Introduction of Pacifier Question

I've heard the thumb is fine as long as you get it stopped by the time they get adult teeth ;) My first used a pacifier and it's a struggle many times because he loses it at night and we have to go in and find it and give it back to him. #2 started sucking his thumb and it's great!!! He never loses it ;)

I have a 9 yo who was a finger sucker. As a baby, I thought it was the easier route because she would never "lose" her fingers in the middle of the night. Now we are still fighting with her sucking her fingers when she is tired. With my 5yo son I was determined to avoid that problem. He had a pacifier until he was about a year old. We cut the end off so it was no longer satisfying. He's never missed it. I'll take a year of giving a pacifier back to a baby over 9 years of fighting to keep fingers out of their mouths.

My daughter is a thumb-sucker and has seen the dentist already (17 months old). He was not at all concerned about her sucking her thumb, only said we'd deal with it when/if it became an issue. It won't cause dental problems this young. My younger sister was breastfed, no pacifier or thumb sucking, and still had a TON of dental problems. Sometimes they can't be avoided.

Both of my kids loved their pacifier. I like to do the pacifier thing because I can take it away at a good age. With thumb sucking, you can't really take their thumb away.

After the age of 12 mo my son could only have it at nap or bed. Then on his second birthday (no lie) he lost it and didn't even care.

Now, my little one is more hard headed, and I think will be more difficult. She will be 2 in Nov, and I think it will be war for a couple of nights, but she will be done with it.

I say paci is good for that reason, but your baby may not like the paci, or sucking her thumb may be a passing phase. You never know. As much as I would really like to say it is up to you.....we all know it is up to her (LOL). I don't think it would hurt to try the paci.

Good Luck!

I would try the binky, you can take that away, but you can't cut her thumbs or fingers off. My sister and I were thumb suckers, I used to get infections at the base of my thumb where my teeth rubbed the skin raw. It was raw, wet and warm; the perfect place for bacteria to grow. Binkys are so much nicer than a yucky thumb and they never hurt. If she wont take it, then she won't take it, but at least you know you tried.

I guess I would try the pacifer introduction. My brother and son were both born sucking their thumbs!!! My brother was a one thumb guy and my son didn't care, pull one out he popped the other one in. Neither one of them would take a pacifer. Neither one of them have had any dental problems either so I guess we were very lucky.

There is just as much concern dentally speaking with pacifiers as with thumbs. I also hate to say it, but if a child is hard wired to suck their thumb, they'll do it. My son took his paci hard core until about 2-3 months old then refused it in favor of the thumb. My daughter took either, she'd take the paci if you gave it to her but if she lost it or you forgot she'd go for her thumb. My niece took a paci for a long time, and when the dentist said it was time to go we took her off it cold turkey, she went to her thumb big time. So, don't fret about it too much either way.

give the pacifier. You can take it away later, but she will always have her thumb. Just take the pacy away by the age of 15=18 months.

I only had one of my 4 who took the pacifier all the other three refused them.... she was pretty into hers and we took it away from her around 5 months so she never developed the habit and fussed only 1 or 2 times about it.... that worked for us and was what we were going to do again but alass none of them wanted one.
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H. - Every kid is different, my first daughter started out with a pacifier; but my second daughter never wanted the pacifier. My first daughter then started associating the pacifier with getting stuck with a needle to get blood drawn (she had some complications at birth); and stopped using it. Now she's a thumb-sucker (although, she now only does it when she is tired or in an uncomfortable situation ... ie new preschool, day care, etc). So, my thought is, she's going to suck no matter what. As for the dental problems; you don't have to worry about that for several years (if she is still sucking her thumb at 4 or 5; that's when I think you have to start to worry). GOOD LUCK!

If your daughter is going to be a thumb sucker she is going to be one. My son wouldn't take a pacifier no matter how hard I tried. He wanted his thumb. Pacifiers used too long can cause dental problems as well. My daughter was a thumb sucker and she stopped easily. My son, however, is taking a little longer. He'll get it though. As long as he stops before his permanent teeth I'll be fine.

Hello H.. I agree that if your baby is going to be a thumb sucker she is too young for you to stop that. However, weather she sucks a thumb, pacifier, or bottle too much, she CAN have dental problems. My 5 yo was a pacifier girl till well after two and doesn't have dental problems. My sister's daughter is 3 and sucks her thumb without dental problmes. Personally, I think your baby is too young to decide if she will have dental problems. Some parents find it easier to let them have a pacifier so that they can take it away, and with some children it doesn't matter. Congrats on your baby!

i honestly think you should not worry about it. i know there are kids out there who are addicted for a long time and do have issues but the majority don't. i have two sons the first was a binky baby, could not leave with out it. but one day he through it out when he moved in his big boy bed. never has picked it up. my second one would not take a binky at all. but he shore does love his thumb. he is 2 and a half. he used to always suck his thumb. but as he gets older he is slowing down to he only does it when he is upset or tired. and as soon as he falls asleep he quits. and i know many of others who are the same. so try not to worry.

I honestly don't believe (based on what I've read and talking with pediatricians) that binkies and thumb sucking cause issues if not extended past the first couple or few years. My twin girls were born early and in the NICU for the first three weeks of life. They were given binkies (soothies brand.. the green ones you see from the hospitals... well actually their first ones were purple because they were the tiny kind) right from the beginning by the nurses. They are 7 months old now and have weaned themselves from them. We have kept them around and ocassionally they girls will grab it and chew on it. My daughter Cecelia has started sucking her thumb when she tries to go to sleep now, nut that is usually the only time she does it. I'm not concerned. If it makes them happy and comforted (and again, I don't feel it will do any harm), then I am OK with it.

