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OP, I think they are all over the place. Some parents use them too much, some in moderation, some not at all.
I am in the "not at all" category. I knew before my first was born it was something I wanted to avoid and thankfully I was able to. All my babies were car seat screamers so I did offer it when I was driving as a last resort, but it never worked. I think it was a good thing long term, but in the moment I would've given anything for it to have worked lol! I was/am the human pacifier, nursing on demand for nourishment, comfort, sleep, or just because, but I don't mind because it's what I want/ed to do. None of my kids ever sucked on their fingers or anything else except for me.
Suckling for the sake of suckling is good for babies. It's comforting and helps with mouth/jaw/tongue development. I have also heard that it keeps them from going into deep, deep sleep so they can still rouse themselves, which could prevent SIDS (I just heard that through the grapevine, haven't actually researched it, but it does make sense), so they might be especially good for bottle feeders or working moms who's babies don't have a breast available to suckle as desired.
As with modern technology, some people do tend to rely on them too much though, shoving them into crying mouths (as others have mentioned) just to get them to be quiet instead of trying other methods. A friend of mine is in the "too much" category I think. Each of her kids had one in its mouth almost constantly past the age of two and one still uses one on occasion at four. Her kids have terrible teeth and will definitely need braces.
I think the only really bad thing is it can cause dental problems and I wanted to avoid expensive braces for my kids. Same with them sucking on thumbs. (Going to cut their thumbs off???)
It's not going to kill them but I'd rather they not have to go through having the pain of braces if I can. So I took it away after 1year old. I was lucky, my daughter was pretty good about it.
They say it can derail breast feeding but I had no problems so it is not a hard and fast rule.
Funny personal anecdote here:
Son #1: thumb sucker til Kindergarten. Perfect teeth. No braces. No cavities. Wisdom teeth in.
Son #2: pacifier for 2-3 years. Perfect teeth. No braces. No cavities. Plenty of room for wisdom teeth.
Son #3: no thumb or fingers or paci - nothing. Nothing but problems with his teeth - braces, impacted wisdom teeth, retainers worn faithfully, but teeth still shifting, cavities, despite him brushing and flossing religiously....
Son #1: thumb sucker til Kindergarten. Perfect teeth. No braces. No cavities. Wisdom teeth in.
Son #2: pacifier for 2-3 years. Perfect teeth. No braces. No cavities. Plenty of room for wisdom teeth.
Son #3: no thumb or fingers or paci - nothing. Nothing but problems with his teeth - braces, impacted wisdom teeth, retainers worn faithfully, but teeth still shifting, cavities, despite him brushing and flossing religiously....
All three of mine were like your #2. Our pediatrician, and then the pediatric dentist didn't see the pacifiers as a big deal. As they said, far better a pacifier than a bedtime bottle.
IMO pacifier during the day should stop when they can walk.
Pacifier at night or at naps should stop between 2 and 3 years.
Breaking habits is hard, and probably takes a back seat to other concerns if there are other concerns like illness, travel, or other transitional stuff. Once the routine is set/settled, everybody is stable, and conditions are optimal, then it's time to work out bad habits.
The outrage du jour about David Beckham's 4 year old kid with a pacifier sticking out of her mouth got me to thinking about where pacifiers stand these days, compared to when my kids were babies.
My kids basically figured out after a month or two, that the pacifier was a big gyp, and spit it out. My oldest did suck her thumb until kindergarten, but she was the only one.
Fast forward to one of my DILs used to stuff the plug into her kids mouth even when they didn't even want it. It drove me nuts. Now those kids are late teens, so I wonder about what moms do now.
Thumb sucking is basically the same thing as a Binky.
David Beckham's 4-year-old uses one, your 5-year-old also soothed by sucking.
I know adults that suck their thumbs to sleep.
But seriously...thumbsucking is as bad as carrying a blanket around - and it gets worse the older the child - break the habit early. Thumb sucking can also lead to needing braces later and that's expensive!
But seriously...thumbsucking is as bad as carrying a blanket around - and it gets worse the older the child - break the habit early. Thumb sucking can also lead to needing braces later and that's expensive!
Why "evil"?
See my post about my experience. No connection between thumbs or pacis and braces with my kids. My only non-sucking kid has tremendous teeth issues.
As for blankets....one of my kids had his special flannel blanket he took to bed until he was 19. When he went off to college, it was sewn into a pillow case liner, so HE could feel it, but it was not visible.
He is now a professional businessman earning 6 figures, so it clearly did not stunt him in any way.
See my post about my experience. No connection between thumbs or pacis and braces with my kids. My only non-sucking kid has tremendous teeth issues.
As for blankets....one of my kids had his special flannel blanket he took to bed until he was 19. When he went off to college, it was sewn into a pillow case liner, so HE could feel it, but it was not visible.
He is now a professional businessman earning 6 figures, so it clearly did not stunt him in any way.
Oh my - improper use of emoticons!
There are MANY reasons to need braces - those can occur because of sucking issues or otherwise. And I'm sure your son is fantastic...but I'd prefer NOT to have to rely on such things as a flannel blankie....but ya know, sentimental reasons. At least it was a blanket and not a huge stuffed animal that couldn't be taken apart - you DO have to plan when they are young!
Apparently binkies are lesser of an evil than thumbsucking and both are better than a continual bottle in the mouth...however, longer use MAY cause issues:
Growing up, I remember seeing school age kids with their thumbs stuck in their mouths and the buck toothed smiles that resulted from it and I hated it. When my son was just a few days old, he found his thumb and I could tell he took great pleasure in sucking on it so I let him do it for 2 days before I covered up his hand and he quickly lost the urge to suck on his thumb.
Binkies are really just a crutch for the parents to be able to put the kid down and ignore him/her just the way older children are sat infront of a TV.
We never used thumbs or binkies but did have the TV on.
I know a middle aged woman with a terrible over-bite thanks to thumb sucking and no money for braces. She claims to be terrific at oral sex.... but I digress.
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