How old is too old to have a dummy?? (pacifier)

Brooke - posted on 10/01/2010

I would say 9 monthes to a year! My daughter got rid of her binky when she was 6 1/2 months old.

Kaye - posted on 10/01/2010

What I've done with both of my kids is to limit it to bed time only by one year and completly gone by two. There is nothing worse than a child learning to talk with a bink stuck in his mouth

Sherri - posted on 10/01/2010

My kids gave up their binky on their own, the chewed on the outside part of it. I have a daycare and parents think I work wonders because the kids go without a binky all day (I give it to them at naptime) and suddenly they talk clear speaking all day. I have seen binkies too long result in teeth shifting. Dentist probably all have different ideas on timing, but is it worth the risk? Put them through wanting a binky and crying or dealing with braces later and crying?

Aimee - posted on 10/01/2010

i took mine off my children when they was 2 and then that is gettin them time to ajust for pre school even if they have it at night

Sarah - posted on 10/01/2010

Luckily, my daughter decided that she no longer wanted her pacifier. She's 6 months. I think anything beyond 1 1/2- 2 years is harmful.

Kellie - posted on 09/30/2010

i like 2 say you should start cutting back after they hit 1. but there are always special stuff that only moms and dads know about that draws it out. so i say if there able 2 go digging after it there independent enuff to do without it. its like a blanky. its a comfort thing and needs to b treated as such.
Ive got a friend how was about to toss hers out cas her two year old was over them. then one day some creep went braking in through his window wail he tuck his nap. it turned into the only thing that made him feel safe after that. it tuck about another year to get him to go without it but they had to find another big boy thing that made him feel safe. so if the little ones pushing to and still wont go without it then ide say find out why they still need it. once that is dealt with the'll give it up to be like there friends and the big kids.
that works with all comfort items.
like my two year old having to go to bed holding her sippy even thew she doesn't drink from it. Ive tested that. and it seems to stop the night mares when she starts having them. but once i find out what triggered this string of nightmare and get it dealt with. she has no problem not having it at night time. pore kids been through allot.
just remember this world can get scary to them real quick. so if they hold on find out why. there will be a why somewhere.
good luck

Rebecca - posted on 09/30/2010

no later than2 I kept it as sleep ony after 1 and totally gone after 2

Melissa - posted on 09/30/2010

my son never like them so i really dont know

Lauren - posted on 09/30/2010

@ Sherri- I don't believe that at all. My 1st son didn't have teeth until he was 13 months, and his speech teeth and everything else were perfect. We had also talked to his dr. and dentist and they both said between 18 months and 3 years. Although others say that they may go from sucking on a binkie to sucking their thumbs or fingers which can cause buck teeth as well. If you're up for just taking the pacifier away and listening to your child cry, that's on you, but my kid gave it up on his own when we said he wasn't a baby anymore.

Sarah - posted on 09/30/2010

Personally, I don't like dummys at all. My little one flat out refused to take one and I'm actually really glad! I just think kids any older than 1 year old at the very most look a bit weird running around with a dummy stuck in their mouth.

Christine - posted on 09/30/2010

if its just at bedtime/naptime/when ill...three-ish depending on the child. daytime/out in public, not after a year to 18 months. my first son...he gave it up not to long after 18months-2 yrs. my second son, he had to give it up because of an accident where he fell and his front teeth were knocked all the way back up into his gums at about 2.5 (i think), the dentist said that even though his teeth were originally fine, that they might not drop back down all the way if the passy was there. (he also had to have it put in his mouth right after a bottle due to acid reflex until we took the bottles away right after a year old). My daughter is 14months and has it only at bed/nap, if she is playing in her room and finds one and puts it in her mouth and I see it, she looks at me then tries to hand it to me. All of this being said, a 5 yr old with one is not ok with me! each child is different up till that point tho, follow your mommy instincts, you know what is right for your child!

Christian - posted on 09/30/2010

By 3 at least...but hey i cant talk..my son still has his and hes almost 3 1/2! lol

Bec - posted on 09/30/2010

Definitely not after 2, but preferably not after 1. It will affect their teeth and speech if they have one for too long.

