Pacifiers after 6 months

For those with babies 6 months or older, how many of you still give them pacifiers? The boys pediatrician said today at their 6 month check up that we should now get rid of the pacifiers...sigh...They might be ready, but I am not lol I think about how if they wake at 5am I can go in, give the pacifier and they go back to sleep till 6am, sometimes till 7am. Or how in the car it helps keep them happy....I don't know. So just curious how many still use them past 6 months.

Dianna

 

My girls still use pacifires, one has her paci in right now as a matter of fact. My pedi hasn't said anything about it.

 

A friend of mine said that once her kids started cutting their teeth she gave them up. With all of her kids, she cut the tip of the pacifier off with scissors and they didn't want them anymore. She said it worked like a charm.

 

One of my girls didn't like the paci and the other one used it until she was 12 months. We just took it away and she never even noticed. We were pretty fortunate. I think the earlier you take it away, the better. I hear some horror stories about toddlers letting go of their pacis. My baby can take it or leave it. She doesn't use too often.

 

The AAP recommends them up until 1 year because it's supposed to decrease the risk of SIDS. I've heard that it's easier to get rid of them by 6 mos so it doesn't become a "habit" and by 6 months they should have adequate self-soothing skills to not need them any longer. As of right now N takes one to go to sleep for all naps & bedtime. I told dh this morning we're going to wean him during the Thanksgiving holiday. N has recently started waking up and crying for the pacifier at 4am a few times a week. He won't look for the pacifier himself - he just cries. This is unacceptable as he has been sttn since he was 3.5 m/o. At Thanksgiving he'll be over 1 year and I'll have 4 days in a row off work. I agree with pp the earlier, the better.

Christy

 

i still use them at night.

 

We only use them for DD at naps/night time. I heard the reduction of the chance of SIDS too so we kept them. Over the next month or so we are going to phase it out along with the bottles (since they are the same type of nipple) so I don't see anything wrong with it but that is JMHO.

 

Still using - Ped hasn't ever said anything about it.

 

Ben still uses his. Mainly just for bedtime and naps...but sometimes during the day when he's fussing. I really don't see the big deal. Soon we'll move to it's just for bedtime and naps and then eventually, I'll probably wean him by cutting the end off. but I'm not too worried about it.

 

Both of my girls still use them. When we were at the ped on Monday, the nurse commented we should keep using them to keep them from sucking their thumb. A pacifier is an easier habit to break than thumb sucking.

 

I see nothing wrong with using them until the age of two or so. We get them hooked, so why take them way so early? After the age of 1 they normally only want them for sleepy time and in the car. I say let 'em suck!

 

My girls are almost 18 months and we are still using them. My ped said it would be easier to get rid of them before 12 months, but SHE didn't care if we continued using them. My feeling is I can't be there for all 3 of my kids at one time no matter how hard I try and if a pacifier helps them feel better, I'm o.k. with it. Plus my oldest DD didn't really do the pacifier, but she has a lovey. I would never think of taking it from her, she's only 4! The older she gets, the less she uses it though and I'm hoping the twins will feel the same way about pacifiers. I'm hoping they give them up sooner than later though so I'm working about getting them attached to a lovey instead.

 

I weaned mine at 4.5 month, but they started liking their fingers better.

 

Mine still love their pacis. I don't plan on weaning them until after a year old...

 

Mine still use theirs-all the time.
I weened my dd from hers around 2-told her it had to stay in her bed and soon after she quit wanting it to sleep also. I was expecting it to be hard but it wasnt at all. My dr. had no recommendations on when to get rid of them, he said it will happen when it happens and not to stress.

 

My one dd still uses hers and she is almost 2.5. She has only used it in the crib since she was 14 months old so it's only for naps and bedtime. I just couldn't bare to take it away from her and saw no real reason to do it. Besides, I heard that if you take it away too early from them, they may possibly find comfort of sucking from their fingers (my other dd started sucking her finger around 6 months) and that is one hard habit to break and more damaging to teeth than a paci. I think it's a very personal choice that each set of parents (or parent) has to make for their own kids. Do what you feel in heart and what you feel is best for your child and for all of you.

 

One still takes one, the other just steals the others away to chew on It doesn't bother me that he still wants it....hey, whatever it takes!

 

I've heard a lot of mom's say they let their babies use them only in the cribs, that way you don't have the babes using them all day but they associate them only with sleeping/cribs. That's what my plan is.

