5.5 Year Old with Pacifier-Anyone Else?

My daughter is very sensory and has a blankie that we have restricted to only bedtime and every year she says she will give it up on her next birthday. I am just not worrying about it. I think it is very normal for her to still want the pacifier esp. at night for soothing.

I know you said you have tried everything, but maybe this is a new idea. I heard of people taking their kids to Build-A-Bear and making binky bear. They put all their pacifiers inside the bear before they stuff it and close it up. She could then sleep with the "Binky Bear"!

Best of luck!

I sucked my thumb until I was 13! There-I said it! I kept it a big secret past age 5, but I did it and wish I hadn't stopped because of the soothing. I doubt I would have used a pacifier nearly so long. Tell her she can only do it at home at night. She'll give it up eventually, and it will wear out sooner or later!

I would like to add that I have perfect teeth, no speech issues and never had any problems from thumb-sucking. My dentist said that was an old wives' tale and then I've met dentists who asked if I had years of braces because of it -nope! Like many things -it's entirely dependent on the individual, but thumb-sucking does NOT guarantee any issues with teeth, palate or speech. I, my father, two of my friends and several friends' older children all are proof of that.

LOL she wont be using it when she is 25! and yes I think it is just like thumb sucking and no would have a problem with a 5.5 yr. old sucking their thumb.
At some point she will realize that her friends don't use pacifiers and she will give them up on her one. If they comfort her and make her sleep better than that is Wonderful!

I don't have any thoughts on ridding her of it, and I don't have experience with a kid that old with a paci, but I sucked my finger til I was 7 or 8 and I really see no difference between the 2 things. Yeah, my parents really tried to get me to quit that and I eventually did. I had some teeth issues, eventually needed jaw surgery . . . but my son has the exact same mouth shape as me (high narrow pallate) and he never sucked a thumb or paci ever. Yes, it can cause dental issues, but there's no way of knowing what her teeth would have looked like if she hadn't had the paci. I guess that's my way of saying don't beat yourself up. You do what you gotta do.

OOOH MY!! I was in your boat!!!

My son, now 8 ALMOST 9 - didn't get rid of his paci until he was almost 6, if not six.....he STILL has an oral obsession - fingers, shirts, etc. in his mouth...he only wanted it at night - but still I thought 5 was waaaaaayyyy to late....

I was bad - and just said one day that they were all gone - it was a ROUGH week.....and I mean ROUGH!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

I had mine , until 5. My son had his until 4, just at night, also. I didn't really find it that big of a deal that he still had it. I just found a good opportunity to get rid of it , so I acted on it.

My 4yr old sucks her thumb, but her story is different, she was in an orphanage in Ukraine for 3.5yrs and it was literally the only thing she had that was hers. She was like a piranha when she first came home, always in her mouth going to town on it. I let her be for a couple months but then broke her of daytime sucking because her mouth is tiny and shaped just like her thumb. I wrapped her sucking thumb then at night and let her have the other one. She's much better now, sucking to fall asleep and thats it. I won't take it away from her fully because of her past.

Anyway, yes pay attention to dental problems. She doesn't have an overbite but like I said she has a tiny mouth and her palate is shaped just like her thumb. so i'm sure orthodontia is in our future.

If she has issues and it's a comfort to her at night, I say let her keep it. I remember a girl in junior high who would suck her thumb sometimes. It surprised me, but I didn't think badly of her. If she's not using it during the day, I think the less fuss made, the better. As she gets older, she may find other coping mechanisms for stress.

I sucked my thumb till age 5.. worse, I have a friend who did till she was 11! Im sure she'll give it up when she's ready.

We all need comfort. I come from a family of thumb suckers. My oldest brother sucked his thumb until he was 8 or 9. He didn't do it at school, but at home watching TV I remember him clearly doing it. He grew up just fine, healthy and happy!

I sucked my thumb at night going to sleep. I don't remember how old I was when I stopped doing that. I still sometimes (at age 50) fall asleep in that position - on my stomach, head turned to the left and left hand up by my face.

I was really surprised that my daughter never sucked her thumb, or a pacifier. She is a hair twirler. She's doing it rarely now that she is 9, but it was almost constant at some ages. It was her emotional outlet - happy, excited, upset, nervous, any emotion!

Have you given her the option of picking out a really soft, cuddly blanket or toy to trade the paci for? She WILL give it up when she's ready, but maybe if SHE picks out the special "something else" she'll be more willing?

I sucked my thumb til I was 6 or almost 7. I do have an overbite...also my son had a binky til he was 2.5 yrs...he has had to have a retainer to fix the roof of his mouth and now headgear because he has an overbite too...not lecturing but letting you know you may go through some dental stuff like that, just be prepared. So long as she is soothed with it now and it gives her that sence of security, it's not a bad thing persay....I'm sure by the time she is in college it will be a thing of the past :) At least she is making a goal of when she will get rid of it. God bless!

I was a thumb sucker until about age 7 - nothing my parents did could break me of the habit until I decided I was done and didn't need to do it anymore. However, years and years of expensive orthodontic work was the result of all those years of thumb-sucking, trying to correct the overbite that resulted. I know pacifiers are not as bad as the thumb, but has your daughter been to a dentist yet? What do they think?

My husband had a classmate that sucked her thumb until the 8th grade. I think the pacifier is the lesser of the evils! She'll give it up when she is ready!

Hugs in advance for the nasty posts you will probably receive!

