There are a few things I’ve learned over my 4 years of blogging…
- Always keep your surroundings in mind when taking pictures. For instance, any pictures taken in your front yard need to be checked for you or your neighbors’ address on the house. Hellooo, creepers!
- Pictures of your kid’s butts are cute…for you. They don’t go on the internet. Because of creepers. (ok, except for this one of Soph, but come on, that rump makes the world a happier place.)
- If you ask a question, any question, you will get some advice you don’t want to hear.
- A picture of your child, at any age, with a pacifier in it’s mouth will warrant a minimum of two opinionated people telling you to get that darn paci out of YOUR kid’s mouth!
Well you know what I have to say about that?
BLAM!
Ok, you’re probably wondering why the sudden paci attitude. Let me explain…
Sophie still has a paci. She’s 2 and 1/2 & uses it to sleep & once in awhile during the day if she’s really upset or sick. It’s a comfort for her, it’s a tool for me, it’s a savior. I love the paci.
In our house the paci fairy comes when you turn three. With Sam I stressed about whether or not I should take it away sooner, was I ruining her teeth, were people judging me? This time with kid number 2, I have one answer to that. I DON’T CARE. Having something that your child loves & that will soothe them so you can actually get some sleep is an awesome awesome thing. Let me rephrase part of that, I do care about my kid’s teeth but after talking to a dentist I’m no longer worried about using it until 3.
Here’s the thing. Apparently not everyone agrees because lately whenever I post a picture where Soph has her paci somebody HAS to make a negative comment about it. Instagram, Facebook, Twit pics…doesn’t matter. That paci ALWAYS drives someone to say something.
Why is this? Why are people so darn concerned about a plastic nipple? Sometimes they sound almost offended. It’s not like she’s parading around with a thong on. Come on people, is it really worth getting on a soapbox for? Can’t we find you a better cause? Perhaps Orangutang rescue. I hear they’re having a rough year.
However, it is because of these recent attacks that I’ve decided to use this platform to come out & show my full support of the pacifier, paci, binky, bobby, dummy, fussplug, nini, mimmy, mr chewy, popper, soothie, woo woo, wubbanub & zookie. I don’t discriminate.
So in honor of what I am now deeming National Paci Awareness Month (and yes, I can totally do that) I’ve decided to bring back ‘The Paci Pouch’ 
The Paci Pouch, also know as ‘The Everything Pouch’, was first created in 2009 as a solution for young Samster, who’s pacis always seemed to be escaping from her toddler bed. Especially at 3 am. The Paci Pouch gives our beloved binkys a warm, safe place to congregate while always being within arm’s reach for your little one to self soothe.
And as you can see that tough little felt pouch has held up pretty darn well throughout the years.
And yes, Sophie sleeps dressed as Minnie Mouse, but that’s an entirely different issue.
If you’d like to help support the Paci Revolution then you can either make your own paci pouch using this tutorial or just leave a comment below saying:
Do or Did your kid(s) ever use a pacifier? Were you freaked out about when to take it away? Has someone ever felt the need to comment about your child’s dirty little secret? Do you ever wish, when life gets too hard, that you could just pop in a paci & make it all better?
I used a paci or ‘binky’ till 3.5 years of age. My teeth are fine, I am in grad school, and I work for the US Navy. I turned out fine. So will your girls.
If it’s one thing I have learned in my 17 years of parenting it is that someone will always have an opinion about how you are raising your children. The internet has opened a whole new platform for judgmental parents that act like they were sooooo perfect and always did exactly what they are now preaching. If they did all of that then they have raised perfect little psychopaths that now hate them and never call unless they need money. Children are all different and even doctor’s change their advice every few years as new research comes out. When my son was born 17 years ago the advice was to sleep them on their sides to reduce the risk of SIDS. My daughter was born 11 years ago and it was that they had to sleep on their back. I was a pacifier sniper and took it away from my son at the 18 month mark but as the 18 month mark approached with my daughter there was no way in hell I was going to take hers. She was way more high strung and needed the soothing. She kept that sucker until she was 4 and hasn’t had any problems related to it. I would never have taken her out in public at that age with it because of the know-it-all’s but she would use it to sleep. Do what you know is best for your kids and tell the haters they are more than welcome to come to “suck it” 🙂
im 31 still use a pacifier
Before I had kids I was that judgmental lady looking down on people who’s kids were using pacis well beyond what I thought was the appropriate age. I also judged those who clearly 4 year old kid was in a stroller. But boy does time & tantrums & tired legs change you. When my oldest was 3 we finally managed to get rid of the paci for good, but now that we have a 7 month old & pacis have made there way back into the house my 4 year old is now using one to sleep with again at night. Ugh. I hate it because I worry about his teeth but if giving him a paci at night will get him to get in bed before the Tonight Show is on so be it. There’s always braces right?
