Do You Have a Nickname for Yours?
There are dozens, perhaps even hundreds of different names around the world for the pacifier.In the UK, it’s a dummy; Ireland, a soother, Mexico, a chupita, in Russia it’s a sosa and here, a pacifier. But it doesn’t stop at just ‘pacifier’.
They are also known as a suckie, a pappie, a pacie/soothie/nuk/nukkie/binky (although, the last three are actually name brands, or variations thereof) and many, many more.
We’re trying to call ours a fire because, well, I think it’s kinda hip and different. Although, truth be told, paci seems to be a close second.
We originally tried not to use a pacifier at all.
Not because we were worried about infant latex allergies, problems with breastfeeding, or altered brainwaves, but because we didn’t want to break the habit down the road.
From what I’ve read perusing several parenting blogs, it seems to be akin to breaking a nicotine addiction. The kid is grumpy, cries a lot, gains weight and has trouble sleeping; which is exactly what happened to me when I quit smoking.
Of course, the plan to not use a pacifier went out the door the first night we had her home. P.Pie fed her and we put her into the co-sleeper. She fussed, so P.Pie tried to feed her again; as soon as the nipple was in her mouth, she was asleep.
We put her back in the co-sleeper. And she started to fuss again.
Two hours later – sometime around two in the morning – I was ordered into the baby’s room to find, open, and wash a brand new pacifier.
Ahh, the best laid plans of the inexperienced parent.
posted by Rob Barron at 8:42 PM
24 Comments:
Every one in the world has advice, so ooh-ooh, pick me to be first!
We, too, were committed to no binkies (we're a "binky" house) and for the first 6 weeks we let the little monkey suck on our fingers. It filled the role of the binkie, was always available, and kept us from getting too lazy about using it all of the time. It's hard to let the little one develop a strong habit for the binky when it literally means giving up a hand.
Eventually we conceded to the Soothie style binkie for two uses: crib/bed and in the car. We're phasing out the car now (at 21 months) and she can have it at night until she's 35 for all I care. As long as she's not wondering around the house watching TV and making herself a sandwich with it.
By the way, first time commenter (and woah, what a lot of blather for that, huh?) but I've been lurking for awhile. I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine the juxtoposition of the heartache and joy in your home. Jorja is a lucky girl. And a pretty one at that!
my niece who is now 12, used to call her pacifer her "fire"...two of my four kids had "binky's". We started my first daughter on the binky for the exact reason you stated...after i had sworn up and down she'd never have one...
And as far as taking the binky away goes....it went quite easily. My first i had her trade hers in for a new toy, and my second daughter well out of sight out of mind worked well with her. Now the other two kids...they are thumb babies...and while only 2 and 3 yrs old right now, they both constantly suck on them...and well you can't take those away quite as easily....
We call them binkies. And we used them with abandon until they were 1 year old (the original plan was six months but then a study came out saying they decreased the risk of SIDS through the first year). We weaned them off over a week or so. At the end they were only going to sleep with them and then we stopped. My son rebelled a little bit but even he adjusted fairly well.
I say use them. They are godsends.
We got lucky. When they were that age, our son was the only one that needed a pacifier and he couldn't keep it in his mouth. After a couple days trying to get him to do it we just gave up and went pacifier free from then on. My niece and nephew use/used them and called them binkies.
Oh, yeah. You can live without the pacifier. It's definitely a comfort thing.
We didn't have any problem losing that when the time came but we're still having problem with her constantly soggy thumb.
Ours was a 'wooby.' Grizzy got that from "Mr. Mom" (although in that movie, a wooby was a blanket. But I digress.)
Our take on it was, if it soothed her, it was a good thing. And when it was time to give it up, it wasn't easy, true enough. BUT: if we'd allowed finger or thumb-sucking to begin, what do you do then? You can't cut a finger off!
My aunt was a thumb sucker, and she told us that when she was a HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR, and really stressed, she'd wake up in the mornings with her thumb in her mouth.
So a wooby it was.
We used a paci with two of our kids and breaking the habit was no big deal (now I will duck while people throw things at me). Our thumb sucker had a much harder time giving up her habit. One of our kids used nothing and is and has always been a horrible sleeper. I say if the paci works, use it and worry about breaking the habit later. Who knows, maybe it won't be a big deal at all.
Also, you should frame the photo from your last post and hang it up! It is beautiful!
We call it a "nunu" or a sucker. I was worried about breaking her of it when she gets older, but she only has it at nap and bedtimes and when she's cutting teeth--like the 6 she's trying to push through right now.
If having a nunu, paci or whatever you want to call it is the difference between a baby that will sleep for a decent stretch of time and a baby that fusses when you want to sleep, it's worth trying to break the habit in a year or so :)
LOL Ahhh the boob as paci...it drives me batty...
Thankfully my dd only does that during the day, she prefers her arm at night (the sleeper is sopping wet by morning). She also refuses the binky though she considers it an excellent projectile.
