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Post by laurasnowbird on Oct 22, 2006 20:00:36 GMT -5
Okay, you guys. I'm sure you will have some brilliant answers for me, cuz I am stumped. My littlest baby (Aidan) will be a year old on Wednesday. I never used a pacifier with my other three kids, cuz I personally don't like them, and didn't want to deal with the increased risk of ear infections. Right around the time Aidan was born though, they published the results of a study that showed that pacifier use reduced the risk of SIDS. Ugh. So I reluctantly gave Aidan a pacifier after his breastfeeding was well established. He didn't want the darn thing, and it was a struggle to get him to use it. Fast forward about 11 months, and I think it's time for it to go. In fact, I think he has an ear infection, and will be calling the doctor first thing tomorrow morning.
So, here's the thing. How do you get rid of the d*mn thing once they like it? We were down to only using it at naptime and bedtime, so I took them away today. Morning nap was a no-go, he stood in there and cried. Afternoon nap, he slept, probably because he was exhausted, and this kid likes his sleep.
Now it is bedtime, and he's been in there for over an hour, and won't go to sleep. We used to put him in bed, and he'd go right to sleep. Tonight I've been in there rocking, singing, you name it, and he won't go to sleep. I finally decided he's just going to have to do this himself, and walked out about fifteen minutes ago. I've gone back in every five minutes and soothed him without taking him out of the crib. But he's still in there crying. I can't stand it. How do you get rid of those darn things? They're evil!!
I have friends whose kids are much older than Aidan and still use them, but it seems to me that the longer I let it go on, the harder it will be to get rid of. And the possibility that he has an ear infection just caps it. Blaaah. Looking for words of wisdom, I'm sure someone has been through this and has a great answer that has escaped me so far.
Oh wait, what is that I hear? The sound of silence.....I'm not sure how long it is going to last......help! Before I give the cursed thing back, LOL!
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Post by ashleysmom on Oct 22, 2006 20:20:20 GMT -5
Laura, ALL my babies but Ashley had pacifiers. At the 2 year birthday we made them put it in the trash and say bye bye. We are due for this December 27th with baby Lisa. She calls it a GINKI, Logan called his a racifier, and Morgan called hers a Ra Ra. Go figure I have no idea how they got names. I say let him have it 1 more year. My babies only ever had 1 ear infection and it was usually after being outside on a windy,chilly day like today. Good luck to you, and baby Aidan. Be strong little man!
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Post by cmedrano99 on Oct 22, 2006 20:26:45 GMT -5
Well I am surely not the person to ask.. Courtney got rid of hers at 8months... Dayton was 6yrs old from 3-6yr he only took it at night time or nap time. Joshua is4yr.. still has one at nap and night time. Not a big deal to me. So gues everyone has a opionion on them! Of course neither my boys had a bottle after they where 3months old.
Good Luck!!!!
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Post by Emilysmom on Oct 22, 2006 20:34:18 GMT -5
Laura, First of all, I can't believe he could be nearly a year old!
My first thoughts would be to wait a bit. If he has had this paci for a year and only had this one ear infection, then I think he's doing well! Especially if he only uses it at bedtime, naptime. I'm all for letting him have it a while longer!! When he gets a bit older and can understand a bit better, you could do the "Nanny" thing............tell him the paci fairy is going to come and pick it up, put it in a cute bag and hang it from a tree in your yard. Next morning go out there and get the bag with a little gift for him and no paci there. Brag like crazy that he's such a big boy, etc. It sure worked on TV!!!
Susan
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Post by momofrussell on Oct 22, 2006 20:38:22 GMT -5
Laura, you already know what to do you are already doing it... you took it away, there is no turning back, keep doing what you are doing and in 2 weeks I assure you, that pacifier will be the thing of the past! I assume you already have a bed time routine for him? If not, get one! Stick to the routine... some nighttime gentle massage even? Some reading... soothing music... they even have white noise machines that a few friends I know SWEAR by them! What ever you do... stay consistant and keep on doing what you are doing.. you took them away.. DON'T GIVE IN.. and take a qualude if need be! LMAO...ok.. well, maybe not the qualude part.. but it sounded good! heehee You KNOW all this already though Oh, and I am exactly like you, I am not a pacifier lover either I feeeeeel for you! A.