My baby started rejecting her paci at 4 months. I planned on letting her keep it until she was 2 but she started spitting it out about a million times a night. So I put her down one night without it and she slept awesome! Anyhow, you have got to do what works for you. If she hadn’t wanted to stop using it I would have let her keep it until at least 2. I mean it’s not like you see 18 year olds walking around with pacifiers so does it really matter? Do what works so you can get some sleep!
My boys are paci boys. My oldest kept his until at least 2.5. I literally cringed at the thought of taking it away. It was his comfort his lovely. My youngest still has his and I am fine with it. He loves it and it soothes him. People ALWAYS comment. My own cousin was like does he always have that “thing”? Yes he does, chill. Not your job to parent my kid. I am not worried and I will be worried when it is time to take it away. I need one of those bags, asap. Trying to find a paci in the dark at 3 am sucks! I love your blog! I made the bagels this week.
OMG! I am so SO glad that you wrote about this. After my son turned two, I hemmed and hawed about getting rid of the paci (and bottles, we were still doing bottles at the time). When he was almost three, we realized he wasn’t talking as much and had to get rid of both of them in order to give him more opportunity to talk appropriately.
To be honest, the only reason why I did it was because they told me to. It hasn’t been a miracle worker, but I feel like it’s helped in some ways and hindered in other ways. It’s forcing him (and us) to try and find a new way for him to get out his frustration and to calm him down. So, you’ll find me to be a non-judgmental momma… I’m sure there are moms out there that wonder why I let my child watch TV and/or play Angry Birds on the kindle…If only you knew…
Dudettes, you have to do what you have to do and no one understands your child(ren) better than you do.
Keep it strong, ladies! <3
Good for you Natasha!! I don’t have children but I do watch my niece (now 5) and nephew (now 16 months). I started watching them both at around 8 weeks old. So I feel do know a little something about the subject. They both use/used binky’s (as we call them) I don’t see any problem with them especially when they are super fussy and just want mommy or daddy. They were/are my savior. My sister in law and brother in law started weaning my niece off of them before age two only giving it to her at bedtime if necessary. Before we knew it she didn’t even realize they were gone. They are trying to do the same with my nephew. They are having a little more trouble, he is a little more fussy and needs soothing, but they are not sressing over it at all. Seriously, they are healthy and there are far more things to worry about than a damn pacifier. Okay, so I’ll get down from my soapbox now. And yes I too wish that some days I had one to make it all better too 🙂
My daughter is 2 and still has her binky! everyone is telling her that she is a big girl and doesnt need a binky and she needs to use the big girl potty ( another issue that the elder women of my family are pushing on me and her). I think she isnt ready for all of that just yet. anyways my daughter uses the binky in the same way yours does she only has it for sleeping or when she is upset, or in a big crowd like church. ( she doesnt like aot off people in her face it kind of freaks her out but she loves church.) She is a very shy kid and that is her comfy thing along with her hello kitty ty beanie baby. your blog is awesome.
I am fighting the PAPI “paci” battle with my almost 2 1/2 year old daughter now. She is the only one that ever took one (out of 4) and let me tell you it is not that serious. The orthodontist that I go to said they rather that than her thumb. So who cares what other people say. They need to find something else to complain about, I am sure they have things that need work. 🙂 I need a papi pouch!!
my little girl had a paci (she called it her “pa”) until 2.5. my husband was obsessed with her getting rid of it – i have no idea why. we told her that when she made it through the night without it, she could have purple pancakes for breakfast, and when that reward became more awesome to her than the pa was soothing, she went for it!
as i was reading this post and scrolling through the photos, i was so excited because i have one of those paci holders too! and then i realized that i am an idiot because i MADE the thing from YOUR tutorial. 🙂
I just love you. That is all.
