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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Advice on Pacifier
mommyneedsadayoff 06:11 AM 07-14-2015
I am thinking about going to just infant care (newborn-18/24 mos) and was wondering how you guys feel about pacifier use. Every baby I have cared for has had a paci starting from newborn and usually drops it around one year, so I was just curious if this is standard for other providers. Do you think they are necessary, useful, ect? I read once that they promote jaw strength and sucking reflex in newborns and reduce the risk of SIDS, but I have not researched this, so just curious on your thoughts. Thanks!
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Heidi 06:18 AM 07-14-2015
I loved pacifiers when my own children were little. But, they were all tummy sleepers, and even at 6 weeks or so, they could scrounge around and find their pacifiers themselves.

Now, with all the lo's on their backs, I've found I've constantly had to replace pacifiers to get and keep them sleeping. It requires a lot more intervention than I prefer.

I'd say, if they come with a pacifier, let them have it. If they don't, then don't. It's really a parent's call.
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LysesKids 06:26 AM 07-14-2015
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
I am thinking about going to just infant care (newborn-18/24 mos) and was wondering how you guys feel about pacifier use. Every baby I have cared for has had a paci starting from newborn and usually drops it around one year, so I was just curious if this is standard for other providers. Do you think they are necessary, useful, ect? I read once that they promote jaw strength and sucking reflex in newborns and reduce the risk of SIDS, but I have not researched this, so just curious on your thoughts. Thanks!
I don't do paci's and most my new families don't use them (I do infants only too). Too much hassle because when one babe has it because then they all want it - there is a tendency to grab someone elses & stick in their own mouth lol. Lots of washing & disinfection the bloody things too
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Shell 08:01 AM 07-14-2015
I don't mind them at all, and think in some instances it is easier! I can often pop in the pacifier of a baby, and that action soothes the baby enough for the child to drift off to sleep.

I have a dcb that has never had a pacifier, and I find he is always putting something into his mouth. For example, we have a dr kit that has a medicine dropper that is similar to a pacifier- he is always going after that and putting it in his mouth.

Anyway, they don't bother me until the child is older.
I have one dcb that walks around with his all day- I take it away, but it's given immediately once dcm or dcd shows up, so it's a losing battle
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childcaremom 08:06 AM 07-14-2015
My youngest enrolled are 10 months. Some come with pacis, others don't. The pacis are kept for naps only. I don't like them crawling around with them for same reasons as above. Or they leave them behind and someone else picks them up.

If they start with one, I slowly wean them off to just naps.
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MarinaVanessa 08:39 AM 07-14-2015
I don't mind them. It just depends on what the parents do at home. If the baby gets the paci at home then I don't see a reason not to offer it at daycare. I will say however that I do work on offering the paci less at daycare than they do at home especially as they start hitting the year mark and also if the paci becomes a problem for some reason.

I ask parents to bring me at least two paci's for their child if they use a paci. One to use and one as backup. I have paci tethers that clip onto their clothing near the collars to keep them from falling on the ground so that helps with the cleanliness part of it. So far I haven't had any issues with them.
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Play Care 08:56 AM 07-14-2015
I have no issue with paci's for naps. I don't allow them outside of naps though.
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finsup 09:00 AM 07-14-2015
Here I allow them until a year. Then when they turn one the rule changes to "pacifiers are for sleeping babies" and they can have it at nap *if* they need it. I start the weaning process around 10 months and often by 1 kids have forgotten all about it
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bklsmum 09:01 AM 07-14-2015
I am fine with pacifiers but if they want them they have to be in the PNP
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mommyneedsadayoff 09:53 AM 07-14-2015
Thank you all for the input! I don't have issue with them either, but I know some parents are against them and some will let their five year old have one I guess I will just play it baby by baby!

On another note, infant care is very needed in my area (daycares are booked up and infants rarely get a spot over 18 mos+), plus I love infant care more and have more experience with it. Any advice on how to let my current family with a 2 year old know I will be moving on to infant care next year? I am excited to be done with them, but don't want to end care too soon, as I know they will have difficulty finding a new place. Have you ever had issues with parents who want you to watch the child longer, even thought they signed up knowing it was infant care only? Also, what about siblings? If a sibling is aging out, but the family has a new baby, do you let the older kid stay or do you have them use two providers or go somewhere else altogether? Thanks again for the input!
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Meeko 12:03 PM 07-14-2015
My mother is retired, but spent her entire career in the oral surgery field.. From the time my first child was born (33 years ago) to the fourth one (18 years ago)...she told me she would dis-own me if I ever put a pacifier in the mouth of one of her grandchildren. Never did and I tell my kids the same thing.

