Do you think a baby should have a pacifier?

I did not give pacifiers to my daughters because I didn't want them to become dependent on them. However, my one daughter did give it to her daughter. When they tried to get it her to stop using it she was not having it. One day sitting at the dinner table when her parents were away she said I don't need this anymore. She got up from the table and put it in the garbage. She was 2 1/2 years old. Her parents were so happy when they got back that the pacifier was gone.

basically, a pacifier is just that - it pacifies a baby, jenintn. however, i've read somewhere that a pacifier also has another purpose, to prevent a baby from nibbling at his fingers, even toes. the latter could be a more plausible reason for pacifiers - it pacifies a baby and prevents the baby from nibbling parts of his or her body. and it was named as such, because a crying baby, once given a pacifier, stops or is pacified with his attention in nibbling the usually-soft pacifier. also, a pacifier is good in massaging the gums of a baby, preparatory to the growth of teeth....

there are kids who enjoys pacifier and there are kids who does not. our child has his own pacifier but only used it a couple of weeks. hs is very intelligent to know the difference. he knows that he can not get anything from it but colic that will make him cry the more. there are children who uses this up till the age of four but it is not longer cute and they dont need it anymore. babies can have pacifier but parents needs to control also the use of it.

Hi, JenInTN. Yes, I do think that babies need a pacifier. I gave all three of my kids one... And I took them all off of the pacifier at age two years old. I have been told that if you keep a child longer on the pacifier than this age, that their teeth will grow crookedly. So, I have always taken them off of it at a reasonable age. So far, their teeth are in excellent shape. If this child is on it as past 3 to 4 years old, then something needs to be done about that. My kids did not want to give up their pacifiers either. But they knew that they had to. It took a while for them to get used to not having it in their mouths.. Having a pacifier when a baby is born does wonders for me. It gave me some peace and relaxation. But getting them used to being off of the pacifier was now the biggest challenge.

I didn’t like the idea of pacifiers when I first fell pregnant but by the time the baby came along and a pacifier was enough to quieten her I went for it! When you are sleep deprived and tired you will use whatever is available! I was fortunate because my daughter gave up the pacifier herself when she was about three or four months old; the problem was her thumb took over! She’s eight years old and still sucks her thumb in her sleep sometimes which is not great for her teeth but not much can be done about it!

It can help but I would say that the sooner the baby is off the pacifier/dummy the better, I have heard of mothers who tend to use it instead of actually giving their attention.

Pacifiers can be nice when you can't seem to get a baby to stop crying, but it's when they become dependent on them that it starts to be come a nuisance. They're nice as long as they get rid of them before they are 3. The best way is to just do it cold turkey they will cry for a bit but eventually they forget about it. We had to do it with my nephew he asked about it for a little bit, but eventually he got over it and everything was fine. There are other ways to rid of them like creative ways if you've ever watched super nanny she does the "pacifier fairy" but to me it doesn't work much better they get the gift that it brings but I bet they still want the pacifier back. I wouldn't think a pacifier would be too great for their teeth after a certain age either. IDK I guess it depends on what you're prepared to deal with. Some kids have no issue getting rid of it, and others it takes a bit. I guess you take chances. So I'm not sure.

Yes, I think they are a good thing. It is easier to break the habit of the pacifier than sucking their thumb or fingers. Since you cannot 'lose' your hand, but you can lose the pacifier, they realize that they can actually do without it. Babies are born with a very strong urge to suck, and sometimes more than just for food, so better they suck on a harmless pacifier for a short time. You even say yourself that you were able to break your children of the pacifier habit without much of an issue.

My oldest was so attached to hers, I was sorry I ever gave it to her. The twins weren't interested when they were babies and I didn't push it. Mixed feelings. I think maybe it's something that could be tried when nothing else works, but it shouldn't be a first resort.

i THINK THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THEY CAN BE USEFUL. Neither one of my boys cared much about them, thank heavens. I didn't have any trouble breaking them from their passi but that bottle was another story.lol. I hate to see a big kids walking around w/a passi in their mouth.