Our pediatrican said to throw 5 or 6 paci's in the cribs and when they can find them and put them in their own mouths then you won't have to get up and re-bink. I don't know if I agree with that but I think we'll still use them for sleeping. Trouble with twins is you can't comfort two at once so I feel like I shouldn't take away something that IS comforting them...

 

DS1 quit using his about 7 mo, we still use one with DS2 only when really fussy going to sleep. He was using one nightly until about 3 weeks ago though, so 8.5 months.

 

Mine still use them. My daughter was sick recently and I was hoping my son wouldn't get it so we decided that we would only give pacifiers in the crib. (They steal from each other!) It wasn't a big deal and I think I could actually take them away. I also read the study that pacifiers reduce the risk of SIDS and to give it them until they are 12 months old. However, I rarely "give it" to them. I throw a couple in the crib and they have to find it if they want it. It hasn't been an issue for months.

On another note I kind of miss the re-binking days. Now they like to throw the pacifiers (and socks, ect) behind their crib and then laugh HYSTERICALLY when you get down on the floor to try and fish it out from under the crib. Crazy kids!

 

Mine are teething something fierce, and I will be clinging to their pacis (or, rather, they will) until we make it through this because it's the only thing that settles T down at night (new nickname--Kick and Fight Theo). Our pedi suggested we ought to drop them as well; but he also said we can start them on finger foods (what? we just started solids)--so I'm taking that as friendly advice and not gospel truth.

Good luck!

 

I tried to take dd away at 6 months big mistake. She now gets it for just night time and naps and car rides where before it was attatched to her all day. She goes down so easy with her paci that I thought I will deal with the consequences later. Much later. She has about 4-5 in her crib and very rarely do I have to go in because she can't find one. She sttn and that is all I ask for right now.

 

Both the babies use them, and we'll be keeping them around for as long as they want them, or until they turn 2...whichever comes first.

I restrict their use to the crib, because I'm not a fan of babies/toddlers/big kids wandering around with binks in their mouths. Our ped doesn't seem to care, just asks that we get rid of them at 2.

My oldest DS weaned from his at 2...we went on vacation, and the pacifier fairy came and "took his binks for the new babies" when we left. We had a rough couple of nights, but survived.

 

We're in no hurry, either. I'd like them to give them up by 2. They bring them so much comfort at night/naps, the reduced risk of SIDS, etc. are all reasons that I'm in no hurry to make my little guys give them up. My older DS refused them - and I often wished that he would have taken one!

 

I know I'm setting myself up for it, but here we go: since I encouraged them till 12 mo (due to that SIDS thing) I won't take them away till they can reason. At least 3! I figure, let them be part of the decision (in other words: BRIBE them). Worked like a charm for my 2nd DD who was 3. Never a tear, never a cry. Hopefully it will something close to that for these two...

I sucked my thumb till I was 12 (yes, 12...no social life) and have GREAT teeth. The DD I bribed at 3 has GREAT teeth (unlike her sister who never had a pacifier).

Soon I will only allow them in the crib or in the car. Eventually they will give them up...or I will cut the nipples....

 

QUOTE(MamaKimberlee @ Sep 11 2008, 08:24 PM) [snapback]976070[/snapback]
I know I'm setting myself up for it, but here we go: since I encouraged them till 12 mo (due to that SIDS thing) I won't take them away till they can reason. At least 3! I figure, let them be part of the decision (in other words: BRIBE them). Worked like a charm for my 2nd DD who was 3. Never a tear, never a cry. Hopefully it will something close to that for these two...

I sucked my thumb till I was 12 (yes, 12...no social life) and have GREAT teeth. The DD I bribed at 3 has GREAT teeth (unlike her sister who never had a pacifier).

Soon I will only allow them in the crib or in the car. Eventually they will give them up...or I will cut the nipples....



I totally agree with this. Mine only have them when they sleep, or right after they wake up and in the stroller. I am all for anything that helps keep them from crying and it helps. Just a little side note but I hate it when someone comes up to them and pulls their paci out and says oh you don't need this thing.

 

I thought I would jump in here, my girls had them until about 2 1/2 just for bed and naps. Then one day we put them in a container to send to the babies and that was it.

Do whatever you feel right and works for you, and if it gets u a couple of extra hours sleep hey go for it.

 

My DD never cared for one unless to chew on it...BUT both my boys take them, and my older DS is almost 2.5. I just couldn't take it away from him before the babies came because I knew that it was something that would comfort him and I knew a huge change was about to happen. We limit his to just sleeping and in the car, my younger DS gets his whenever he wants. I always swore I would never have a kid who could talk and still had a pacifier, but when the time came I saw no reason to take it away from him. When he is ready to give it up he will.