For the record: we don’t use a pacifier because Alex doesn’t seem to like it. He spits it out almost immediately. Please stop implying we’re lame parents who have some stupid philosophical beef against it. We don’t. The kid doesn’t like it, so we don’t force him.
I’m kind of tired from getting reamed about parenting from both ends. On one hand, I’m looked down on when I force things on my kid, such as rough-housing. On the other hand, I’m looked down on when I don’t force things on my kid such as a pacifier. I’m not supposed to make anyone around me uncomfortable with my style of parenting. On the other hand, I’m supposed to sit idly around while others do things to my kid that make me uncomfortable.
People. Please attempt to limit your reaming to one end / direction. Mind you, not much that I can do if you don’t other than to stop holding my tongue / attempting to keep the peace.
I never had a pacifier. I also apparently spit it across the room. I know a bunch of people who were the same, and if any of us didn’t turn out ok, I seriously doubt it was the pacifier (or lack thereof) that did it.
Florence (our daughter) refused to use one, but we only tried briefly. We kept it around and when she was two or three she put it in her mouth and then took it out and said “look at me, I’m a baby.” She wouldn’t drink out of a bottle either, so maybe it was something about rubber nipples. That’s not part of your experience.
Does he suck his fingers/thumb?
> Does he suck his fingers/thumb?
He sucks his fingers… thumb… hand… :-)
One of his favourite pastimes is to put his whole fist in his mouth, then open his hand, thus choking himself.
My daughter never wanted a pacifier either. She uses is now just for fun. She was also not proficient at drinking out of a bottle until she was over 1!
We never bothered with our girls as we thought it was just one more thing to try and keep track of and they had perfectly good thumbs.