https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 18 Apr 2026 02:24:46 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-111375 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:03:34 +0000 MegWag 111375@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: It seems like pacifiers (or dummys/soothers) are just as prevalent here in the UK as in the US.</p> <p>We didn't plan to use one and at 5 weeks haven't needed to. I guess our son falls into the group of those that don't need them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-111370 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:58:55 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 111370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We used one in the beginning and it was great because she really needed to suck to soothe herself to sleep. Now she refuses them and only wants the breast. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-111276 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:19:45 +0000 regberadaisy 111276@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Little late to this but....<br /> I really do not want to use a pacifier. I will try my best not to use one and if we do I want it gone by the time she is 6months.<br /> My nieces and nephews never used pacifiers and never sucked their thumbs. My little cousin (who's not so little anymore!) who I helped raised never used a pacifier either!<br /> I find it to be such a "American" thing but I can be wrong...</p> <p>@wife09mommy11:<br /> Good tip, did not know that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-21972 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:05:45 +0000 MsMamaBear 21972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blushink: I never sucked my thumb, but I feel the same: a pacifier can be taken away, the thumb is harder to break. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-21760 Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:08:19 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 21760@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When Mavi goes to bed he has his pacifier and then once he's asleep it pops out. I leave it in the bed so hat if he wakes up he can self sooth. </p> <p>As for the thumb question. My mom took away my pacifier at 2 and clearly wasn't ready so I sucked my thumb until my early teens. So I won't force my son to give up the pacifier. When he's ready he will give it to me on his own. </p> <p>I don't care what other parents think. I just don't want him to self sooth with a thumb because that habit is much harder to break. My younger sister gave her pacifier to my mom at 5 (only had it to sleep) . But she was the only one out of 4 girls who didn't suck her thumb. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-21649 Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:13:07 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 21649@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our pediatrician told us that giving a pacifier was OK as long as we took it from the baby once she was starting to drift to sleep. She (the ped) didn't want our daughter to associate a paci with bed time, for fear that we'd never get her down otherwise.</p> <p>DD never takes the paci. I was more worried about nipple confusion, since I wanted to EBF, than I was about habits forming. EBF didn't work for me, so we supplement with formula &amp; DD has no problems switching between breast and bottle.</p> <p>We've tried giving her a paci a few times, but she spits it right out. We've stopped trying, and soothe her in other ways. If she doesn't want it, we aren't going to force it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-21151 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:14:50 +0000 mrs. wagon 21151@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>RJ was always soothed by sucking, so he had a pacifier (only for falling asleep) all the time the first few months of his life. Once he found his fingers and was able to suck on them, he didn't need his pacifier anymore. He still sucks on his first two fingers every time he goes to sleep, and has a lovey. Honestly, whatever works for you... I don't consider it a problem until their baby teeth fall out and their adult teeth come in. If RJ's still sucking his fingers by then, we'll deal with it then.</p> <p>As for nipple confusion, I was lucky enough that RJ didn't have any problems there. He took any pacifier, any bottle, etc and also nursed and never had problems. Probably why he was so fat! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-21075 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:27:50 +0000 Maysprout 21075@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know if it's a big deal either way. I wasn't anti-paci before baby but I didn't love giving her one when she was super tiny, it messed with her nursing cycle and made her wake more frequently at night. But she didn't really love taking one so the only time we really gave it to her was in the car and now she won't even take it in the car. She doesn't suck her thumb or fingers either. I don't know, it's not really something that was our choice, she just didn't like the paci and it never was really a problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20848 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:47:27 +0000 skibobrown 20848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Red: I totally agree. My parents were very anti-pacifier, so I never had one when I was a kid. I sucked my fingers instead, and I continued to suck my fingers until I was *9* years old! By that point not only was I being teased regularly, I also had many of my adult teeth in. I ended up needing braces and headgear for years to fix all of the damage that I did to my teeth by sucking my fingers. Our baby will for sure be getting a pacifier, and we plan on weaning her off of the paci at an appropriate age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20843 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:18:43 +0000 looch 20843@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was extremely anti-pacifier before my son was born. When we were in the hospital when he was born, the nurses there had given him a paci to calm him down while I took my first shower, it was love at first sight for him. He only gets it now when he is sleeping or really fussy. I try not to use it too much, but I know we will have a tough road ahead to get rid of it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20842 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:15:22 +0000 Red 20842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Babies have a natural need to self-soothe by sucking so if they don't suck on a pacifier, they'll suck on their fingers. I would rather my LO suck on a pacifier than her fingers because: </p> <p>1) You can take a pacifier away but you can't take away their fingers.<br /> 2) Babies touch all types of germy things with their hands and I'd rather her suck on a clean pacifier than germy fingers.</p> <p>I just made sure that when I sleep-trained my LO, I trained her without the pacifier. Now she only gets the pacifier if she's extremely fussy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20841 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:12:42 +0000 cupcakemama 20841@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our LO doesn't use one. I think generally babies fall into 2 camps - those that will take them and those that want absolutely nothing to do with them. My LO was def. in the second group! So not so much of a choice on our part. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20782 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:16:23 +0000 cyndistar3 20782@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter did not like them she liked them for like a month and never liked them again. I am glad because I cannot stand seeing older kids sucking on pacifiers or fingers... It is so ridiculous. I might try a pacifier this next time again but I am not going to push it. And it will be gone by the first birthday. