pacifiers too. It was kind of like the "cool" thing. I don't have a clue why because I always figured young kids wanted to appear older, not younger... I sure did! lol... I understand completely where you are coming from.

Answer 5

Some dentists and orthodontists will tell you that prolonged use is bad for the teeth...hello braces. We had three sons...none of them ever used a pacifier. Parents use them way too often and should rely on other means to pacify their babies. Try swaddling, cuddling, or holding their hands...and as far as the person that said MYOB, she does have a point. If a stranger approached me and said something about my son using a "binky" at 4 Years Old, I'd probably rip them a new @$$. Good luck.

Answer 6

This is actually very, very bad for the children! Their teeth will have all kinds of problems. It's called bottle rot and it literally rots the child's teeth. That's for bottles. Pacifers can cause the teeth to grow in wrong if used often. Babies should stop using the bottle by age one, 18 months at the latest!

I wouldn't call it stupid, but I would call it irresponible. It is very painful for a baby to have rotten teeth and it's something that will bother them for life! Why do that to a child? People may not realize that damage done to a baby tooth can damage adult teeth too!

Answer 7

It's bad for their teeth. And I'd have no respect for any parent who allowed it for a normal child.

But I try not to laugh at specific people even just to myself - because what if that child has a special need I don't know about? That parent has enough to worry about without people labelling them without knowing the facts.

Answer 8

Children that young often still have a need to suckle. Around the world, the average age of weaning is 4 years old. Those that are using a pacifier and bottle were artificially weaned early, they haven't had that need met, so it delays their natural growth out of the need to suck. That's why you still have kids sucking their thumbs at 10, 12 years of age. And quite possibly why so many men are obsessed with breasts in this culture.

Answer 9

don't mean to be rude, but I imagine that you are not a parent.

While I agree with you that there is a normal age to be off the bottle and pacifier, most people with children know that every kid is different and the challenges of parenting often mean that kids will do things later in life.

I think that when you have kids, you will realize that there is so much more to it than worrying about what age they give up certain childhood trinkets.

If you are a mom, I am surprised you are not more understanding.

Answer 10

It's bad for the kids teeth. It can make the teeth crooked, and with the item sitting in their mouth like that for a long time, it can increase tooth decay. I would never suggest a parent to do that. Neither would their pediatric dentist.