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Post by Emilysmom on Oct 22, 2006 20:40:57 GMT -5
I forgot to add: Justin (now 18) had a paci ....we called it a binky until he was 18 months old. We went shopping one day and somehow lost it. I couldn't find any more in the house, and planned to go and buy a new one before bedtime and forgot. Amazingly, he went right to sleep!! Go figure. Months later, he found one in his toy box. He looked at it really odd, put it in his mouth, then pulled it right back out and tossed it back in with the toys. Emily never wanted any part of a pacifier. BUT, she sucked her thumb for quite a few years. THAT is a lot harder to get rid of! Jordan never wanted a pacifier either. But, he was very attached to his index finger. So far, his teeth are in good shape. I was so nervous that he'd need braces!
Susan
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Post by Cathy on Oct 22, 2006 20:45:51 GMT -5
Aww Snowbeast... I am sorry you are going through this. I wish I could help you, but neither of my kids used pacifiers.
so all I can do.. is encourage you.. and pray that things go smoothly. Hey maybe I could WOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHH a little snow your way, that would cheer you up!
Hugs,
CAthy
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Post by CC on Oct 22, 2006 21:31:02 GMT -5
Hmmm well truth be told both my kids used the NUK (sp?). Funny I never heard any relation between using them and ear infections till you said that, Hmmm. Kodi I can honestly tell you never had any ear infection problems and Chris too really till he was older and off the Nuk (sp?). Kodi used them till 3, from one year old she only used them at night. Was very cute actually she had three of them one for her mouth and one for each hand and she would suck on the one and then pop her nose with the ones in each hand till she fell asleep. Her teeth are just perfect No braces needed, honestly she has Perfect teeth ;D she one day just stopped using them on her own. Hmmm now Chris on the other hand he was 5 Shhhhhh don't tell anyone that K, LOLOL BUT he only used them at night too from 2 to 5. He also did the exact as Kodi Lee, had three of them and sucked on one and pop his nose with the other 2 till he fell asleep. At 5, I did take them away. I just threw them out, was kinda sad actually as he would go to bed and look all over his room for them Took about a week and he finally gave up. BEST of Luck to you on what ever way you decide to handle it. CC ~
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Post by Jessie on Oct 23, 2006 6:31:13 GMT -5
I'm with you and A., I do not like pacifiers at all! I was bound and determined that Ellie would not have one, but dang, they give them to all new babies in the hospital without even consulting the parents! We tossed Ellie's at 6 months. She wasn't horribly attached to it, mostly around naptime/bedtime. It took a few days, but she got over it. We also felt the sooner the better. I think it's harder on them when they are older and have had it for two or three years. Oh - and one other thing. When we were in for her 6 month check up, I asked her Ped, ok, so when do they NOT NEED it anymore? He said, uh, birth. He's not big on pacifiers either . Good luck! Jessie
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Post by Renee' on Oct 23, 2006 7:05:36 GMT -5
I never used one with either of my girls. They were both given one in the hospital and when they came home I threw them away.
My friend told me to get her daughter to give it up she cut them. A small hole first. Then in a few days she would cut it more. Then the sucking ability was gone. She would still get the thing but as the week progressed it wasn't fun anymore so she threw it and never wanted it again.