We took the paci away from our daughter at 20 months and it was AWFUL! She went to sleep perfectly before and after that (and still now at 23 months). It is screamfest EVERY SINGLE NIGHT…still… I would have just given it back to her, but I never want to go through that again. Looking back I shouldn’t have let anyone talk me into taking it away from her.. Or making me feel guilty that she still used one. Do what you feel is right, what you feel she needs. You know her better than anyone… I wish I would have listened to my gut.
POWER TO THE PACI !! that is all.
Both my kids refused to have a pacifier. But honestly, sometimes (especially in the middle of the night) I wish they had, so I could just give them one and they would be comforted. It would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights…
My son is a month younger than sophie and still has his pacifier. My Daycare provider, dad, sister and FB friends always say “get rid of that thing”. But as much as I hate to say it, it’s his cigarette break. He loves that thing and I think it’s cute. Rock on girl! The pediatrician even said “if it comforts him, let him keep”.
My 2 year old daughter has to have a nini when she isn’t having a good day, but when we ask her to take it out she normally does sense it is so hard to understand her with it in her mouth. I also made the nini pouch for her and she loves it, puts all sorts of things in it besides the ninis. I;m with Melissa POWER TO THE BINKY!!!! 🙂
My older son never took to the paci, not for lack of trying on my part though! My younger son took to it immediately. He seemed to need to suck on something ALL THE TIME, and I was having a hard time with the pain of our early breast feeding relationship. The paci was a God-send for us! He was able to be soothed without tearing my poor boobs apart. He weaned himself cold-turkey at the beginning of January (he was 11 months) due to a particularly bad ear infection. Had he not self-weaned, I would have continued to allow it until he no longer needed, no guilt at all. I don’t understand what makes people think they can say whatever they want about a moms parenting choices, whether online or in person. Prior to him weaning I had a friend make a passive aggressive FB post about pacis and how terrible they are, just after I had posted a photo of my son with his. I ignore it. She doesn’t know my child like I do, and I know he needed it. I say good for you for keeping Sophie’s needs first 🙂
Someone will always have a negative comment. Every parent will do things their own way. Why is it that people feel the need to parent other peoples children! Mind your own business. My children are all in college now and I work in an environment where I see children with their parents and I will cringe at some parents/children it is not my place to make comments. When my oldest was born she was a great sleeper, but would spit that passi out and rub all over the bed looking for it. Drove me nuts. Hell, I was all for using super glue to keep that damned thing in her mouth sometimes. I think she was about 3 when we finally took it away from her. She would have it in her mouth and be talking with it somewhat hanging off of her tongue that is when I snapped and I took it from her mouth and threw it in the woods! (she wasn’t supposed to have it outside) My sister about crapped her pants and said something on the lines of “you are going to regret that tonight. Luckily, she did okay with out the passi, but then she started to suck her thumb! That is bad as well people! So, see it doesn’t matter. Do what is right for YOU and YOUR child. Forget the naysayers! I will say Natasha if you start sucking that passi on the regular basis…I will have to judge you. LOL
I had a ‘pipey’ until I was four (or older), and guess what? I’m fine! Only you know what’s best for your children so keep doing what you’re doing.
P.s. I also watched TONS of tv, and guess what? I had better language skills than all of my classmates all throughout school.
Ugh. I really don’t like judgy parents.
My son will be 4 in September and he still uses a paci!! It’s a savior for me as well!!! He uses it to sleep and to calm him if something get him upset. Either way he will need dental work when he is older with or without a paci!!! lol
He loves his paci and I have no problem with him having it. Paci and pom pom his dog go hand in hand and since his first day on earth he has had both. I am sure it will be difficult when we do take it away but I am ok with that. 🙂
Ha!Ha!Ha!Ha! Good for you! My kids would never take a paci and I wished they would! I think there are people out there that enjoy coming down on others that don’t do things exactly the way they do them and I love that you are posting about it. Who cares? Why does it bother them what you do?
I LOVE THE PACI. And I too wish adults could use them. Well I guess, technically we can. My 6 year old gave it up herself before she turned 1, we had to take it away from my 4 year old..don’t remember when but i know it was after 2 years old. My almost 1 year old loves hers and i have no plans to take it away. It helps so much with teething.