Danielle - posted on 09/30/2010

i have heard from a dentist that thumb sucking is worse than a dummy.which is likley to happen if you take dummy off a child that is "madd for sucking" Some have a stronger sucking reflex than others I guess!

Sherri - posted on 09/30/2010

No more binky (paci) after a year old. It really slows their speaking skills as well can make them buck toothed. It shifts their teeth. Ask the dentist)

Danielle - posted on 09/30/2010

my boy stil has his when he sleeps. hes three. hes not allowed it in public. I don't see the harm if they like it when they go to sleep. We make our kids grow up so fast these days, and we are so quick to take things away from them to feel comfortable with societys trend!! If it isn't causing probs, why take it off night sleeps?they self wean anyway (from experience with older boy!)

Samantha - posted on 09/30/2010

at one year or a little after using it only for sleeping to wean them off

Erinna - posted on 09/30/2010

I was told by a speech therapist that the "dummy fairy" should come and take the dummy away by the time the child is two to avoid problems with speech development. My son is 21 months and had his dummys taken away a month ago. There were a few tears at night for a couple of days, but now he doesn't even remember them. Goodluck

Amanda - posted on 09/29/2010

that's good :)

Lauren - posted on 09/29/2010

@ Amanda. My 3 year old gave it up, and when my youngest becomes 2 we're going to send him to grammies too. It was actually easy and he didn't have any issues after that.

Esther - posted on 09/29/2010

my son is 3 and half he uses it to chew on like a chew toy. i think he is still getting teeth in. but that is when he wanted the most is when he has the urge to chew. he uses it as security blanket. when he is around strangers in a strange place he feels safe with his pug. that is what he calls it. for the people that say it annoys them that toddlers have one. does it annoy you that some suck there finger or need to carry a blanket?

Amanda - posted on 09/29/2010

@Lauren i'd suggest either replace it with something else to be their "safe" object. like a stuffed animal or blankie. Also, try the idea of a paci fairy..... yes they wont like it the first few days and those days will be hell but will be worth it

Lauren - posted on 09/29/2010

My kid was 3. He didn't want to give it up because it was his "safe" object. My mom took him for a weekend and got him to give it up. Hopefully my other will give it up by 2.

Amy - posted on 09/29/2010

my son never took a pacifier but i think when they start getting teeth is a good time to stop, my 2 year old niece still has hers and her teeth are all weird from it

Amanda - posted on 09/29/2010

My child's speech therapist says once the child starts talking (so before 18 months) is when a pacifier should be taken away and they should be on a sippy cup not a bottle.

Cassi - posted on 09/29/2010

anytime after 18 months i think is too long

Geanna - posted on 09/29/2010

my son used the mam brand and they are developed to not interfere with the child bite so we let him have it until he was 18 months. It was a comfort thing for him so it was a pain to take it away (for about 2 days then he was fine). I know a few people who let there kids still have them at 3-4 yrs old just because they dont want to battle with them over it. My sons dr agreed with the 18 month cut off but you definitly want to get the brands that say they are designed for 12-18 month olds.

Rania - posted on 09/29/2010

I believe that they definitely should be weened off by the age of 1. I agree, that it is best to ween them when their first teeth start coming in....many will say, "Why? They're just baby teeth, baby teeth fall out..." Well, baby teeth need to be in the correct position (pacifiers can create issues with overbites and create havoc for the correct tooth placement, etc) for children to speak properly. Why hinder your child's speech over something as silly as a pacifier? It is hard enough for our little ones to learn to speak, why make it harder?.......just my opinion, but ask a speech pathologist for more info if need be. :)

