When is too old for a child to have a pacifier?

[tvguy]

2 at the most. Not only does it interfere with speech, it creates huge dental issues...

I agree.

 

[ronandannette]

My friends daughter still has one aged 8 and i said i thought that in the nicest way possible it was slightly ridiculous that she still had one. She disagreed however and said that a lot of her other friend’s children had them until at least 8?

Impossible to believe. While I suppose we could apply the “you do you” principle to this because it’s not really affecting anyone outside their family, I think I can safely say most people think an 8 y.o. with a binky is ridiculous.

 

[Skellingtonj]

8??? 8 years old?? No. My youngest had hers till almost 4, which was way too old. But 8... no

 

[Hikergirl]

My friends daughter still has one aged 8 and i said i thought that in the nicest way possible it was slightly ridiculous that she still had one. She disagreed however and said that a lot of her other friend’s children had them until at least 8?

Is she part of a weird cult that lives together in a commune?
I doubt that ALOT of her friend's kids had them until 8 years old. 8 months sure, but not 8 years old.
Unless of course we are talking about that weird fad where kids were "using" binkies. My ds had one that lit up all different colors. It was a novelty item that quickly lost its appeal. You can find them at party stores. For whatever reason they are a thing.
An actual pacifier that is used for soothing and comforting an infant? I don't believe that at all.

 

[DisneyOma]

An eight year old with a pacifier would lead me to believe there's a lot of anxiety in that family. Do the parents smoke? Do they overeat? Seems to me that an oral fixation encouraged by a pacifier would lead to all kinds of issues later on.

 

[buzzrelly]

Is this 8 year old still wearing diapers too?

I'm editing because I just want to say that I assume this is a normal, non-disabled 8 year old??

 

[stitch'sgirl]

Babies lose the sucking instinct between 5-6 months. After that, a pacifier is just a bad habit, not a developmental need.

 

[CarolAnn856]

My friends daughter still has one aged 8 and i said i thought that in the nicest way possible it was slightly ridiculous that she still had one. She disagreed however and said that a lot of her other friend’s children had them until at least 8?

Hm, interesting first post. Hope you enjoy Thanksgiving break!

 

[Hrhpd]

My friends daughter still has one aged 8 and i said i thought that in the nicest way possible it was slightly ridiculous that she still had one. She disagreed however and said that a lot of her other friend’s children had them until at least 8?

Whatever age is appropriate for her and her family. You have not shared if the girl has any kind of special needs, anxiety issues, or anything that might have been sanctioned from a professional.

What I do know is that it is no business of so call "friends" to comment on their friend's parenting.

I wonder, does this girl take her pacifier to her dance classes and does she have matching dance costumes to go with each pacifier?

 

[neverlandsky]

Our tradition was that Santa came and took the pacifiers to the new babies on Christmas Eve after the kids turned 2 years old.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

There are all sorts of "chew toys" for kids with developmental issues. An 8-y/o should not be using a baby pacifier - if it soothes her to have something in her mouth, there are appropriate devices. People with oral fixations chew on pens, pencils, gum, lollipops, etc. and that's okay, but something made for an infant is not.

To answer your question, I would probably think that 3 y/o was the limit, then I'd be striving to lose that piece of plastic...

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Once they can say “pacifier” or any of the cutesy names for it, they’re too old.

 

[barb969]

I sat my daughter down at 10 months and explained why she didn’t need it any more. She only used at night. My mother said”you can’ t do that.” And I did it anyway. Kids understand more than we think.

 

[MrsPete]

We got rid of the pacifier over the course of 3-4 days. Here's what we did: We cleared out every pacifier except ONE. With a big needle, we poked a hole in the tip of that pacifier. Our daughter picked up her pacifier, put it in her mouth, pulled it out and looked at it, tried it again, and demanded, "Paccie broke!" We explained to her that once you've had your first birthday, pacifiers and other baby things don't feel right anymore -- and it's because you're becoming a big girl. She didn't believe us.

The next day we took a pair of scissors and trimmed off the smallest bit from the pacifier. Again, she expressed disapproval with the pacifier, and we reminded her that she was a big girl now, and that soon she wouldn't want /enjoy the pacifier any more. She still didn't believe us.

For another day or two, each day we trimmed the smallest bit from the pacifier. On maybe Day 4 she found herself forced to hold the pacifier in with one hand, leaving only one hand free for play (she'd just had her first birthday, so she had cool new toys). She put it down and never asked for it again.

I highly recommend this method!

My dad was a pediatrician. He told me to watch my kids around one for a time period when they seemed less attached to their bottles and pacifiers and to leap on that moment.

Yes, around age one we took away our oldest's pacifier; it was a problem for a few days, and then it was over.

So thankful that we didn't introduce our twins to a pacifier but if we did I would have wanted them off by one.

Eh, you don't always get to choose. Our youngest wanted nothing to do with a pacifier ... but at a young age she sucked on two fingers (never a thumb). You can take away a pacifier, but you can't take away fingers!

 

[Wubar]

Going to get varied responses, not sure if you'll ever get a "correct" answer. My son stopped using his pacifier after 18 months, but I know plenty of children that used them much longer than that. Similar to the "how old for kids in a stroller at Disney"question. My son didn't need one at 4 years old, but I've seen children that look like practically teenagers squashed into strollers at the parks.

Whatever works for that family in their environment is probably the right answer.

 

[Floridaman999]

Yes, 96 months old seems a bit old for a pacifier to me.

 

[mnrose]

My pediatrician said 4 months and that is the age our children no longer had them. They seem like reasonably well adjusted young adults now. 8 is ridiculous. I know of NO 8 year olds using a pacifier.

 

[Floridaman999]

I hear people use pacifiers when they take ecstasy to keep from grinding their teeth. Does this 8 year old need an intervention possibly?

 

[goofyernmost]

Not surprisingly this is almost the same argument that has been discussed concerning breast feeding. The common consensus was... once the kid can say "hey, mom, when is lunch?" It is time to stop. With a pacifier I'd have to say one would know it was time when the child said, "Excuse me Mother, but, would you by any chance know were I left my binky?" This would probably be a sure fire way of knowing that it is time to leave it behind.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Eh, you don't always get to choose. Our youngest wanted nothing to do with a pacifier ... but at a young age she sucked on two fingers (never a thumb). You can take away a pacifier, but you can't take away fingers!

Our girls didn't suck their thumbs or fingers either.