Funny story about my now 4 year old. About 6 months after we had taken it way we were at my parents house. We hadn’t heard from her for awhile so my husband goes looking for her and finds her playing with toys. Her back was to him and when she turned around she had a paci in her mouth…one that had been forgotten somewhere at my parents house. She was sucking so hard it left and imprint around her mouth. She must have missed that thing so much.
My kids never took paci’s, but I would have been okay with it. I’m a dental hygienist (well, I’m licensed but stay at home with the kiddos) and learned in school pacis/thumb sucking doesn’t really start affecting their teeth until age 4, so you’re good. 🙂 I do think it’s just one of those topics where everyone seems to know best, and they just must inform you that you are just doing it wrong. Breast feeding, formula feeding, co sleeping, cry it out, baby wearing, stroller, potty training, homeschooling, public schooling, spanking, immunizations, circumcision, cloth diapering, disposable diapers, the list goes on. Opinions on how strangers should or shouldn’t raise their children. Good for you for taking a stand. You’re okay with the paci, everyone else can move on, thankyou.
I honestly thought my youngest one would have a chuchee in her mouth at her college graduation. LOL. She had one in each hand one one in her mouth. And should one go missing………..oh my!!!!!!!!!
That’s hysterical that you call it a “chuchee” because we call the girl’s ladyparts their “chacha”…those could be easily mixed up, lol!
i have to agree until you have kids you don’t know how hard it is to hear a baby scream in the middle of the night and if a pacifer is the only thing that will make them go back to sleep then use it.. My daughter is about a month behind sophie and she still uses her paci just like her. once in a while throughout the day and to go to sleep.. people will judge but remember kids are different maybe your kid was in daycare the whole day and never really used a pacifer but the pacifer is like smoking.. once you start it’s hard to stop and you use it to calm you down and thats all a pacifer is.. it’s calms them down and shoot the teeth have nothing to do with it.. my niece never used a pacifer and she had to get braces so to each their own… enjoy your kids and every silent moment you can get… 🙂 we are paci babies united.. LOL
LMAO! “a pacifier is like smoking…”
Nuk, you forgot nuk! I will let it slide 🙂
My 3rd used it at night and occasional tired sick moment — like your daughter. She is 5 now and I cannot recall when we took it away!!! Somewhere between 18 and 30 months. My daughter kept biting on them and breaking them. She was down to her last one and SHE threw it away. And she tossed it right into the diaper genie. There was no going back!
My son is three years and three months old and he still sleeps with his soothie. If he’s upset in the day he wants it, though the rule now is that it’s only for sleeping times. I finally put up a hook on his bedside table so he’ll be able to find it at bedtime. I wish he would stop using it, and stop waking me up in the middle of the night when he can’t find it (under his damn pillow) but I know he’ll stop when he’s ready. He’s always wanted to suck for comfort since the day he was born. I’m glad it’s not his thumb since I can’t throw that away. 🙂
I wish my kids took a binky! 🙂
My son used a binky until he was over 5 (he stopped using them about six months ago) and my daughter used hers until she was 2 (she stopped because big brother did), but I sucked my thumb until I was 12. Consciously and frequently until I was 10, in my sleep in until I was 12. My parents tried everything, taping my thumbs to my hands, Vaseline on my thumbs, pepper, EVERYTHING. Nothing worked. And I realize you don’t know me, but I am a well-adjusted, independent woman with a slight overbite (though that has way more to do with genetics.) But while we’re on the subject (and you brought it up) I was equally as pissed when on Facebook, the picture of Sopie at gymnastics prompted someone to comment (and several people to like said comment) that she was too old for diapers! Too old?! What the f? People seriously believe children should be potty trained by two? Am I the only one that thinks that’s crazy?! But more importantly, who the hell cares? It was a cute picture and someone had to go and ruin it by being a judgmental B. Sorry, that has been bothering me for a few weeks.
THANKYOU!! Welcome to my world Angela. You said it perfectly, “It was a cute picture and someone had to go & ruin it by being judgmental” You have to get to a point though where you accept that if you’re going to put yourself in the public spotlight (in my opinion putting anything online whether it be on a blog or in social media that’s putting yourself in the public eye) then you’re going to get some unwanted opinions. You just have to let it roll off your back, I’ve finally gotten to the point where (most of the time) I can just forget those comments as soon as I read them. You can’t let it bother you…you know?