I do not use them in my daycare either. I tell parents that at interview.
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Febby 04:24 PM 07-15-2015
At all the centers I've worked at, we allowed them for infants (under age 1) and allowed them only at nap time for toddlers (age 1). No pacifiers for ages 2 and up.
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nannyde 04:35 PM 07-15-2015
Don't use them. I don't have babies that need pacified.
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Unregistered 05:54 PM 07-15-2015
As a parent I would rather my child have a pacifier then take up a thumb sucking habit which is much harder to break when the child is a toddler.
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renodeb 07:25 AM 07-16-2015
To be honest I could really take or leave pacis. I find myself running back to the crib to put paci back in a 100 times in an hour and it gets old. Eventually I just let the paci start falling away and eventually it's gone. They are now saying no paci after 6 mos. which is fine with me. Hope this helps.
Deb
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Meeko 08:34 AM 07-16-2015
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
As a parent I would rather my child have a pacifier then take up a thumb sucking habit which is much harder to break when the child is a toddler.
While thumb sucking CAN become a later problem, not always. A baby sucks their thumb because they really WANT to. They start it on their own, and the majority stop it on their own when the sucking need diminishes.

Babies become addicted to a pacifier through parent training, not choice. The parent or provider stuffs it in at the first peep from the child. The child learns that it "can't live without it". Then the quitting doesn't start until the PARENT wants it to. Most confusing to a child to be trained they "must" have this thing in their mouth from birth and then all of sudden, it's a no-no!

Pacifiers make a child's jaw thrust out more than a thumb does and can cause more damage. My mother did so many surgeries on children's jaws and yet the parents claimed they didn't know why it happened because they used an "orthodontic" labelled pacifier. They would act surprised when Mom told them there is no such thing on the planet.

Sorry if I offend anyone. This is something I am passionate about because my mother educated me on how heinous pacifiers can be. I actually like the name for them in the UK......a pacifier is called a dummy.
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Blackcat31 09:03 AM 07-16-2015
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
As a parent I would rather my child have a pacifier then take up a thumb sucking habit which is much harder to break when the child is a toddler.
My experience has been the exact opposite.

I've had several thumb suckers and they have all self-weaned during toddlerhood because most activities require two hands.

The multiple kids I've had with paci's usually have a much harder time being weaned and RARELY do it on their own and usually have them well beyond age 2.
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mamamanda 09:47 AM 07-16-2015
I don't use them for my own children & I had one lo use one earlier tho year & I absolutely hated it. One more thing for me to keep track of. So, I typically only allow it during nap time & I won't replace it even then.
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mommyneedsadayoff 01:01 PM 07-16-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
My experience has been the exact opposite.

I've had several thumb suckers and they have all self-weaned during toddlerhood because most activities require two hands.

The multiple kids I've had with paci's usually have a much harder time being weaned and RARELY do it on their own and usually have them well beyond age 2.
This is why I asked the question on them. I currently have an almost two year old and it is TOUGH! She wants it all the time and if I give it to her, she sucks on it and then drops it and loses it. Then 15 minutes later, she remembers she wants it and literally cries and whines and follows me around. It is getting old, but I know they use it all the time, so I am not sure if taking it away here will be all that helpful, or if she (and I) will just be miserable all day.
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Blackcat31 01:20 PM 07-16-2015
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
This is why I asked the question on them. I currently have an almost two year old and it is TOUGH! She wants it all the time and if I give it to her, she sucks on it and then drops it and loses it. Then 15 minutes later, she remembers she wants it and literally cries and whines and follows me around. It is getting old, but I know they use it all the time, so I am not sure if taking it away here will be all that helpful, or if she (and I) will just be miserable all day.
In that case, I would give her a specific spot that she can have the paci in.

If she gets up or leaves the spot, the paci stays behind. (if she tries to get up and follow you, take the paci and toss it back to the spot and tell her "You can get up but not with paci". Shorten the message until you are down to two words "No paci".....)

