confused mom
By ayenacsi
@ayenacsi (910)
Philippines
September 10, 2008 10:16am CST
My daughter is barely two month old and I notice her sucking on her fingers (no not her thumb). She sucks on whichever of her finger lands on her mouth. Even if I just fed her I notice her doing this. It is kinda cute actually.
So I point this out to my husband. And the following day, he goes out and buys her a pink pacifier. (I already have two boys ages 6 and 3. And we were so happy to have a girl. Now I think my husband is sooo happy we have a girl!) My mother says it's not good to use a pacifier on the baby but she really can't say why.
Now I'm not so sure what to do. My firstborn, we did use a pacifier but that was only for a while and anyway it was my husband's aunt who would put the pacifier on the baby and when she's not around I rarely used it. And if I recall correctly, he wasn't two months then, he was older. Should I let my baby have the pacifier? Is it really a good idea to let my baby have the pacifier every time she sucks on her finger?
4 people like this
16 responses
@MrsRich723 (602)
• United States
10 Sep 08
A pacifier can be good in a sense because it does just what the name says, pacifies the baby. It gives them that sucking feeling while not actually eating all the time. Sometimes they just want to suck on something. The bad thing about it is, it can be hard to take them off of it if they get to used to sucking on it. I know I only let my son use his until around nine months or so and then I started weening him off. My sister, on the other hand, allowed her daughter to use it until she was almost two because every time she tried to ween her off my niece cried until the point where it was unbearable. So, it just depends on the child. Besides, if your daughter is already sucking her fingers, I'd prefer her to suck a pacifier than her fingers because you can take a pacifier away when she gets a certain age but if she's sucking on her fingers it will be a lot harder to get her to stop doing that.
2 people like this
@jmhall (143)
• United States
10 Sep 08
You both have valid points. I let one of my daughters have a pacifier and it did the trick, however, she got addicted to it and it took a long time to break her of it. I have a freind that let her daughter suck her fingers, thumb, fist what ever she could put in there and she is now about 5 and is still sucking her thumb. It seems that there is truely no wrong or right here, and depending on the child it may be easy or hard to break regardless of the method.
@kerriannc (4279)
• Jamaica
10 Sep 08
I am not a parent but most parents I know are not in favour with a pacifier. So I would just let my baby do the things that she does best. Remember that sucking of fingers started from the womb and because of this when the baby is born he/she continue to do the things that they did while enclosed. So put aside the pacifier and when your husband ask about it just inform him that she is too young for it.
2 people like this
@jillbeth (2705)
• United States
10 Sep 08
I don't believe in pacifiers. My son sucked on his fingers and thumbs when he was tiny, but would spit out the pacifier whenever I tried to give it to him. So I just let him enjoy sucking on his fingers or thumb, whichever got into his mouth first. And heaven forbid if the child gets hooked on the pacifier and you can't find the thing! Their fingers are always handy.
My son continued to suck his thumb until he was about four years old, and then only when he was getting tired. I never gave him a hard time about it and he quit when he was ready. And his teeth are perfectly straight, in spite of all the tales about thumb sucking and crooked teeth.
You are the mother, so do as you think is best and ignore the well-meaning advice from others.
1 person likes this
@ayenacsi (910)
• Philippines
10 Sep 08
You are right their fingers are handy LOL.
I haven't yet used the pacifier. I will see how she will react. My second son never did take a liking to his pacifier. He always spits it out and makes gagging noise (my mother just reminded when I asked her).
Thanks for responding. Have a nice day!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Sep 08
If a child uses a pacifier for too long, it can eventually affect their teeth and they might need braces. That's what the pediatrician told me. It's the same for sucking thumbs and fingers. But other than that, I don't think it does any harm.
2 people like this
@lowery1101 (95)
• United States
11 Sep 08
I think it is so cute! My grandaughter does this too, it is a type of security for them I think. As long as the baby isnt sucking her thumb (this will cause her to have bucked teeth) I dont see anything wrong with it. As for pacifiers, I dont see anything wrong with them either if the child likes it and it comforts them. My boys would not take a pacifier but my daughter did. i had no problem getting her off of it. All children are not the same though. Dont worry so much over the little stuff honey...you will get so many pieces of advice from so many people. As long it isnt affecting her health, let her go with it!
So many people are so anal about what to do and not do with a baby. Keep that baby happy...and love her to pieces...and the rest will fall into place as you go along. I dont mean let her do whatever she wants....but within reason? what will it hurt?