Maybe you could try to transition her to a more healthy lovey...like a stuffed animal, a blanket, etc. You could ask her if she would be willing to give up the pacifier, and you would take her shopping to pick out a new "friend" for bed. She could certain suck on the corner of a blanket or on a bunny's ear, and it wouldn't cause damage to her teeth...because really, that's the big concern. Sooner or later she'll give it up, but it's probably already started to alter the structure of her mouth. I don't know...that's what I would try!

Have you talked to her pediatrician about it? Maybe he can suggest a good alternative for a child with ADHD/night terrors that could work.

Also, make plans for a big celebration when she turns 6 to get rid of it. Gather them all up and have her take them to the toy store and let her choose any toy she wants, then take the pacis to the register and she can pay for the toy with them.

I sucked my thumb until I was 8 years old. I needed major orthodontic work, but otherwise turned out normal. : )

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - find great toys for your 5-6 year old!

I sucked my thumb until age 5 or 6 (can't remember exactly, but something like that), and I'd like to think I turned out ok ;). Also, I've never needed braces or any other dental work.
My 3.5-year-old daughter also sucks her thumb. I'm not worried.
And I think paci's are just like thumbs, except not attached.
(Oh yeah, I knew a 15-year-old girl who would suck her thumb and twirl the hair on the top of the head when she watched TV. That was a little weird, but otherwise she was a perfectly sweet, happy, adjusted teenage girl.)
Hope that all helps a bit, and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

My LO had hers for a long time too. I did the poke holes in it and then cutting it down a little at a time. I cut it down so there was barely anything to even bite on and she still wanted it!! She would just have to have it in her hand. Finally we "lost" it and I told her we would find it tomorrow... Tomorrow never came and she is now off it lol! That was at just a hair after 3. Her teeth are bad bite wise. She did have a couple cavities though!! She will be 4 in August

I saw a dark spot on one of her teeth when it was just a tiny tiny spot I took her to a dentist that said they see small kids her age....I get there and they say I need to see a pediatric dentist!! Oh only after they "saw" her! They said it was nothing but a dark spot. Well, I got her in to the dentist this last month knowing they had to be crazy as it got bigger!! She did great!! And they confirmed the other place were wrong!! She gets them filled later this month...I am hoping she will do just as well!!

I know that wasn't from the pacifier but I decided to vent lol

My very first post on this website was regarding this topic. Now, my son does not have ADHD, night terrors, etc. But he did use his pacifier at night until his 5th birthday. I figured if I made him give it up before he was ready, it could easily drive him to thumb sucking and I didn't want to do that. The thing with the pacifier, in my opinion, is that it's socially self-limiting. She won't be a 25 year old pacifier-sucking weirdo. If she doesn't seem driven to give it up on her own, a couple sleepovers will probably make her want to leave it behind. My son gave his up because there was a toy he really wanted. We told him he could have it but he would have to trade it for the paci. He agreed, and later that night (bedtime, when the paci usually emerged) he was mighty upset that he couldn't have the toy AND the paci. The thing is, I didn't have an internal motivation to take away the paci...but I did have an internal motivation to teach him a lesson about keeping his word and maintaining his end of a bargain. Please stop worrying about your daughter. There are much more important things in life to be concerned about.

I'm glad you got so much support on this question... I've asked it in the past and didn't seem to have as many responses supporting, or at least not seeing the harm in "extended sucking." :)

My son is 5, and also still has his "bibi" (read pacifier). We have recently limited it to at night time only, but on occasion, if he's particularly stressed or tired, he'll ask for it, and I'll let him suck a little, then put it away again til bed time.

I don't mind at all that my son has his bibi, I sucked my thumb for way longer than I'm willing to admit... way, way longer... but it seems like there is so much more stigma associated with an older child with a pacifier as opposed to sucking his thumb... thumbs seem to be more socially acceptable for some reason... I'm actually glad that my son chose a binky rather than his thumb, because at least there is the option to actually take the binky away, although we haven't decided to go that route...

I am not pressing the issue. If he wants it at night, I'm ok with that.

My daughter had her "binkie" for night-time use only up until she was about 4....I was convinced she was never going to give it up until one day we couldnt find it...when we finally found it under her bed, and she went to suck on it the nipple had a little tiny hole in it...so when she sucked, according to her it just wasnt right...at that point it was do I go to the store and buy her another one or take this as an opportunity to get her off of it....we decided to not get her another one....the first 2 nights it was torture....and I almost gave in....but once she got through those first 2 nights she was perfectly fine....has never asked for it since....I never ever thought it would have been that easy for her....she loved her binkie and needed to have it in her mouth all night long!! Hope when the time comes for you it goes smoothly!!
Meg

When my 2 year old was 6 months old she compeletly gave up the pacifier, she just went from loving it and then she wouldn't keep it in her mouth. My husband and I were soo excited we couldn't believe it was so easy!!!

Fast forward about two month and she started sucking her fingers. Specifically her ring finger and middle finger on her left hand upside down. It is so strange, but she loves it and we have been trying for almost a year now to get her to stop, at least during the day.

I would honesly much much much rather her have a pacifier than suck her hand. Much less germs and yuckys that way. You are doing everything you can to make your daughters life the best it can be. Like you said she probably will give it up before college!!

I sucked my thumb until I was like 8. My mom finally bribed me. She said she would buy my a toy if I quit.
My son (2) now sucks his thumb, I dread breaking the habit, but so it is.

I don't think it's a big deal. If she really needs that sucking motion to feel secure then what else would she suck on? My daughter sucked her fingers and destroyed her jawbone, her hand, and her teeth. If I had been smart I would not have listened to all the advice that she was too old and listened to myself more.