Baby: pacifier or thumb?

[plain jane]

I sure hope this isn't too controversial a topic. :w00t::001_unsure:

 

I honestly don't mean it to be, if it is. :)

 

I'm just curious what you'd prefer to have- a thumb sucker or a pacifier baby? If you've had both, which is easier to stop in the end?

 

I haven't ever had either but I've always wanted to get this pacifier:

 

 

:lol:

[Parrothead]

Pacifier. Sooner or later you can get rid of it.

[radiobrain]

Thumb. It can't get lost under the couch.

[Pink Fairy]

I'm torn! I've had kids that did one or the other, and in the end I had to choose pacifier. You can use it earlier (takes a while most of the time to get the hang of fingers/thumb) and you can take it away when the time comes. I was still sucking my thumb when I was 11yo, and it was a really hard habit for me to break. So final verdict is pacifier, but the fingers/thumb are okay too.

[jenL]

Pacifier. Sooner or later you can get rid of it.

 

:iagree: Both of my boys did not take pacifiers, but my youngest is a thumb sucker. I have no idea how I'm going to get him to stop since the "pacifier fairy" cannot come. :D

[secular_mom]

you can't take away a thumb or fingers. you can throw away a pacifier. of course, my thumb sucker and fingers sucker wouldn't take a pacifier ever, so it wasn't really any sort of choice.

[Mommy22alyns]

Both girls were "pa" babies. I always figured you can get rid of a pa, you can't chop off a thumb!

[BigMamaBird]

My kids have all been pacifier babies. My opinion is, you can take a pacifier away eventually. They're permanently attached to their thumb.:D

[dirty ethel rackham]

I prefer neither. My kids used the paci-b@@b. I tried pacifiers and they would spit them out. My oldest would self-comfort with his last 2 fingers on his left hand. It wasn't all the time, just when he was tired and ready for bed. He stopped at age 2.

[Samiam]

Pacifier vote here! Same reason, pacifier can go away when the time comes. After a day or two, the child completely forgets about it because it is out sight, out of mind.

 

Also, I always thought it was easier to keep germs away, as most everyone knows not to handle the baby's paci unless necessary, but no one thinks twice about grabbing baby's cute little fingers and holding on.

[JaniceO]

My boys were all thumb suckers, my daughter a pacifier baby. My daughter gave the pacifier up around 18 months with no problems at all. I still catch my boys sucking their thumbs when they get really tired and think noone is watching, lol.

[Cinder]

I voted pacifier, though none of my 3 took it nor did they suck their thumbs/fingers. Dd did suck on her tongue, though. I remember with one of my ds's, I tried to give him a pacifier telling him he'd really feel better if he sucked on it. He didn't fall for it, even as a newborn. :lol:

[coffeegal]

My kids have all been pacifier babies. My opinion is, you can take a pacifier away eventually. They're permanently attached to their thumb.:D

 

:iagree: Although I've had both. My 2nd child was shooting his pacifier over my shoulder and sticking his thumb in his mouth at 1 month. :glare: In my experience, thumb sucking is easier because they can't lose the thumb, but it's harder to stop. Pacifiers are always getting lost, and eventually can just disappear. It makes for a difficult week or so, but it's not a habit that goes on and on and on....

[Spy Car]

Neither.

 

Bill

[melmichigan]

Our dentist recommends pacifier over thumb any day, and based on estimated orthodontic bills for various DC I agree. :)

[myfatherslily]

I vote paci. I took away DD's paci around 3 months and let her suck her thumb. Now she's 7 and trying to stop but it's not easy:) DS had his paci till he was almost a year and weaned off it painlessly.

 

Neither.

 

Bill

 

I think Bill is volunteering to hold your crying baby;)

[Plaid Dad]

I prefer neither. My kids used the paci-b@@b. I tried pacifiers and they would spit them out.

 

My wife used the same method here. :)

[KatDilan]

My oldest and youngest never took to either, but my middle daughter found her thumb. She is just 5, but you'd be hard pressed to spend more than an hour with her without seeing her thumb in her mouth.

 

Now I'm not freaking out about it, but she and I have talked about its affect on her thumb and her teeth and she is in agreement with trying to stop, but our little family has been through alot and it is a comfort to her, so it's hard. It has already taken its toll on her teeth, and I am hoping the damage will be at least somewhat limited to her baby teeth, but a pacifier would have been way over by now.

[twoforjoy]

Neither of my kids would take a paci. DS just wanted to nurse all the time. DD sucked her fingers for a few months, and then stopped. She's 14 months now and will occasionally suck her thumb, but not very often.

 

I'd prefer finger/thumbsuckers, just because you don't have to worry about losing them.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I prefer neither. My kids used the paci-b@@b.

 

This.:iagree:

[PentecostalMom]

My kids were all extended breastfeeders and took neither, nor a bottle. This next one? we shall see! Sometimes I have hoped for a paci, others, not so much.

[justamouse]

bippy babies are definitely easier to break the habit. Ds8 was a Nuk baby. His teeth are just gorgeous (nice wide palate) and when it was time to give it up, we just kept loosing them or cutting off the nipple part.