My 2nd child, a son, used his paci until he turned 4 when he really and truly lost it, and we were living in a place where I could not get the only kind he would use. We tried to get rid of it sooner, and just as soon as we set a deadline something would happen where he would really need a self-soother (usually an illness). He’s 22 and none the worse for it.
Ok thank you! My son turned 2 and I was like guess we should get rid of it…. And he’s been fine but I borderline want to bring it back haha!! He talks in his crib til 10!! Like 2 hours of chatting! And he used to always fall asleep in te stroller or car seat and now that would never happen! And at a restaurant he wil cry and cry and cry, I used to be able to plug that thing in if something happened. Look if I have a bad day I drink wine or take a bath… Give them something of comfort!! And ppl need to butt out anyway!
My two oldest had theirs for three (or, you know, 3.25) years. You know who never judged me? All the people sitting in blessed silence next to us on our many trans Atlantic flights. People are morons when they’re unhappy with themselves.
LOL, that is the truth. I do believe airplanes are the only judgement free zone…unless your kid is screaming, kicking the seat, playing loud videogames without headphones or talking oddly loudly, then the judgements shall fly. No pun intended.
I have four girls 22,19 and 3.5 y/o twins. The 22 sucked her fingers therefore didn’t have a a chance as her fingers were attached. Eventually when she started school she stopped. My 19 y/o sucked the pack till she was 3.5 and it was a difficult transition. Having had the twins at an older age I’m now like, let them use it for as long as possible considering life is difficult enough as they grow older. Maybe it is because I’m older and it does soothe them tremendously but who really cares. People always say the same thing-so big and using a pack?
Ps my older daughter that used the pacifiers has not needed any dental work to date. So that too could be a fallacy. So there my two cents on the use of pacifiers. Yay for pacifiers!!!!!!
I totally freaked out about the paci with my daughter, so much so that I took it from her at 7 months old!
The big thing I’ve been catching flack for though is potty training. My daughter just turned 2 in February, but my parents say, “You were trained by 17 months…” Blah, blah, blah. Makes me feel like a crappy parent, but I know my daughter, and she isn’t ready!
Omgosh, what is it about the older generation that makes potty training asap such a big deal?!? I’ve been hearing the same thing from Abuela while she’s been visiting & you know what I learned from potty training Sam? They will do it when they’re darn ready & if you push them before then all you’re going to do is stress both of you out & end up cleaning lots of pee on the floor.
All three of my kids used a pacifier and I’d like to just say that they are all teens, or beyond, and no longer use them! Cool, eh? They grew up and didn’t even need them anymore. Ok, so it probably happened between 1 and 2 years old, but they just walked away from them one day and never looked back. ALL THREE OF THEM. I never had people tell me jack, but people usually don’t, heeheehee. If they were still using them, I’d be worried. In my experience, though, kids don’t suck on them forever. Something about getting laughed at in school cures them of THAT desire, lol. P.S. They don’t wear diapers anymore, but one still loves a night light ((YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!).
My son still uses his paci. Hes almost 2. We tried to take it away and it was a no go. Waking up at 3am just screaming. Not worth the fight. We will try again later. Now he uses it for nap and bed and when he’s sick. It’s the only thing he’s attached to besides me :). I see no problems with it. People tend to make such a big deal about it and I don’t see why.
Before I had kids, I too, was a judge of the binky. After I had my first daughter my opinion did a 180. I swear, that binky saved my life, or, at least, my sanity. I asked our dentist and she told me that as long as we switched to an orthodontic binky, (we had the green Soothie binky from the hospital), and got rid of it before she started school, her teeth and mouth would be fine. The Binky Fairy visits our house as well. And while it will visit us this coming June when Lucy turns 3, she didn’t visit Lola until the night before her 4th birthday. She left a small unicorn stuffie and a pair of pink “diamond” earrings. Lola was thrilled and never looked back. This year she will have to up the ante though, Lucy is far more difficult to impress. Some kids have Lovies, some kids have Sacred Stuffies….my kids had/have Binkys. And that is just fine with me.
Well said Heidi, and your house sounds EXACTLY like ours, lol!