Monica - posted on 09/29/2010

Paci's are a way of self soothing and if your kid has stomach issues which my son has always had it is one of the few things that help calm him. He is now 17 months old and only is allowed to have his paci while sleeping. When he wakes up he puts it down in his crib or hands it to me. I wish my kid wasnt a paci baby, but it is what it is and he will ween himself off when he is ready just like he has with everything else. Bottles were done the week after he turned 1 and he had no problem. Alot of parents dont get it, if there kid didnt take to a paci thats great but that doesnt mean all kids are that way. I do agree that after the age of 1 it should only be used to sleep. It also does not affect speech or teeth, sucking thumbs/fingers will do alot worse damage and you can't take those away. So that is something to think about as well. Bottom line if your kid uses it to self soothe and sleep thats fine, but if they are using it 24/7 or as a plug to stop them from crying that is not okay. All kids figure everything out at some point. This is our one thing that is taking a while and we are strict with him with all rules and arnt pushovers. Aroung 20 months i plan on explaining to him that big boys dont use paci's and that only babys do. He is all about baby's and their specific toys so i think it will be an easy way to convince him that he is a big boy. Anyways best of luck to you, just do what you think is the best for your child and family. Doesnt really matter what other people think.

Heather - posted on 09/29/2010

Hi, I am a mom of two that had her daughter off the paci until brother was born!! and then she had to have it, the issue of teeth is a concern but they now make orthodontic paci's so it wont hurt their teeth or bite... but still i would try and wean them off at age one, dont give it to them as much during the day and then just at nap time and at night and gradually work it out. I thought it would be a very hard fight to get my daughter and son to give it up at night she was three and he was 18 months, but my son started biteing them and so we didnt buy more and told her we didnt have any more, she had fallen asleep a few times without it so we didnt put it in her mouth. suprisingly they did great and never missed a beat and we have been paci free for over six months now!!

Janice - posted on 09/29/2010

I think by one year they should only be given it to sleep and it should be gone by 2 years old. I cant stand when parents put a binky in their child's mouth for no reason at all. Infants need to suck but toddlers are learning to talk. My daughter never wanted a binky and believe me we tried when she was 2mo. and colicky but now that she is almost 1 I'm so glad we dont have to deal with it.

Jenn - posted on 09/29/2010

my daughter is 2 and only uses one for sleep, I have been trying now for about a week to get her to not fall asleep with it but not getting anywhere. Once she is asleep i have been able to take it out of the crib and she seems fine. She just needs it to fall asleep i guess.

Sunet Smit - posted on 09/29/2010

How do i get my son of the paci- he just turned to and still wants it especially when he wants to sleep. i'm lucky with my baby girl of 5 months she has'nt taken to the paci and does'nt like it she mostly plays with it, it's just my son that i'm struggling with a bit. Anyone have any advice

Jennifer - posted on 09/29/2010

i think that 2 is a good age to get rid of the pacifier...my kids were both 2 when i threw theirs out...the downfall is my daughter is 4 about to turn 5 and still sucks on her fingers and thumb...i'm hoping she grows out of that before she goes to kindergarten next school year.

Morgan - posted on 09/29/2010

what is a dummy pacy??

Lauren - posted on 09/29/2010

when they are
hi i think when they are over one they dont need a dummy my babys is one next month she only has her dummy for naps and bedtime if your child loves there dummy alot lol next monthi will put holes in the dummy so i can wean it off her :)

Lynn - posted on 09/28/2010

I called it a plug. Someone said they got annoyed at older moms giving advice, but here goes, as far as the plug and bottle was concerned, as a mother of 3 girls, my feeling was that their husbands can worry about it. BTW, they are all married now and it's not a problem, they all gave it up around age 4.

Evie - posted on 09/28/2010

My daughter was only 1 when I took hers away. The dentist told me that it can push her teeth out, but even worse, that it will damage her pallet and how her mouth forms.

Jamie - posted on 09/28/2010

My daughter never took one but my husband and i had decided prior to her coming that if she took a pacifier it would be gone by the time she got teeth in because it can affect they way they grow in. Also theres nothing more annoying then seeing a 3 yr old walking around or trying to talk with one in there mouth. Thats when they should be trying to be a "big kid".

Lindsay - posted on 09/28/2010

We used a soother with our LO so that she wouldn't suck on her fingers. I have always said you could take away the soother but you can't take away their fingers! She had hers until about 22 months (might have been a bit less than that) and then we took it away. She cried the first night but then was fine after that. She would ask for it and I just told her that they were for babies and she was a big girl who didn't need a soother. She was really attached to it so I was shocked at how easy it was to take away from her.