Lol! Trust me, a pacifier is much better than the thumb! My oldest daughter started sucking her thumb around 6 weeks. I tried and tried and tried to get her to take a paci instead. She is 6 now and I she still sometimes sucks her thumb!!!!! At least you can take the paci away, it may be hard, but at least it can be done. I can't very well chop off my daughter's thumb. Well, not without a visit from the authorities anyway.
AHHH, at our house is was the PAA (short a sound).
I was ADAMANT that we would NEVER use one. Everytime he came back from the nursery he'd have one of those damn things in his mouth.
I'd pop them into my diaper bag and not give it back.
That lasted about a DAY once I got him home.
He was a certifiable PAA junkie.
In his mouth or clipped to his shirt 24/7.
When he was 2, we took it away cold turkey.
NO MORE.
GONE.
He only cried for about a day, but it was a LONG day.....
Instead of a soother we called it a "smoother", because it made everything so much smoother!
Swore we wouldn't use it for sleep but then he stopped sleeping through the night at 3.5 months. Decided to be firm about it, but he started teething at 4.5 months and it REALLY HELPED. Finally broke the nighttime habit at 7 months and he actually sleeps much better now.
And now, at the ripe old age of 9 months, he has rejected it completely at any time of day, all by himself!
Oh yes, the lovely pacifier. Its so nice when they are 2 months old... 6 months.... 9months... but when they are pushing 3 years and you can't imagine how she's going to get rid of it.... rest assured, your life will suck for 3 days straight. But then... she'll sleep all night and never look back.
And if you are to have more children, you will vow never ever to use a pacifier this time. No way, No way. Then the next baby will promptly stick their thumb in the mouth and you'll have a whole new addiction to break.
Stick with the pacifier. Its better than a thumb!
P.S.
A Greek Pacifier is called Pappilla, and a little greek child I know, used to call it her Peepee.
*chuckle*
We went with binky. And Clare didn't have any problem giving it up. I don't even remember how we got rid of them.
Also, congratulations on learning one of the first parenting lessons. Sometimes when sleep or deafening crying is involved it's okay to give in a let them win the battle once in a while. You'll know when it's important to stand firm and hold your course.
No clever nicknames in our house.
Chunk broke the habit pretty quickly and without any prodding at all, although to be fair, he was never a hardcore pacifier user. He'd usually spit it out while sleeping and never really miss it.
I agree, none of my kids took a binky and sucking fingers/thumbs is harder to prevent and then later break them of. Do you think my son will still be sucking his thumb in kindergarten next year? My niece was weaned from her binky last week (addict all the way). She seems to have come through just fine! Jorja is so beautiful!
here its the binky, and my grand daughter knows that when Im around she only gets it when going to bed. If she has it in her mouth when I come in the room, she will take it out and bring it to me. She is 16 months. I have a neice who is 22 and pregnant and she STILL sucks her thumb at night.
And I can't believe no one else mentioned it, but you'll get over the need to "wash" it pretty quick. Soon a quick lick by mom, dad, or the dog, will suffice.
It's called "smuk" in Norway. But my son called them "fires" and "plug" the girls in. (He never used a pacifier.)
We call it a "smackers" because our little guy would smack his lips after eating (just needed something to suck on). We are slooowly trying to phase it out (he's 7 months old) and only use it in the car and the crib. Sometimes it is the only thing that works, so what are you going to do?
PS - Jorja is such a cutie pie!
We call it the "bink" or the "plug" (as in "plug her up"). What everyone else says about taking away a thumb--you can't & then they start school and the kids make fun of them for it and the one thing that will make them feel better is the thing that the kids will pick on. (And you thought weaning a bink was all you had to worry about.)
Kid #1 (TS, turns 4 in May) (both kids literally came out w/thumb in mouth--we have pix to prove it) was weaned slowly from a year on...first only at sleep times, (car rides were included), then only in evenings, etc...the worst was in the car for some reason. At age 2 she had to put it in a box on the porch for the "bink fairy" to take them. The bink fairy takes the old binks to new babies who need them (did you not know this???) and leaves a toy for the BIG girl who has passed hers on. Then you have to get them all out of the house so you won't be tempted, but be sure to get lots of pix of the event so you can include it in your blog and baby book, cause watching her put her binks in a box for babies: priceless.
For us, it's usually called a "sucker." In the days when he both couldn't sleep without it and couldn't put it back in his mouth if it fell out (oh, that seems so long ago now!), we'd run upstairs to "sucker him back down" when he started crying. That was a real pain - I'm so glad he can do that himself now!
As for weaning him off, we've really started to restrict sucker use to bedtime only, with an emergency sucker hidden in our pockets when we're out in public. It's great to be able to whip one out to avoid a total scene when our Robbie has a public meltdown. Other than that, bedtime only. I'm sure he'll grow out of it eventually.
We only escaped use of the pacifier because or little guy didn't go for it. We actually tried to give him one a number of times in the first few months when his colic was through the roof, but he just spit it out. The decision was completely his, we had zero to do with it. So I guess the nickname for ours is The Reject.
"binkie"
or more specifically, the "soothie" if that was the particular binky/binkie we wanted.
(spelling on "binky/binkie"??? not sure...)
It was the bop bop in our house. ;-)
Post a Comment
<< Home