Thank you for this! I’m pro-pacifier or “bo-bo” and I’m always hearing people tell me to get rid of it. My son turned 3 in February and the bo-bo isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. My son’s super awesome dentist said he’ll let us know when enough is enough and so far no teeth problems! People love to judge and it makes them feel better about themselves when they tell everyone that their “way” is the yellow brick road that leads to the Oz. It’s not hurting anyone and it’s not hurting you’re child so in my opinion, it’s no big deal. It makes my son feel comforted at night since he can’t sleep with me anymore plus he looks so flippin cute when he’s half asleep, sucking on that thing like Maggie Simpson. So NO judgements here and more power to the paci 🙂
P.S. I use Mam too!!
Word. I’m already stashing pacifiers for when my little one makes an arrival in the next 10 weeks! Both my boys kept theirs until a little after 2 and then gave them up when they were ready. I’m sure it will be the same for boy #3!
We took away my son’s “baba” at 18 mos. It took a couple nights, but he was quickly back to sleeping through the night. Fast forward 3 months when his sister was born. Regular sleep for all members of the family went out the door. Baba came back, and one very happy toddler slept through the night again. He turns 2 tomorrow. He is self-initiated daytime potty trained, so we’ve focused on that. We’ll worry about baba sometime in the next year, but not while we’re dealing with potty training and 2 year molars.
Good for you, for not stressing about it and for starting potty training already, that’s awesome!
Mine doesn’t use it. She’s three months old, we have about four different kinds and two to six of each kind, but she doesn’t seem to like them. I have no idea why! They get spit riiiight back out in favor of her hand. I feel bad we’ve got a drawer full of the things being wasted but at least I won’t have to worry about them getting lost and her pitching a fit or weaning her off them I guess! lol Now, her Sophie the Giraffe is another story…
That’s so funny because I desperately wanted Sophie to love Sophie the Giraffe because it’s her namesake & wouldn’t that be super cute but nope, wanted nothing to do with it. Those crazy babies…
When my mother would be criticized when I still had one at age four, my mom would say, “You can take a pacifier away, but you can’t take a thumb away,” as she would politely gesture to this person’s 13-year-old child who was sitting in public sucking their thumb.
So, preach on! If it comforts Sophie, then it’s nobody’s business to tell you or P how to parent. She won’t have the inclination to suck her thumb when she gets nervous in public as she gets older.
And besides, it’s absolutely adorable to see your daughter all up in the camera with that 🙂
While we’re on the topic of potty training…Mine is 3 1/2 and STILL not potty trained. I feel like people look at me like I’m nuts but we have tried EVERYTHING we can think of and other folks can think of…
Sometimes, kids aren’t ready and they’ll be ready when they feel like it.
I WISH my kid would take a paci, instead we do the rocking and the walking to sooth gets real old at 3:00 am…. but both my kids refuse…. your kids, your choice, everyone else can shut it.
My daughter used a paci as an infant, but I forgot to send it to the babysitter’s one day, and she did fine, so she was weaned from it at about 6 months. However… she replaced the paci with her thumb. She is now 5, and she still sucks her thumb at night. The dentist has said that we need to get her to stop, as her baby teeth are beginning to loosen and once her permanent teeth come in, the thumb will really cause problems. She is down to just sucking it at night… and she tries not to, but she tells me she wakes up and it’s there. We’ve tried stuff on her thumbs, and she just rubs or pulls it off. So, consider yourself lucky… the thumb fairy is not exactly an option, given that opposable thumbs are kind of nice to have.
I don’t judge the paci. BUT, I have to admit, I am irked by kids who talk with them in their mouth. I think mostly because it always reminds me of that hard-core smoker who talks with the cigarette hanging out of the side of their mouth. That and I can’t understand them half the time. And likely, because I’m extraordinarily neurotic about things. I don’t know how many times I have told my daughter to take her thumb out of her mouth before she talks.
We love our wubbanubs, yes that is plural! My little one is only 11 weeks old so we don’t get the bad looks that often yet, but I completely agree…..Why take something away from your little one that is a comfort to them. I would MUCH rather prefer a paci over a thumb! Thumbs get all smelly and wet and you cannot take that away. I have a 3? year old friend that still finds her thumb in stressful times. That I believe is much worse than a 2 1/2 year old with a paci!
I chuckled out loud because we have 4 wubbanubs! Duck, red dog, frog, and monkey. Would have 5 (another red dog) but left it at a party and never got it back. They are just tooooooooo freaking cute with an animal hanging off ther faces 🙂
So… We just got a puppy and I keep saying that it’s just like a baby but I can’t stick a binky in his mouth to shut him up!