Rinse and repeat until she understands that she can leave the spot but paci cant.

Usually the choice to have fun will eventually outweigh the need for the paci...if not, she will find a way to be content sitting in the spot with her paci.

That's how I've handled them in the past and so far it's the ONLY resolution I have found that works and is as little work for me as possible.

I don't want to be the one to wean when I know parents rarely take the initiative to do it so unless they do it first and I can "see" that the child is no longer attached, that is how it is at my house.

You CAN have a paci but you can ONLY have it here. Period.

HTH
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Thriftylady 02:07 PM 07-16-2015
Neither of my own kids wanted anything to do with them, they wanted the bottle lol. Daycare kiddos I allow them if they come with them. I have a 14 month old DCG right now who "has to have it to sleep" funny thing is I can put her down for a nap without it. I also have her quiet in the PNP in about 2 minutes after laying her down (took a long 3 weeks of gradually coming down from two hours), but mom "can't get her to go to bed without screaming".

I think perhaps some children may have some need for them. But at some point, I think they matter more to the parents then the little ones.
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mommyneedsadayoff 03:32 PM 07-16-2015
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
In that case, I would give her a specific spot that she can have the paci in.

If she gets up or leaves the spot, the paci stays behind. (if she tries to get up and follow you, take the paci and toss it back to the spot and tell her "You can get up but not with paci". Shorten the message until you are down to two words "No paci".....)

Rinse and repeat until she understands that she can leave the spot but paci cant.

Usually the choice to have fun will eventually outweigh the need for the paci...if not, she will find a way to be content sitting in the spot with her paci.

That's how I've handled them in the past and so far it's the ONLY resolution I have found that works and is as little work for me as possible.

I don't want to be the one to wean when I know parents rarely take the initiative to do it so unless they do it first and I can "see" that the child is no longer attached, that is how it is at my house.

You CAN have a paci but you can ONLY have it here. Period.

HTH
What space would be appropriate? I have a little kid chair that I could use or a play yard (large pack in play type thing), and also a high chair, but I don't know if that would be considered restraining her? I will definitely try making it so she can have it, but in one spot only, but she is soooo dramatic that I feel like she will just sit and cry, with paci, because she can't roam freely. Thanks for our advice...I need it! I am losing my sanity!
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Blackcat31 03:36 PM 07-16-2015
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
What space would be appropriate? I have a little kid chair that I could use or a play yard (large pack in play type thing), and also a high chair, but I don't know if that would be considered restraining her? I will definitely try making it so she can have it, but in one spot only, but she is soooo dramatic that I feel like she will just sit and cry, with paci, because she can't roam freely. Thanks for our advice...I need it! I am losing my sanity!
I give them a little pillow/cushion to sit on in the corner of the play room. She can watch and observe the others but she can't participate unless she leave the paci.

Its not restraining her because she HAS a choice to leave the spot or stay.

Free will
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Meeko 03:38 PM 07-16-2015
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
What space would be appropriate? I have a little kid chair that I could use or a play yard (large pack in play type thing), and also a high chair, but I don't know if that would be considered restraining her? I will definitely try making it so she can have it, but in one spot only, but she is soooo dramatic that I feel like she will just sit and cry, with paci, because she can't roam freely. Thanks for our advice...I need it! I am losing my sanity!
If you use a chair, it's not restraining the child. She can get up and move whenever she wants. Just not with the plug.
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mommyneedsadayoff 07:58 AM 07-17-2015
It is working! I have a love seat and told her she can have the paci while she sits there, but has to leave it when she gets down to play. She sat for about 15 minutes or so and I was starting to worry she may sit there all day, but then she said "I done" and left paci on the couch to go play! Thank you so much for the advice!
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Blackcat31 08:11 AM 07-17-2015
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
It is working! I have a love seat and told her she can have the paci while she sits there, but has to leave it when she gets down to play. She sat for about 15 minutes or so and I was starting to worry she may sit there all day, but then she said "I done" and left paci on the couch to go play! Thank you so much for the advice!
Awesome to hear!! Sometimes it's the simplest solutions....

I think we tend to over think things too... I've learned to stop and take a minute and try my best to think like a toddler.
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