My DD is 7 weeks old and still won't take a pacifier. I have tried 4 different types and the only thing she wants is my finger. She won't even suck on her own finger or hand. I remember DS did the same thing but I can't remember how old he was when he finally started taking his pacifier. I know she will do it eventually but the sooner the better. If I have to keep giving her my finger to suck on I am going to go CRAZY. My hands are also getting so dried out from all the washing I have to do so they are clean when I give her my finger.

Any suggestions???????

By Amecmom on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 04:29 pm:

Yes - don't get her started on one! I gave my son one and he now has what my dentist sister calls and anterior open bite. This is what has been making it hard for him to bite and tear and has been casing speech issues.
I had planned to take it away long before teeth began coming in, but I felt bad taking away something that gave him comfort.
I am not going to give my daughter one.
Some children have no problems from them, but my son did.
Good luck
Ame

By Andi on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 04:33 pm:

That's not an option. I used one with my DS and it was a life saver. His teeth and speech are perfect. He had it until he was 21/2 with no problems.

By Happynerdmom on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 04:48 pm:

My ds would never take a pacifier, but eventually found his thumb! He was around two months old, I think, and was a different baby once he could soothe himself. Both of mine were thumb-suckers, and were the most content babies... Yes, we have some orthodontic issues, but how do I know that those wouldn't have been there anyway? (They both stopped around four years old.) Even so, what price for a happy baby? JMHO. :-)

By Rayanne on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 04:55 pm:

I agree. Rylee sucks her thumb and it is a LIFE SAVER. She tried the pacifier and it always fell out and then she found her thumb. Actually, she found her thumb before she was born. I have a picture of her in the womb sucking her thumb.

By Fionadeassis on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 05:00 pm:

OOOOHHHHHH Andi-wierd...I have a baby boy the same age as yours(born on June 25th). My son just turned 4 on August 10th...me and my husband have been married for 7 years also. I also am a stay at home mom(but I don't sell discovery toys LOL!)

My son needed a pacifier as well, I had to kind of hold it in his mouth(sounds mean -I know)and not let him spit it out.

If he didn't have a pacifier I would be breastfeeding 24-7......

My oldest son had one til he was about 6 months. Then we just sort of stopped giving it to him unless he really needed it.

But I just found out today that my baby has Thrush! I am so sad. I wonder if it was because of his pacifier. With my oldest I was always washing it and boiling it. With poor Kiko I just shoved it in my mouth to get the lint off of it! Now I am trying to be more careful...

Fiona

By My2cuties on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 05:03 pm:

Just let your baby find what soothes her, all babies are different. My oldest dd took a passy until she was 19 months old, but my youngest one wouldn't touch one, she liked stuffed animals so we went to Build-a-Bear and she has slept with her bear every night since and carries it around during the day. Maybe you could find a hard ring or something that she likes to play with, or give her a cup/bottle (whatever she is using now) with water in it, that helps to soothe some children. Good Luck whatever you decide.

By Trina~moderator on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 05:25 pm:

Neither of my kids ever took a pacifier. DS preferred his thumb and DD only wanted the real thing, if you KWIM!

Good luck! I remember those days all too well. {{{HUGS}}}

By Truestori on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 05:32 pm:

My daughter took the "plug" as we called it! LOL

My son refused to have anything to do with one! He wouldn't even take the bottle, very frustrating.

Have you tried the babysafe feeder? Completely different then a pacifier but worth a shot! My son got his first tooth at 11 weeks old and this was both of ours lifesaver!

Goodluck and I bet she is getting soooo big!

By Andi on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 05:42 pm:

Fiona....I didnt know you had a baby on the 25th or maybe I did, who knows. I swear when Taylor is nursing she must be sucking out part of my brain as well.

I do try to hold it in there while she cries but after about 15-30 seconds I just give her my finger. She did suck on a pacifier last night for about 10 minutes but after that refused to take it.

Stori: She is getting soooo big! She will be 2 months next week and is already wearing 3-6 month clothes. I don't remember DS growing this fast. I guess because she is my last I notice more.

Well PLEASE keep the ideas and stories coming...maybe something will help.

By Coopaveryben on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 05:49 pm:

My first DS would take his pacifier and I never could get the other 2 to take one, try as I might.

By Mommyathome on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 05:54 pm:

What about putting some milk on the pacifier. Then offer it to her that way.
Have you tried the clear blue pacifier from the hospital? Lots of kids seem to prefer those. (I think almost all hospitals give out the same pacifiers I'm talking about)
Good luck!!! My kids never took pacifiers, so I really don't have any other ideas.