My son had his bottle until 1 and then pacifier until 2 but if it had been harder to take it from him I would have had no problem letting him keep it longer. Instead now I have a five and a half year old that requires me to sit in his room until he’s asleep. There will always be something.
Okay, I don’t have children so maybe I’m not the most qualified for an opinion but I love pacifiers. I can’t reflect on how long a child should have them but when you’re babysitting, they are a lifesaver for that fussy baby who just can’t seem to get happy. Plus, babies look so cute with them. Like others have said, no matter what you do as a parent, someone out there will always think it’s wrong.
My 3rd baby is my only baby to take a pacifier “nini” and I have no clue how, when, where, why to take it away. Also she just started talking a little and I think it is adorable when she says “More Nini” it’s not going anywhere for awhile, she’s only 16 months!
My oldest daughter had her suckie until her 3rd birthday. She used it all the time, sleeping, daycare, ALWAYS. She could even talk with that thing in her mouth, and you could understand her!! On her 3rd birthday we took her to Build A Bear and put the suckie in the foot and stuffed and sewed it. What was funny, my middle daughter (only 14 months younger) became more attached to her suckie after it got taken away from her sister. She gave it up right before her 3rd birthday. I love pacifiers and am very sad that this daughter (4 months old) does not like them. I still try every once in a while, but she just won’t cooperate. Lol!
My favourite response lately to any of that kind of stuff is “Aw, man, I guess I won’t be getting my parenting trophy then.”
oh, there is no trophy? Oh. Well I mean I wasn’t going to get it anyways so I’m okay with it.
My daughter will be 3 in June and we just took her paci away this last week. She was in the hospital last weekend and without her paci it would have been a much more miserable time. I completely agree with you. They are still so little that this one thing that brings her comfort is not a big deal to me. The only reason we took it away was because it was her last one and she had put two holes in it. It was her last “baby” thing and it makes me sad that its gone!
M still has it at nearly 4, and I’m in no hurry to take it away for bedtime and occasional nap time. Dog dying, travel, moving, new baby coming… whatever helps her chill out and sleep so that the rest of us can too. I figure peer pressure will eventually take care of it.
Ok 1, I had no idea she still had one! What do you keep it in a back closet?? 2, don’t expect that peer pressure to come from my direction!
I don’t have a child so my opinion is probably moot, but if a small pacifier keeps a child asleep or quiet – I am ALL for it. I value sleep more than anything (probably why I’m waiting a while to have children) so if that gets them through the night, give them 6 so they can alternate as wanted lol. Furthermore, my mom got rid of my little sisters “binky” when she was 2 or 3 and she sucked her thumb…UNTIL SHE WAS NINE! So, don’t stress about the binky, it could be replaced by a thumb (and orthodontics twice, at several thousand dollars a piece.) So as a non-mom, selfish person who enjoys sleep and saving money, you’re doing NOTHING wrong.
You know you can always use the joke the Gabriel Iglesias uses during his standup….(paraphrasing) Lady: My grandma lived to be 90 years old? Gabriel: How, by smoking? Lady: No by minding her own da** business!!
Hahahaha one of my favorites. Forget what people say. Clearly someone will always have a negative opinion. My two year old still has a bottle. She never took a paci and I have been trying like crazy to get her off of the bottle. Of course there is always that one person to say something. If they catch me on a bad day I usually tell them to mind their own da** business or if I’m feelihg friendly I will tell them to mind their own business. Moral of the story……You are doing fine, and someone will always run their mouth. 🙂
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN!!!!!!!! LOVE this post! My son is 20 months and he uses his paci when it’s nap time or time for bed. He sleeps wonderfully and it is his comfort. Mothers have GOT to stop being so damn judgmental and should really start being more supportive of one another…we are ALL only trying our BEST. Everyone has a different way of parenting, raising their children etc.
neither of my daughters used real pacifiers. as a nursing mom i was so worried about nipple confusion that i refused to use it for the first few weeks. by the time i tried giving them one it was too late and i became the pacifier..ugh. when my youngest started sucking her thumb i was so worried. you can always take away a paci, but people would really judge you if you tried permanently taking away a thumb.