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20767 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:40:41 +0000 HokieMomma3 20767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use one with Kayla, but really only occasionally and it's in the bed with her but we don't purposely give it to her to fall asleep. We never had any inkling of nipple confusing and I think it will be relatively simple to get rid of it.</p> <p>I have a friend who just had her third baby. She said her first used a pacifier, then with their second they wanted to try no pacifier, and she ended up being a serious thumb sucker. She said she was using a pacifier again with her third because it's much easier to get rid of that then try to get them to stop sucking their thumb. :) Just a personal story! Kayla was never really interested in sucking her thumb/fingers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20762 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:32:13 +0000 Mrs. D 20762@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I definitely used a soother (what we called a pacifier) as a baby, and I figure we'll use one for our baby too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20721 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:09:24 +0000 Rosie Girl 20721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For those of you who are say you would rather them suck a pacifier then a thumb, don't you worry about once you get rid of the paci, they will start sucking the thumb to fill that void?</p> <p>*Or fingers </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20707 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:39:47 +0000 banana 20707@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We used one for our son to help him go to sleep. We were kind of afraid that he would get used to it or need it to go to sleep every night. But one day, he just popped it out of his mouth and handed it to me. And he's never asked for it ever since. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20706 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:37:51 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 20706@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I believe some babies need it to self sooth. Others don't. I had a Pacifier when I was young and my son at 10 hours old cried and was inconsolable for 6 HOURS!!! No joke. I gave him a pacifier even when nurses said not too and it was instant. Thats what my son needed. If it wasn't a paci he would of started suckin his thumb and I prefer removing a paci (easier than a thumb) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20697 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:14:57 +0000 heffalump 20697@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh, , one plus would be they're supposed to help decrease the risk of sids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20696 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:12:32 +0000 heffalump 20696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't want to use one. I didn't use one as a baby, and I didn't want to deal with weaning.</p> <p>And then I met my baby. She's quite fussy, and sucking really seemed to sooth her. So I gave in. Only she didn't want one. So I went from being against them to trying every kind out there. Eventually she found her thumb and life is good again.</p> <p>My advice would be to let your baby decide :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20686 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:01:58 +0000 swgal 20686@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter never needed one. She wasn't a fussy baby and didn't seem to care if we offered her one. She sucked her thumb for a few months when she was tired and frankly I liked that better than having to go into her room in the middle of the night to replace a lost paci. She stopped sucking her thumb on her own around 8 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20685 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:01:51 +0000 chopsuey 20685@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is almost 8 months old and hasn't ever used a pacifier. I chose not to give her one because I didn't want her relying on something to be soothed.<br /> That, and while I was getting my masters in public health, my professors were anti pacifier. I forget why thought -.- :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20682 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:58:13 +0000 ohapostrophe 20682@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We tried at 4 weeks (after breastfeeding was well established) because of the SIDS prevention theory. My son wouldn't take it though and now I'm glad we never had to deal with it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20675 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:40:40 +0000 MsMamaBear 20675@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I use one for when she goes to sleep mostly. I have no problem giving it to her. I'd prefer the pacifier over a thumb. I don't think I'll have a problem taking it, since I won't let her GET to being a 3yr old with a pacifier.LOL </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20671 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:33:40 +0000 polkadots 20671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we started using a binky in the hospital... She had such a headache from delivery that she was a screaming mess for a day. The binky really helped. as soon as she turns on though, its in the trash. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20665 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:26:30 +0000 L2sweetpea 20665@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was totally against them, but a very fussy baby, and a very tired mommy I resorted to using it. We don't use it while she's sleeping. Mostly if we're fussy in public or to help relax just before sleeping. I plan on getting rid of it asap, no later than 6-9 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20664 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:21:14 +0000 MamaMoose 20664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I plan to use them when I have a LO. Yes it will be a pain to take it away eventually but I don't want them to be like me. My mother didn't want to use a paci, but I had a really strong desire to suck. So I began sucking my two first fingers. I ended up having all sorts of teeth problems and didn't stop sucking my fingers until I had a pallet expander put in in the THIRD GRADE. My parents tried EVERYTHING (reward systems, putting bad tasting stuff on my nails, etc) to get me to stop sucking my fingers but I just wouldn't. And you can't take away a kids fingers like you can a paci! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20658 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:57:24 +0000 mekarual 20658@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tried to avoid using it because it can cause problems with breastfeeding. But my daughter had such a strong need to suck, I eventually gave in when she was three weeks old. It didn't affect breastfeeding, and she's much happier with her paci! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20638 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:29:50 +0000 MsMini 20638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I will probably use one, if my baby takes to it. I will probably use it from the get-go, because I don't believe in nipple confusion (I work in NICU and see babies go from breast, to bottle, to soother all the time without any confusion, if anything most babies actually prefer the breast to any artificial nipple). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-binky-or-not-to-binky-that-is-the-question#post-20631 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:19:23 +0000 wife09mommy11 20631@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm still pregnant but I plan to hold off on a pacifier until 6 weeks to avoid nipple confusion. I have read that it is a good tool to prevent SIDS so I may try it once breastfeeding is established. </p>