Angela - posted on 09/28/2010

my 16 month old daughter still uses her paci, mainly when she is going to sleep. She will put it down on the coffee table, when she is hungry or thirsty, than get it when she is done. It has not affected her talking in any way that we have noticed, as she talks up a storm even with it in her mouth. I would rather her suck on that than her thumb since we can't take her thumb away. Plus at least that stops her putting less than desirably things in her mouth to chew on when teething. We are planning to take it away before her 2nd birthday as the next baby is due than, and we are planning on using the big sister routine if there is any hassels.

Rachael - posted on 09/28/2010

Krystal-i totally agree. if they are over 2 with a pacifier its like omg you still put a pacifier in your kids mouth?

Krystal - posted on 09/28/2010

personally i took it away from my girls by 12months,but i think its wron for a kids to have one if there two or over.

Chellie - posted on 09/28/2010

I've wondered this too, I guess I'd say 12-18 months tops. My son stopped using his at 6 months, I used to try to give it to him and he wouldn't take it anymore. He sucked on 2 fingers for awhile after that, I don't remember when he stopped doing that. He's almost 15 months now and very happy little guy. Guess I was lucky he broke himself of these habits.

Kelsey - posted on 09/28/2010

I think between 12-18 months, its very important for verbal skills to develop. If a kid has a pacifier in their mouth they aren't going to speak because they will be too busy sucking on the pacifier therefore delaying the development of those verbal skills. Also, they can also cause buck teeth because the pacifier pushes the teeth that are coming in forward.

Jennifer - posted on 09/28/2010

I agree with the recomendations given by doctors and dentists here in the Uk that is should be taken away before or at 18 months old. As for those saying it can affect the growth of the child's mouth there are orthadontic ones which prevent this from happening. My son is 10 months old and has had a dummy since he was 6 days old. I was advised to give him one because that was the day I found out my milk ahdn't come in and by this point he had been readmitted into hospital in the neonatal unit with severe jaundice and had dropped from 6lb12oz to 5lb9oz and he was so used to nursing that he needed a dummy to suck on. We have nearly got him off bottles, he only has one before bed right now, the rest of his milk is in sippy cups and we plan on having him off the dummy by the age of 18 months if not before.

Martha - posted on 09/28/2010

I personally think that once a child is able to walk, the soother (pacifier, whatever you wanna call it) should be either reserved for bedtime/cuddle time or gone completely. My daughter had hers until she was 20 months or so. Prior to give it up she was only aloud to have it in bed or for cuddle time.

Jacqie - posted on 09/28/2010

I don't think there is a "right" age. My oldest threw it away when he was 2 1/2 and my youngest threw it away when he was 14 months. We called it a ninny. I like yours better :)

Sarah - posted on 09/28/2010

i would also like to say i am also an army wife and im very isolated. my husband is constantly going away and we live in a different country to our family and friends he only has me as a constant in his life. none of this is a factor, my son didnt need a dummy because we never gave him one and never had any problems.

Sarah - posted on 09/28/2010

to be honest, you shouldn't even give it to them in the first place to get dependent on it. my health visitor and my midwife both told me they are evil things because they do more damage than good. a babies mouth at birth is soft and forms around the breast which is the natural formation of the mouth, this makes it easier for a baby to learn to eat, and talk properly slightly later on. dummies disform the growing shape of a babies mouth which makes it harder for them to talk later on. it damages the way the teeth form and weakens the tongue muscels. the child basically learns to talk around the dummy, so they lisp and dont pronounce words properly. and because the formation of the teeth have been damaged and deformed it makes it harder for them to eat solid food. it can also mean that a childs vocab is very limited because insted of learning to use sounds as a baby and then say words as a toddler they are constantly sucking on a dummy insted. my son has never had a dummy and because of that has never needed one. hes 2 now and for a two year old very well behaved acording to everyone that sees him including my health visitor, i think it's because he can sooth himself and has done since day one, he has no sleep problems no need for a comforter to go to sleep. i would say its best to avoid them all together but if you do use one limit it with caution and give it up as soon as their first teeth come through or they first take solids which ever comes firs,t so about 6 months.