Article in my local paper.. what are your thoughts? ?

Question

As I was reading our paper tonight I came across an article about infants and pacifiers.

Here is line from the article that kind of, what do I want to say, shocked? me: "... but most speech language pathologists recommend stopping pacifier use after a year..." Every where I read it says most children stop using a pacifier around 2-3 years of age. I couldn't imagine stopping at only a year old. My daughter doesn't run around the house all day with hers, I limit it to only at nap and bedtime.

Then they have a list of ways to get your child off the pacifier, one was is to make them hunt for it, let them find it for a few days then all of a sudden one day throw it away and allow them to keep hunting for it. Is it just me or is that mean to do? I know I could never do that.

I don't know, I guess I just didn't like the article. I am not sure why though.

Answer 1

I agree the earlier you are able to wean them off the better.  However, to hide them, have them find them and then one day all of a sudden they are gone is ridiculous.

Answer 2

That does seem mean :( When i had my son...i planned out ways to take it from him later..(he ended up not using them) I was thinking of having him tie it to a bunch of balloons and telling him the babies in heaven need them now...and then later send him a letter from the angels thanking him..Also was thinking of telling him its time to plant a big boy tree..Where he will bury his passy and come back the next day to find a toy in its spot :P I think passys depend on the baby and same with when to take it..it all depends on the child..I dont think they do nearly as much harm as we hear.  

Answer 3

I studied Speech Therapy for two and a half years and this topic comes up every now and again.

It is not the children who go to sleep with a pacifier that is a concern... it is children who have a pacifier in their mouths twenty-four seven to the point that it hinders speech development.

If your daughter is attempting to repeat speech noises and doesn't have her pacifier in her mouth while speaking all the time (which it sounds like she does not) then there is no problem having it for nap and bedtime.

Working in a speech clinic, there were some parents who would bring in their four and five year olds that still have a pacifier constantly and they say "we can't understand anything he/she says!" Then it's like well, duh the kid learned to speak with a pacifier in their mouth and continues to talk with one in. Nobody can understand them.

If your daughter uses one only for times to sleep, then it should not be a problem as far as language development goes. As far as dental stuff, I'd trust your mom too.  

Answer 4

The problem with studies like these is they don't factor in variables.  Variables such as how often the pacifier is used or in which situations could greatly impact the outcome of the results.  At the church I work at there is a little girl who is 3, I have watched her frequently since she was a babe and she ALWAYS has a pacifier to comfort her.  She has delays in speaking and teeth problems.  This is, IMO, totally different than using a paci for bedtime/naptime.  Obviously no usage is better, but I think you should use your own judgement when it comes to when and how you will resolve the issue.

Their suggestion sounded cruel, in my opinion.  Gradually replacing it with another means of comforting to sleep would seem a better option.

Feel glad that it's not the thumb!  You can't take that away!  I sucked my thumb for years . . .  and I can't talk and have no teeth, j/k!

Answer 5

While I don't agree with continually letting your child hunt for something that ISN'T there I do agree that they should start to be weaned by age 1. I've always heard this is the case because of tooth development and language development.

Answer 6

ok i know I'm going to offend people, but i honest to god do not see the need for them in the first place.

they are ugly, a bad habit, and just rediculas.

there is no medical evidence that states a baby must have one of those things. but there is plenty to say you should not give them one.

when my son was born i made it very clear to the nurses not to give him one, and they didn't.

a baby can find other ways to "soothe" themselves without one.

there is no need for a baby let alone a toddler to have a baby shutter upper shoved in their mouths.  

Answer 7

Some kids quit their passy on their own.  Some put up a fight. Just remember this, they will not take it to their high school prom.....The more upset a parent gets, the more upset a child will get.  If your little one need one for nap time - it is not a big deal.

Answer 8

I'm not sure about the stopping age, but making them hunt for it does seem mean.  Think how distraught they would be(:  Doesn't seem right to me.

Answer 9

The pacifier can also cause problems with eating later in life as well. (Ever wonder why your toddler is more than just a picky eater? Extended bottle feeding and extended pacifier usage can cause speech problems which can also lead to eating issues.) People should stop using them when the risk for SIDS is gone, around 5-6 months of age at the latest. Or not use them at all. (I do not agree with the forcing of a pacifier.)

Answer 10

i believe after a year it it is viewed as a socially bad habit. my oldest took one til 15 months. after he lost his final paci i just quit buying them.he started sucking his bottom lip for comfort. i decided with my other children to not introduce a paci. i believe it to be more natural  to suck on your own bodypart.

Answer 11

It has always been said to take it away no later than a year old because it damages their teeth and can harm their speech that has been proven.  They are only good for developing good sucking for weak suckers and lower the risk of SIDS which isn't a problem after 12 months.  I know I can't stand seeing a 2 and 3 year old with a binky in their mouth there is no reason for them to have it.

Answer 12

Keeping it a little past a year is okay for nap/bed time. To hide something where a child will never find it it mean.

FYI Melissa soothers can help prevent SIDS, help preemie babies get the sucking reflex. A parent can control the use of a pacifier (you can’t throw away a thumb!), Sucking on a pacifier is better than a thumb/finger as a pacifier causes fewer  problems with future tooth development.

Answer 13

Whoever wrote the article must not have had children.

Answer 14

My doc told me between 1 year and 18 months.  Also, while we are on this topic is articles..... I read one recently that said hard plastic sippy cups are no good because the way kids/babies suck on them delays their speech.  The article recommended sippys with soft straws instead.

Answer 15

This is a loaded question! lol you're going to get all sorts of answers! Anyways, My son barely takes his pacifier. He did for the first month and a half which was great because he constantly felt the need to suck on something and it comforted him. I planned on stopping it when he started teething or at a year because it affects their teeth development as well as their language. (and yes I did the research on that). Butttt my son stopped it for me because he all of the sudden one day decided to keep spitting it out and now he sucks on it for a few seconds before it literally flies out of his mouth. I think he realized he does not get formula from it so he does not want it.

One way to get rid of it- my friend told her daughter that their dog ate it. the kid thought it was hilarious and never asked again about it. Dont know how many kids this would work for though lol

I dont like the hunting for it though I do think that is mean. I mean I hate it when I cant even find my car keys and I'm the one who loses them!

Answer 16

As a speech pathologist myself, my only thought is that the recommendation is due to an overuse of pacis during the day so kids are busy sucking rather than trying to talk.

I live in Aus so maybe US speechies were taught something I was not but we never learnt that at uni.

Answer 17

I have always heard a year, NEVER 2 or 3.  I planned on taking my child's away but luckily around 8 months he just started spitting it out.

I saw a 3 and 4 yr old on Nanny 911 still using pacifiers...couldn't be mine....