By Emily7 on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 06:14 pm:

I guess I don't understand why you have to give her one. Both of my children refused to take them once they were home from the hospital. Try giving her something else, a wet rag worked with mine.

By Eve on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 08:52 pm:

Hey Andi- DD never took a pacifier. I tried and I tried, but she never got the hang of it. She would just spit it out constantly. The only thing I can think of is to dip the pacifier in some milk and then putting it in her mouth. Maybe that will make her more eager to try it for longer. Hope you find something that works. I wish my DD would have taken one!

Sorry, I didn't read all the posts, so hopefully this is not a repeat. LOL!

By Pamt on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 09:05 pm:

If a baby doesn't want a pacifier there is no way to really *force* her too. I also agree with Ame that if she won't take one, that may be a good thing. Not every time, but certainly more often than not, children who use pacifiers excessively during waking hours and/or past one year of age learn poor tongue placement during swallowing which can result in an open bite and poor articulation...as can thumbsucking. You might try a blanket with a satin edging or some other similar type lovey so she can learn to self-soothe a little better.

By Jackie on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 07:10 am:

UGH.. this seems like always a topic that is more like a debate at times..
Anyways, my son had a paci,not all the time, more for sleeping purposes, and in the car...He wasnot breastfed, and got rid of paci around 18 months.
My 2nd child was breastfed and was a high sucking baby, always needed to suck. She would nurse so much she would be constantly spitting up(even after burping)we finally managed to get her to use a paci, she didnt like it at first.. Again we basically used it for after feedings and at night.. BUT, if she found them, as she was getting older)she would use it all the time, so I tried to hide them..Being that we seem like bad parents, she had it until she was almost 3...I guess out of pure laziness I let her have it...
Anyways, our new little bundle is 6 days old, and doesnt like the paci, and she is also a high needs sucking baby as well...She nurses wonderfully, and we also give her bottles of formula, a couple of ounces here and there, as my nipples are way hurting from the amt of sucking she is doing ...BUT she rather suck on a finger, mine or even the kids(After they have scrubbed theirs well with soap and water). Sometimes I can just hold her and let her suck on a finger and it puts her to slep..It would be nice if she never took a paci(Less having to take away), but if she chooses to suck on one at a later date, I wont stop her..
You do whats right for you and your baby..

By Karen~moderator on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 07:26 am:

Both of mine took them and I thought Jen would get married with one in her mouth!

We used Nuk pacis, mine loved those. Problem is, mine liked them TOO much, if you KWIM. They constantly wanted them.

But - no harm done. They both finally weaned from them, no damage to speech or mouths.

Andi, I wish I had some advice for you, all I can give you is {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}.

By Vicki on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 09:37 am:

Dd was born with one in her mouth I think!! LOL Just about every picture of her in the hospital she has one in her mouth and actually has her little hand up by it like she is saying don't even think about taking this away!! LOL So I have no idea how you go about getting them to want one! Dd always did!

By Kaye on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 09:53 am:

My oldest didn't take one for awhile either, but she was sucking little hickies on her hand and I hated that! So what we did was find a hard paci (gerber one piece), it didn't colapse like the nuks do and just held it in there, it didn't too long, a couple of weeks or so. Hang in there.

By Andi on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 11:00 am:

SHE FINALLY STARTED TAKING ONE!!! I am soooo excited. Yesterday afternoon I found one of the pacifiers that I bought before she was born. I tried to give it to her a few weeks ago and she hated it but yesterday I put it in her mouth just to see what she would do and she started sucking away.
She still won't take it 100% of the time but she is sucking on it and that's all I really wanted. I am soooo happy, I can't even tell you how much this will help me out.
I know there are many different views when it comes to pacifiers but I love them and I don't see anything wrong with them. I would rather she suck on a pacifier than her thumb or my finger. She obviously wants to suck on something and I think this is the best thing for her.

By Nicosmom on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 01:50 pm:

The binky worked wonders for us too. Glad to hear she's finally taking it!

By Children03 on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 02:18 pm:

My oldest daughters loved pacifers but my youngest refuses to take them. I hated the fact that my two oldest daughters were so attached to them and was happy when we took them away. Now I realize how nice it was for them to have them. Morgan crys every time I put her in the car and I wish she would just take a paci and be calm. Pacifiers seem to calm a child down in most situations, it is kind of a securtiy thing for them.

By Fionadeassis on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 03:40 pm:

passy
paci
nuk
binky
plug
bubba
shooshi(that's what we call it)
looloo(that's what my aunt calls it)
nana(what a friend calls it)

By Eve on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 03:55 pm:

Yeah, Taylor!