 

Three of them sucked a finger and you can't lose a finger or chop it off, yanno? AND they don't have a nice palate-they're my brace kids.

 

All were breastfed, too. I never saw any sort of confusion or problems.

[meggie]

The pacifier seems like a good choice because you can always take it away. Which I did with Digby a month or so ago, when I caught him sticking the ENTIRE thing in his mouth :thumbdown: I had considered taking it away a few weeks before that cuz he just didn't seem attached, it was more of a habit. But heck no, I wasn't going to give it to him again and risk him choking on it while I thought he was napping. I threw it in the trash, never had a problem with it again.

 

HOWEVER! This is the kid who was waking up 5-7 times a night his first 8 months because the (*$ thing fell out. I would get up and stick it back in. 1 hour later, more crying. At those moments, I would have given anything for him to be a thumb sucker.

 

Now baby Chuck is going to be a thumb sucker. That started about two months ago, she started sucking on her wrist/fingers to soothe herself to sleep. It is amazing!!! Now I just have to worry about not letting it go on so long that it ruins her teeth :glare:

[Dawn in OH]

None of my 4 were really interested in a pacifier or a thumb, but at some point I did offer a crying baby a pacifier. The youngest actually used one for a short time at bedtime only, but at 13 months has already grown out of it.

 

I prefer the pacifier. I can throw it out. I can't get rid of a thumb.

[Punchie]

Pacifier. It's easier to break that habit than the thumb. I was a thumbsucker and didn't stop until I was 11.

[JessReplanted]

I think that pacifiers are great, but I always made sure they were gone around 9 months. At some point I read that this was the easiest stage to take it away, and I thought it worked well. With my son, I remember taking his paci away and introducing him to cheerios at the same time - it worked pretty well.

[herbalgirl]

Definitely a pacifier because it can be done away with eventually.

 

I LOVE that pacifier, by the way! Very cute. :D

[JFSinIL]

Can't vote - not a baby. It is up to baby what he/she wants to suck on. ;)

[Aquinas Academy]

I prefer neither. My kids used the paci-b@@b.

:iagree:

[Emmy]

None of my 6 kids would ever take a paci for any length of time and none sucked their thumbs either. I think *I* was the paci lol.

[Spy Car]

It is up to baby what he/she wants to suck on. ;)

 

We know what they want to suck on, the thing they ought to be sucking on ;) :D

 

Bill

[JudoMom]

Pacifier. CPS might be called if you throw the thumb away.

[Janie Grace]

Thumb. No getting up in the middle of the night to find it on the floor. Plus I don't like how a baby/toddler looks with a paci in his gob but I think thumb-suckers are cute (I know it's shallow but it's true). Granted, I have yet to go to the orthodontist with my thumb-sucker, so talk to me in a few years.

[trailofsparks]

Thumbs - kids know best! My first 2 chose their thumbs. My 3rd didn't get a choice. They all stopped thumb sucking at a socially acceptable age, sometime before 3 yrs.

 

Nursing probably has a lot to do with it - but all mine also chose to stop nursing by 14 mos.

[nukeswife]

all 3 of my kids were pacifier kids although they called them "mee mee" I never had an issue with them when it came time to get rid of them, we just cut the tip off and they weren't any fun to suck on any more. My two olders will need braces, but that is thanks to genetics not pacifier sucking.

 

Like others said my reasons behind the pacifier use over the thumb was, you can't lop off a thumb when it's time to stop using them.

[milovany]

Haven't read a single reply, so keep that in mind. I have had seven children. Six used pacifiers, and one his thumb. All six pacifier users were done using it by the time they were 18 mos. old to 2 years old. The thumb sucker is over 5 year old and is still sucking his thumb. So for that reason alone, I voted for pacifier.

[DarlaS]

Pacifier. Sooner or later you can get rid of it.

 

 

:iagree:

 

 

My oldest would not tolerate any pacifier & was a thumb sucker for a very long time (6+ years). Baby #2 had one for about 8 mos. He spit it out one day and would not accept it after that. He never did suck his thumb and was a very efficient nurser. Baby #3 was my only girl and used me as her pacifier. Baby #4 had his for... almost 3 years before I finally made it disappear.

 

They nursed 1 year, 2.5 years, 2.5 years and about 22 months respectively.

Edited June 2, 2011 by darlasowders

[DarlaS]

Haven't read a single reply, so keep that in mind. I have had seven children. Six used pacifiers, and one his thumb. All six pacifier users were done using it by the time they were 18 mos. old to 2 years old. The thumb sucker is over 5 year old and is still sucking his thumb. So for that reason alone, I voted for pacifier.

 

One of did it for so long, his top teeth are ever so slightly angled right. :sad: It's not real obvious, but I can tell. He was a gaggy kid, and would not accept any pacifier. I tried many.

[milovany]

One of did it for so long, his top teeth are ever so slightly angled right. :sad: It's not real obvious, but I can tell. He was a gaggy kid, and would not accept any pacifier. I tried many.