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Post by laurasnowbird on Oct 23, 2006 8:08:50 GMT -5
Here's the recommendation regarding pacifiers from the American Academy of Pediatricians: CONCLUSIONS.: Published case-control studies demonstrate a significant reduced risk of SIDS with pacifier use, particularly when placed for sleep. Encouraging pacifier use is likely to be beneficial on a population-wide basis: 1 SIDS death could be prevented for every 2733 (95% CI: 2416–3334) infants who use a pacifier when placed for sleep (number needed to treat), based on the US SIDS rate and the last-sleep multivariate SOR resulting from this analysis. Therefore, we recommend that pacifiers be offered to infants as a potential method to reduce the risk of SIDS. The pacifier should be offered to the infant when being placed for all sleep episodes, including daytime naps and nighttime sleeps. This is a US Preventive Services Task Force level B strength of recommendation based on the consistency of findings and the likelihood that the beneficial effects will outweigh any potential negative effects. In consideration of potential adverse effects, we recommend pacifier use for infants up to 1 year of age, which includes the peak ages for SIDS risk and the period in which the infant's need for sucking is highest. For breastfed infants, pacifiers should be introduced after breastfeeding has been well established. " Here's the link to the whole article: pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2004-2631v1I didn't want to give him that nasty thing, but when weighed against the potential for SIDS, it seemed like a no-brainer. Thanks for all the answers you guys. I almost gave in and gave it back......I felt like the worlds meanest mommy. He was bawling like his heart was broken, and I was crying too!! We got through yesterday, and I guess we'll take it a day at a time, but if I give it back, at least I know that lots of other kids have used them longer without any ill effects, thanks to you gals! By the way, A. where do I get some of those qualudes....LOL! Girl, you had me cracking right up!!!!
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Post by Connie on Oct 23, 2006 9:51:30 GMT -5
Laura, My kids all gave theirs up by 5-6 months but heres the kicker.... I always tossed them in the toy box for this kids to play...pretend with, but with them being boys they really didn't do that so they just fell to the bottom of the box to be forgotten...well atleast I thought forgotten. One day I find the toy box emptied and Gray now 18 months old cutting his eye teeth sitting in the middle of the empty toy box chewing away on a long lost paci!!! The child was 3.5 years old before I could get his "MINE" away from him. Never ever in a million years would I have thought that "I" of all people would have a child that took a "MINE" at 3. Now he used it mostly at nap/bed time but still. Needless to say he is now 8 and does not need it anymore!~~ The one thing I can say about having a paci is atleast you can through it away their thumb is theirs forever unless you want CPS involved. I had a brother that they threw his paci away and he latched on to his THUMB...he was still sucking it as a teenager. Now he's in his mid 40's and I don't know if he still does but it's something to think about. I know my dad tried everything under the sun to get him to stop but nothing worked. Some kids just have more of a need to comfort themselves by sucking.... Connie
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Post by hannahph on Oct 23, 2006 10:06:12 GMT -5
Hannah never had a paci but Logan did and it was my biggest regret with him. He loved those darn "binkies" he slept with at least eight of them or so. I tried everything but finally when he was approaching his second birthday we narrowed it down to one at sleep time only and then did what Renee's friend did. We cut a slit in it. It was then "broken". Logan was upset but just finally gave up on it.Boy I don't miss those days at all! Good luck!
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Post by steffipoo on Oct 23, 2006 11:14:30 GMT -5
A... LMAOROTFLOL..... don't even go there with me.. ( 714 lemon:-X ) crackin me up. aren't those outlawed. ? Anyhow my kids never took the pacifier liv especially hated the thing as we didn't know she couldn't breathe I'd put it in she BLOOP pop it out. LOL. But I come from a a different perspective on the pacifier. Won't go there cause I think they will lose it when ready. So guess my perspective won't help ya. Steff
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Post by Jackie on Oct 23, 2006 17:28:51 GMT -5
All my kids except Emily used "passies" and "binkys" as we called them...Marnie used a Nuk which she used for some strange reason ...upside down...making her look like she was frowning all the time. People always seemed to feel the need to reach out and turn it around in her mouth...LOL...which was NOT to her liking. I honestly don't remember how we broke them but do know that in their 30's none of them use them now. Katie my oldest child was the hardest. Back in the good old days when we were unafraid of everything and broke all the rules in child rearing....We attached all the pacifiers to their blankets with a large safety pin. I remember Katie supposedly being off the 'pac' and went in one day to find her curled up under Marnie's baby bed with the blanket haning out of Marnies crib...blissfully sucking on Marnie's pacifier attached to her blue 'blankie'. I also have fond memories of her squeaking down the hall in her little flowered nightie ... her mouth full of big ugly brown binky...on her Inchworm.....bet some of you rode Inchworms too. LOL. None of mine sucked their thumbs...but at times I wished they had when we would make those mignight runs out to find a new pacifier for a screaming child. Good Luck.... ;D Jackie mom to Emily 26
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