If the choice is between a pacifier and thumb sucking, I'd choose the pacifier. When I had my boys, neither of them wanted anything to do with a pacifier, and thankfully, they never sucked on their thumbs either. My daughter; however, was sucking her thumb in the womb (I actually have an ultrasound video with her doing it), and I never bothered to give her a pcifier. My thinking at the time was that she just wouldn't want it, just like her brothers. Hind-sight being what it is, I should have given her a pacifier to get her to stop sucking her thumb as an infant. She is 7 now, and has just, within the last few months, finally stopped sucking her thumb at night. For 6 years, it was habit for me to remoove her thumb from her mouth each night. I think that ideally, a baby should not have either. They do become very dependant upon pacifiers, as well as their thumbs, if they are allowed to have them as babies. In my opinion, if a pacifier is introduced to a baby, then it should be taken away before the baby is weaned from the bottle. My younger brother used a pacifier, and it had to be a specific type of pacifier for him to use it. As he got older and Mom tried to take it, she actually had to cut the nipple part off of it to finally help him give it up. It was not an east feat, but much easier than trying to take a thumb away.

i gave both of my kids pacifiers for a while.when they wouldn't sleep,but they never walked around with one in their months.that is a bad habit for them to get into.some say it will mess up their teeth or the shape of their monuth

Pacifiers are actually pretty bad ideas. For this reason: you can keep them quiet different ways and if it makes them silent, and they cry, you can't tell when they need something. The baby cries, but because it's sucking on the pacifier you won't be able to hear your baby. Break them away from pacifiers as soon as possible. Better yet, don't start. Pacifiers also contain a special type of rubber that will harm your baby.

Hi,JenInTN. This is a good question for sure. I'm a father from China and we Chinese people or most asian don't give baby a pacifire which can be a obstacle for baby to speak out loud. And natually once a pacifier is not given, baby will do thumb sucking which is also a harmful thing for baby. I then tell baby a story like a big worm which scares me all the time is swimming in your little body. According to the story, baby will not do that unless he or she can understand your words. But having a pacifier in baby's mouth isn't that bad since that makes baby very very cute. :)

I don't think every baby should have a pacifier. But I guess some kids need it. I have two boys. My first son didn't need a pacifier really...but I did use one...because he wanted to suckle every night when he went to bed. But he was quite easy with everything and after a couple of months, I just threw the pacifier away and he was fine. My little one really needed the pacifier. He was quite dependent on it. I tried early to wean him off it...but my husband wouldn't allow it because he couldn't stand the whining and crying and our son used the pacifier much longer than I would have wanted him to. He was using the pacifier at the age of two too (the older one was out of it before he was a year old) and it was really hard by then to wean him off it...and I knew I would have to work on it atleast for a few days in a row. But my husband would have none of it....and would give him the pacifier even when he wasn't crying for it. When my husband was out of town for a week, I took the pacifier away and weaned him off it. He was fine after that. As far as your question goes, I don't think a child SHOULD be given a pacifier. I'd rather try other methods to soothe the child. A pacifier, for me as a mother, would be the last option.

I think the decision is a personal one and varies from child to child. One baby seems to need one more than another. I wish that I HAD given one to my son, who at the age of 28 and a half, still has times when his thumb finds his mouth!! My 3 girls all took a pacifier and I found they were all easy to break of them. My grandchildren seemed to be a different story with their parents. I think that a child past a year old are too old for them. I do think that infants have a need for that sucking, but beyond that, I think it is something that the parents need to ween the child from. When I see 3 and 4 year olds with them, I think it is ridiculous. BUT I knew of a boy who nursed until he was FOUR YEARS OLD!!!!

Jen..as usual my answer is weird! I have no problem with a pacifier for a young child, still of nursing age! BUT, and this what I think...the Mother becomes MORE dependent on the pacifier than the child, and that is why you see children of 4...5..and even 6, with them! The Mother needs to wean herself of the dependency she has on the pacifier to "pacify" the child! Both, and I mean, both weaned, no later than TWO or the end of nursing! Rainbows..soon, girl..Cheers!

I feel that a pacifier is an individual thing. I don't think it is a bad thing but then like in all things a moderation needs to be found. If child has a pacifier stuck in its face 24/7 then I think there is something wrong. There is a time in every mother's life that a baby get that crying jag that just won't quit. I will bet you that those mother's would pay you big bucks for a pacifier!

i think it's just fine... if they use it even in the hospital then it must be just fine

Kids should be given pacifier or else they will be sucking thumb and it is not a pretty sight.