 

We saw ours sucking on the ultrasound, and he was sucking within minutes of birth. And it's been okay; it's his thing and that's fine. He only sucks when he's holding his blanket. One night we didn't have his blanket, and he didn't suck (I had to hold him to sleep, which I didn't mind at all! :001_smile:). Indications are that he will work with us to change the habit.

[Murmer]

My dd sucks her tongue...there is nothing I can do to stop it short of spikes someday. I will give the rest of my babies paci's because I can take it away.

[DarlaS]

We saw ours sucking on the ultrasound, and he was sucking within minutes of birth. And it's been okay; it's his thing and that's fine. He only sucks when he's holding his blanket. One night we didn't have his blanket, and he didn't suck (I had to hold him to sleep, which I didn't mind at all! :001_smile:). Indications are that he will work with us to change the habit.

 

There was a blanket involved too. I think he may still have it stashed somewhere. Last time I saw it was when we got him a puppy for his 11th b-day, and dh tried to talk ds into giving the puppy his blanket (because it would smell like him etc...). He took it back. Never seen it since. (He's 17 now btw. :tongue_smilie:)

[Alenee]

I voted thumb. My reasoning was that it's a battle I don't have to have. I never had to make a choice of whether or not to give a pacifier and then when to take it away. Any battles I can avoid make me happy. :)

[milovany]

There was a blanket involved too. I think he may still have it stashed somewhere. Last time I saw it was when we got him a puppy for his 11th b-day, and dh tried to talk ds into giving the puppy his blanket (because it would smell like him etc...). He took it back. Never seen it since. (He's 17 now btw. :tongue_smilie:)

 

Our 17 year old son (different son than the thumb sucker) has a stuffed bunny stashed somewhere. It was a present when he was born. I haven't seen it for years, either, but I'm sure if I asked for it, he could go right to it and have it in my hands in about 8.3 seconds. :D

Edited June 2, 2011 by milovaný
Because I spelled something wrong! I always do. Gah! The guilt. Stop hounding me!

[Impish]

Only my eldest would accept a pacifier.

 

All the others used Mom.

 

If I *had* to choose, I'd go paci. Can take it away. And, I did try offering the other 3 a paci, but they wouldn't buy what I was selling...which sucked (no pun intended) b/c I don't sleep well at all with a baby beside me, and then get migraines from sleep dep.

[duckens]

I prefer neither. My kids used the paci-b@@b.

:iagree:

 

My younger brother sucked his two fingers until past age 9. Between the potential orthodontic bills for us and the potential teasing from peers for a child at that age, I KNEW I didn't want a thumbsucker.

 

Dd4 was never impressed with a pacifier, so every time I saw her with a finger/thumb in her mouth, I offered her the breast.

 

Of course, she's still breastfeeding......:lol:. Maybe it would have been easier to break a thumbsucking habit......

[Nestof3]

I gave both mine a pacifier. I was a thumb sucker for far too long. I used to tape my hand, stick puppets on them, etc. Nothing worked. I did it in the middle of the night, so I had no control over it. I hated it; I was even afraid I'd end up doing it when I was married. There was no way I was going to have my children suck their thumbs. I really don't think you can appreciate how horrible it is to have this problem unless you have been there.

 

We took the pacifier away at the appropriate time, and all was well. It just took a day or two for my boys to get used to not having it.

[SonshineLearner]

For ease when they are sucking... thumb or fingers... for ease of ridding and giving to them when you want them to stop screaming... paci :) My son continually sucked his paci... or me... for a LONGGGGG time ;)

[Dinsfamily]

Pacifier. I watched what my dsis and dbil went through to get my niece to stop sucking her finger. I also have a friend who's 5.5yo is still sucking with no end in sight. All I had to do with my pacifier boys (#2) was refuse to replace it when it got old. No fussing...just, "this thing doesn't work very well anymore. Guess I don't need it." Now, my oldest wouldn't take one but never sucked his thumb either. He used the corner of his receiving blankets. He quit that on his own early on.

 

I extended bf my dc and haven't had any problems or confusion. When they're hungry or just want mom, pacifier isn't going to cut it. :D

Edited June 2, 2011 by Dinsfamily

[Nestof3]

Thumb.

 

It requires independent action, and the kid needs to take it out of his/her mouth to play...

 

Of our 7 kids, #2 & #3 didn't start thumb sucking until they stopped nursing (~2 years old), both stopped before their permanent teeth came in. For both it was a self-soothing activity.

 

#5 is my only *real* thumb sucker - she started as a baby, though she didn't do it often, and she was the least motivated to quit.

 

I refuse to have a pacifier anywhere near one of our babies - the whole dynamic is antithetical to our approach to babies.

 

...but thumb sucking doesn't bother me at all.

 

Well, it bothered me when I was still doing it in my teens. I refused to allow my children to end up with a habit they had no control over when sleeping.

 

Oh, and the face gear I had to wear in school to correct my SERIOUS overbite was enjoyable as well (NOT)! Nothing like being asked growing up how many radio stations you could receive on that thing.

Edited June 2, 2011 by nestof3

[Nestof3]

Pacifier. It's easier to break that habit than the thumb. I was a thumbsucker and didn't stop until I was 11.

 

I was in my late teens -- college age. :glare: