Pacis, Overbites and Lisps

[nc_mom]

Gaines, Jackson, Calvin and so many other youTube kids who are trained to use pacis from birth all seem to have pronounced over bites, lisps and speech problems. I don't understand why Katie doesn't see the correlation. Most orthodontists treating kids say that pacis are a huge problem. I think parents shove the pacis in their mouth so they don't have to deal with actually parenting..it's a lazy way out. After what they went through with Gaines I'm wondering why they started using a paci immediately with Brooks. Calvin and Jackson's teeth are totally pushed out, too and all have lisps. None of my kids were ever given pacis...it's like a false security blanket and makes the babies (and toddlers!) emotionally dependent.

[usernamessuck]

I'm pro paci up to a certain age (around when their teeth start coming in or until they refuse it). Honestly, I think lisps are pretty common in toddlers with how many i have been around lately and they all did/didn't use pacis for varying lengths of time.

For instance: my niece is two and she was given a paci from birth. She stopped taking a paci around 4 months. Her teeth are fine because they didn't come in until she was a year old, but she still has a very pronounced lisp (she also didn't start really talking until about 18 months). I don't think the paci causes the lisp. I think it's a little kid thing like switching w's for R sounds and stuff.

As for messing up teeth, I think there is very sound evidence of that. I have several cousins that have braces because they used pacis well into their toddler ages. Calvin's teeth look terrible. The amount of force on the teeth from sucking has to pull them in the wrong direction when they are growing in. It could also be genetics. I was not a paci baby (so my mom says) but I still had braces to correct my overbite. I think there are many factors, but I don't think pacis help make kids teeth better.

I also think it's an unhealthy addiction at a certain point. Pacis are gross after too long. Gaines would put her paci in the cup holder of her car seat and then stick it in her mouth. That just grosses me out. Also, it was alarming how she wanted to give away her pacis, but if she saw one she had to suck on it. That really disturbed me.

Overall, I don't think pacis are the devil. There is proof that babies suck to comfort themselves in the first few months of life, and better a paci that can be taken away than a thumb attached to their body. I do think some parents become dependent on pacis and don't want to take them away for fear that their child will turn into a screaming maniac, but there is a point where it just starts to look ridiculous (like Calvin with the WubbaNubs or a three year old sucking a paci while walking through a store). It's all in good judgment and personal preference.

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[Deadhead_kay]

I think Gaines has stopped using the paci at a very appropriate age. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having an object like a paci being a support item when you're that young. There are parents that obviously use pacis as a way to shut kids up constantly, but I don't think C+K use it purely for that purpose. Then again this is coming from someone who was taken from the paci too early and then developed a thumb sucking problem which lasted far longer than any paci dependency would have.

[Ducklings4]

A pacifier is much better than a thumb. Calvin's is weighted with that stuffed animal which maybe changing his bite. Jackson should get speech therapy for his lisp and Ollie should get speech therapy for his lack of speech


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[kiwimumof-5]

All my kids (five) had pacis (or dummies as we call them here)
None have lisps, overbites or bad speech, genetics also plays a big part in bad teeth..
I worked for seven years as a dental assistant then an orthodontist assistant and the majority of teeth problems we saw were caused by thumb sucking, not saying dummies dont cause issues, but the majority were thumbs, then dummies, then genetics.
Perhaps it is lazy parenting, in my case it was giving my nipples a break
All my kids weaned off their dummies by two years

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[Momto3boys]

My son had a paci until he was over 3.. We were a military family and with his dad leaving all the time I could not take his comfort item away from him. He did not have an overbites or lisp.. He did need braces as a teen like most teens but his teeth were not bad at all .. He only needed them for a short time . So paci is not always the cause. I think a thumb suckers have more problems since you cant cut their thumb off and they suck them for way longer. Look at Emmi from Shaytards she was sucking her thumb to at least 8 and maybe even now but they dont show it ..

[nugget12]

Coming from a family of nurses pacifiers are encouraged for infants especially preemies and newborns because it helps them to remember to suck, swallow and breath in their sleep. Bottom line pacifiers help prevent SIDS. the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends them for safe sleep to prevent SIDS. As long as children are not using them past two years when their palate is developing it is perfectly fine and won't harm their oral development. A lot of dental problems are genetic. Pacifiers are also more hygienic and an easier habit to break then thumb sucking. I have met people into their teen and adult years who subconsciously suck their thumb in their sleep without knowing it. It is when you have an older child sucking their thumb or using a pacifier you will run into oral problems.

[Playsinrain]

I'm just sitting here laughing my ass off about the whole paci's are the lazy way out statement... So glad we have sanctimommy here to rescue all us lazy ass paci parents..

[Momto3boys]

My youngest was almost 3 when I took his away. I would have done it sooner but were a military family and we moved quite a bit and did not want to take his comfort item away at that time.. He had to have braces when he was older but his teeth were not that bad. . But I only gave his paci when he was in his bed for naps and night or when we traveled while moving or even just in the car if he was having a melt down.