MY two daughters both hated the pacifier. My oldest is now almost 7yrs. and she still sucks her thumb when she is tired or watching a movie or show. My dentist said to let it go and she will eventually drop it herself. Overall, it won't hurt the dental issue as much as you might think. If they are going to need braces later, the thumb sucking won't play enough of a part in it.
My other daughter who is 2, sucks her two fingers, but usually when she is really tired.
Ignore it as much as possible and it will eventually go away.
The whole thumb sucking thing is a way for them to sooth themselves and comfort themselves.

My daughter was a thumb sucker (still does occassionally) and has no dental problems. As a baby I tried doing the switch but she would spit that pacifier out every time and put her thumb right back in. At the time I was very worried about not being able to take the thumb away, but being a thumb sucker did have it's advantages. She learned to self soothe and there were no night time searches for a lost pacifier

She is really too young to tell if she's going to be thumb sucker. Some babies have a higher suck reflex and it diminishes over time. I say, just let her suck on her thumb. I am not a big fan of pacis. I think they cause more harm than good. That's just my opinion though. Pacis can also cause dental problems. If you give her a paci and take it away, there is no guarantee that she won't be a thumb sucker anyway. It's sort of a Catch 22 situation. Good luck!

Hi H.,
Neither of mine have been big on pacifiers. My 5yr old sucks his thumb and it has affected his baby teeth but the pediatrician said that as long as he stops before the permanent ones come in that they'll be fine. My 8mo old doesn't suck her thumb too much but she puts everything else in her mouth, LOL! You might want to offer the paci but I also wouldn't stress if she resorts to her thumb at this age. Your pediatrician might be able to give you some advice, too. Good Luck and congrats on your little girl!

Our dentist says they can cause dental issues too. I never used binkes for either child. I hate them. Greg chewed his clothes. Mike never chewed anything. Our dentist also said binkies promote chewing as they got older. Greg was born with his thumb in his mouth and so I figured that's why he would pull out the necks of his shirt and suck on it. It was yucky but I dealt with it.

I would suggest giving her a pacifier just to satisfy her need to suck. I have a 7 year old girl who spit her pacifier out at about 3 months and started sucking her thumb. Cute...not now...she still sucks her thumb when she is tired or in bed. You cannot take the thumb away. My 4 year old daughter is NOT a thumb sucker...YEAH...because when she would spit her pacifier out when she was a baby and try to suck her thumb or hand, I would continue to put the pacifier back in her mouth. We started taking the pacifier away during the day at about 20 months and then altogether at about 2. She is the ONLY grandchild out of 6 on my side of the family that does NOT suck her thumb. Congratulations on your bundle of joy...whatever you decide to do will be fine, trust your instincts!!

My sister was a thumb sucker who stopped sucking her thumb too early. Because of her early stop, her teeth were too straight and she had crowding problems.

The need to suck on a thumb or pacifier is natural for a baby.

Hi H.,

I was worried about this too, so I did some research and found out that thumbsucking doesn't cause dental problems until the child is 4 or 5 years old. By that time 95% of kids have given it up on their own. Some information I found said to just let them suck their thumbs because that way they are "in charge" and can comfort themselves, but most info didn't say one was better than the other.

Hope that helps - it made me feel better! My son is 6 months old and has already lost interest in his thumbs and pacifier.

Pacifiers are dentally better, can be sanitized, do not cause bad skin dryness, and can be taken away when it is time.

I am a mom of 2 boys, and a pacifier is easier to break than a thumb or fingers because they are attached, and pacifier is not. As he approached a year, we noticed that if he didn't have it in his mouth he didn't really think about it. So we begin to put it away when he didn't have it, and then just giving it to him at nap and bedtime. Then one day I cut a little hole in the end, and he noticed right away something wasn't right. We said " UH OH, paci must be broken time to through him away!" and he did. Children are very different but it's worth a shot. My cousin didn't stop sucking his thumb until he was in Middle school.

Hi H.,

You've gotten some good answers so far. Ultimately, you'll figure out what works best in your situation, though.

My first child sucked his thumb - and still does sometimes, when he is tired (he's three). There was really no stopping it... he was sucking his thumb in his last ultrasound pic (lol.) But he understands that "Big boys don't suck thumbs, babies do" and has really cut back on sucking on it... except at bedtime, ofcourse.

My second child never sucked his thumb, and we wanted to stick with a pacifier for him. Well, it worked great and kept him quiet, and he pretty much only uses it when he is getting ready to take a nap, or on an outing when we'll be out for a while. He is weaning himself off the pacifier, and throws it across the room most of the time now(lol.) He just turned one last month.

Wonder how my third child (due in Feb) will be!?! You just never know.

Take care and God bless,
I.

I think that thumbs and pacifiers will probably cause dental problems. And if she wants to suck her thumb, she'll do it. You can't take that away, like you said. As a mother of a binky sucker and a potential thumb sucker, I much prefer the thumb. If you can get away with not giving her a pacifier, I say do it. They're evil. Congratulations on your new baby!

My husband is an orthodontist and my daughter sucks her thumb. She never took a paci (which I am thankful for!) She is 16 months and only sucks her thumb when she is tired and we do not worry about minimal thumb sucking. In my opinion, thumb sucking is better than having your child suck on a paci that can be dropped, dirtied and lost! Relax and worry about braces later. By the way, your child should see an orthodontist by the age of 7 for initial exam and early treatment! :)

Actually my dentist and orthodontist both say they see more problems from kids who take a pacifier than those who thumb suck. My 4 kids never took a pacifier and only sucked their thumbs for about 6 months. Plus a pacifier can be addicting and a hard habit to break! I know this from several relatives and friends.