@dylan_akil (89)
• Philippines
11 Sep 08
Hi, I have a baby too who is fond of sucking his thumb, any finger even his toes. This is just an advice, just let your daughter suck her hands- it's like you're giving her freedom so she can not be deprived of the sucking thing. And please, don't give her the pacifier, just let her do her things, let her cry- but not for so long. Pacifier don't give advantages to a child except for the real thing that it pacifies, but then the moment she is growing you will not be able to let go of her pacifying thing and then mistrust develops here, she might think of you didn't want her to have pacified. Babies are so emotionally delicate, just give her what she wants but don't pamper her at most time. Her hunger doesn't trigger her sucking but just a security for her, for something to hold as she was still new in this world. Hope this help and Good luck! I love giving advise to mothers, and I also loved having their advise. Thanks!
1 person likes this
@shana123 (2095)
• India
11 Sep 08
May be your baby is experiencing growth in her teeth :) sometimes when the teeth grows the baby wants some thing to chew and bite because it would tickle on the teeth it may be one of the reason im not sure but when i was kid i used to chew on my lips you dont laugh at me i just stopped this habbit last year because of this chewing habbit my teeth protruded and i had to wear braces now its too difficult for me:( but anyways i got rid of the habbit ask your doctor as what is bothering her to chew her fingers , will it be ok for her or you need to use pacifier ...
1 person likes this
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
11 Sep 08
Pacifiers can be good and bad. You have to make sure you don't give it to her all the time though and just let her wander around with that in her mouth constantly. If you use it maybe at bed time to help relax her so she can sleep, that may be a good idea, but otherwise, letting her suck on it constantly is a bad idea because it will be hard to get her off of it later on.
1 person likes this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
10 Sep 08
you know what? hubby and i have 2 daughters and one loved her pacifier and we had big deal about it and her becoming a big girl when she got older and our youngest daughter was sucking her thumb and she did it until she was 4 (she also had a blanket) but each kid is differet and i dont think either one is necesarily bad.)
1 person likes this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
10 Sep 08
Not a thing wrong with using a pacifier. As for the fingers, all babies stick fingers in their mouths.
She has a need to suck so that's what she's doing. I'm a firm believer in letting a baby get the sucking instinct out of their system. I've seen kids who were not allowed to do what nature tells them to do. Parents who took them off the bottle, etc. too soon. These kids chew on everything.
1 person likes this
@Rintis (646)
• India
10 Sep 08
A pacifier is not good for teeth formation hence it should not be frequently used. Babies sucking their fingers is normal. It makes them feel secured. Just ensure her hands are clean. You can also try diverting her attention when she is putting her fingers in her mouth by showing her a toy or showing her a colorful picture.
1 person likes this
@sweethomecatring (1563)
• India
11 Sep 08
As far as I think this pacifier is not good for the health of the child and it also hamper growth properly. Sucking fingers is also not good for the child but there is no option also. I think if opt for pacifier than opt for of some good quality and keep it in hygienic condition so that wen used may not cause infection in the mouth of the children. It can cause infection also.
@magicneel (63)
• India
11 Sep 08
hi im 24 lad but still i like to put an advice for you since i solved this similar prob with other parents.i somehow recall a trick my mom told to someone regarding this prob..you can use a lil masterd oil or anything that tastes bitter in a watery form and apply on the pacifier.babys do have a taste sense and they tend to throw out bitterly things.
since your baby is too lil this trick may not work i guess.and its nothing wrong for a 2 months old to do this sucking.they tend to discontinue this habit when they grow older atleast 7-9 months old..sometimes they carry it for 2-5 yrs also ,where its a concern since this nature can deform the facial muscles.so dont worry for the initial few months..if he dosent leave her job after 5-7 months then apply the bitter trick for a few days also side by side continuously discourage her from doing this.
1 person likes this
@lanlan011 (701)
• United States
11 Sep 08
Yes, you should let your baby have the pacifier. I knew this girl she sucked on two of her fingers up until middle school. I dont know if she still does it because we go to different high schools. It mustve started when she was young. but its not cute when a 13yr old does it. It may not seem serious now but you dont want her to keep sucking her fingers when she gets older.
1 person likes this
@aj2006 (1534)
• Philippines
11 Sep 08
I have two kids too, my daughter is two years old and my son of four months.. I did not use pacifier in my first born, so I decided not to use one with my son, I think babies are really doing that sucking of fingers during infancy where they begin to explore their extremities.. I succeed without pacifier with my two kids, if they suck their fingers, I usually stopped them by holding their hands.. :)