When I was 3-ish my mom convinced me to give Santa my passies in exchange for an extra awesome Christmas present!! I also had a special little passy basket! And in my opinion there is nothing wrong with a 2 1/2 yr old who uses her passy at bedtime and during times of crisis… YOU are the mom and your sanity is important!!!
Amen to that Jessica! And hooray for sanity!!!!
No, neither of mine ever did and there were sure times I wish they would just take it! I tried, they just didn’t want one. But I guess its a blessing in disguise, since I then never had to break that habit. I do have a question though… why the magic age is 3? Why not 4? Or 2? Or 1? It just seems to me that [just like any habit you wish to break] the longer you wait the harder it is. If you know you’re going to take it away at some point anyway, why wait til 3?
And yes!I wish I could be soothed by something so simple! Can you imagine if that was socially acceptable? All the adults walking around with pacifiers in our mouths! Probably save us a lot of money on therapy/other stress relieving behaviors. 🙂
Whatever makes your life easier as a Mom is well worth it! We have enough to deal with 🙂
My son used his until he was 9 months old, just flat out wouldn’t take it anymore. I’m sure my sleepless nights would have been less frequent had he kept taking it. My daughter, on the other hand, wouldn’t take it or the bottle at first. Once she started daycare and taking the bottle more and more I tried the paci again and she took it. Thank goodness! She was weaned before she was 2, but only because I didn’t feel like buying anymore, lol. Took two nights of screaming.
It’s all a bunch of BS anyway…I can tell you one thing – I didn’t follow all the “rules” and my kids are turning out just fine 🙂 they watch TV/movies all the time, and play with my iPhone/iPad (and they both are very active and play outside all the time, the screen time does not change that. My son was also recommended for early admission for kindergarten even with all the screen time). Keeps me sane. I have raised them both the exact same way, and you know what…my son wasn’t potty trained until he was 3.5 yrs old, but my daughter is half way there at 2. My son didn’t talk until he was past 2 (with no paci in the way), and my daughter won’t stop talking at 2 (and she used the paci).
Bottom line, all kids are different and nobody should be judgmental because they have no idea what is going on in that family or the reasons behind the choices their parents make.
I am a firm believer that they will give it up when they are ready. Just like they will potty train when they are ready, give up the bottle, etc… I too have two children and it took getting to know my first born to understand this concept and throw out the notion that kids had to “give up” something by a certain age. Being a parent is stressful enough without all that added crap from people around you who have no idea who your kid is or what is best for them. We have folders and folders of pictures with my daughter’s paci plastered all over them and while it used to bug me, I now love them because we let her decide on her own when to give it up and that makes me so proud of her. One morning she just decided that she was done, and I was so proud of her that I took one of my favorite pictures of her with that damn thing in her mouth, blew it up, put it in a shadow box and stuck that very last paci in there with it. I proudly display that on our family wall because she did it on her own and I firmly believe that one day our son will do the same.
My 2 year old son gave up his ninny on his own, around 4 months, but then took up the thumb. And taking that away isn’t really an option. He only sucks it at nap/bed time or when he is being shy. I asked the pediatrician about it and she wasn’t concerned. She said there really wasn’t any point in forcing a child to give up pacis or thumb-sucking before the age of 4 or 5. Most children will wean themselves in time and forcing the issue only causes unecessary stress. People love to give their opinions on everything that isn’t their business. To them I say, KMA!
We use the paci; we LOVE the paci (Wubbanubs shout out!)! Already got the “advice” from his pediatrician to get rid of it between 18 and 24 mos. Last time I checked his pediatrician wasn’t the one soothing ouchies, helping to cut his teeth, or putting him to sleep at night. My son is 16 mos old and one of the SLOWEST teethers I have ever known (only 7 teeth so far), so when he no longer needs it to soothe his gums, then we will cut the nipple off and let him keep the Wubba as a lovey at night. My only personal frustration is his want/need to throw anything he is done with on the ground. Ever fished a pacifier out of a lemur exhibit at the zoo? Fun times. Rock on, paci babies!
I assumed it was fir her ears on the plane.
My daughter is 18 months old and sucks her thumb. She used a paci for the first few months and then as soon as she found her thumb, that was the end of the paci. I’m not too worried about her teeth because right now they are her ‘baby’ teeth. Anyway, she mostly sucks her thumb when she goes to sleep (nap or night), or when she is upset or not feeling to great. I used to suck my thumb when I was little and so did my husband….no teeth problems.