I'm not anti-pacifier, but I feel like I don't "get" them. We waited till a month to think about using since he is EBF - he sleeps decently without one. We've used it twice when he was really wound up, we knew he'd just eaten, and he was hysterical.
When do you use a pacifier? I would rather the pacifier than the thumb if he's going to use one... but don't really want to "push" it on him?
Am I overthinking this?
eggplant / 11824 posts
We use a pacifier for when LO needs to calm down a bit. She basically only gets a paci to fall asleep with for naps, or if she is crabby for unknown reasons (not hungry, etc.). Sucking on the paci instantly calms her down a few notches.
pomelo / 5331 posts
The way I understand it is babies self-soothe with sucking. Same concept as comfort nursing, sucking thumbs, etc. But I don't think all babies really need them... I've heard of some babies who are inconsolable until you try a pacifier, some who are indifferent, others who hate pacifiers. It doesn't really sound like you need to always offer him one, that it works fine to just have it on the back burner as an option for when he's really nuts.
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
LO mostly only uses her paci to settle down to sleep. Once she's fully asleep she spits it out and doesn't want it back. Usually if she's hysterical it means she's hungry and she absolutely will not take the paci... She wants a boob and she wants it NOW.
pomelo / 5093 posts
No, I'm with you. I think they're dumb. My baby really never saw the point. Some children like to suck so much that they find them really comforting, and that's a use. But I'd never push one on a child.
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
Also.. We introduced one because I am really against getting into the habit of comfort nursing. I don't want to feel like I am a pacifier and I don't want little lady to be dependent on me and only me being able to calm her.
coconut / 8279 posts
DS would fall asleep on the breast but wake up if I tried to move him off, so I would use the pacifier to lay him down for naps and bedtime. It was short-lived and he has moved on to his thumb (and he only sucks his thumb when he's tired and ready for bed or a nap).
Pacifiers helped me tremendously in the beginning with the laying down to sleep thing. If I didn't have one I don't think he would've slept away from me.
pineapple / 12234 posts
We used a pacifier while we swaddled so she could calm herself. She also knew as soon as she was wrapped up like a burrito and sucking on a paci that it was sleep time. It really helped her to sleep through the night. Once the swaddle was gone, so was the pacifier.
GOLD / papaya / 10166 posts
Some babies have a really high need to suck. We used it because DD would comfort nurse all day if I had let her. Instead, we gave her the pacifier (from day 1) so she could satisfy her need to suck and learn that the boob is for eating only. Some babies don't really need it.
grapefruit / 4291 posts
I'm going to be brutally honest but I cannot stand to see older babies sucking on paci's when out and about!
I certainly understand using them at sleep times and they can be a godsend for newborn's who just want to suck, but I'm sure that for older babies its just a bad habit.
Interestingly enough out of the twelve babies in my coffee group, mine is the only one who doesn't have a paci (although we did sporadically use one in the very early days)
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
I hope my second LO prefers a paci over her thumb!
honeydew / 7687 posts
Thanks for the responses! I certainly don't want to deny him something that would make him happy but I don't want to push it in him either. He isn't usually a big comfort nurser so may e he just doesn't need one; he rarely falls asleep nursing even before bed.
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
Lala rejected them and never used one, but M. uses it as a self-soothing technique. My girls are night and day 
nectarine / 2039 posts
Mine used it for a month (from 6 weeks when I introduced). I was picky about when I gave it, like you describe. It was magic and I liked to save it as MY treat (as in, easy get-out-of-helping-baby time). I usually used it in the evening, and when we were out when I didn't want baby to cry. But then a month into that, he rejected the thing. Then I wished he'd take it so I could still have my magic trick. No dice. I tried almost daily for a month and then randomly for weeks and weeks. Now it is a bath toy. He holds the part you are supposed to put in your mouth, and mouths the other side.
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 1 | 3 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
14 comments