LilSugar

At What Age Is It Time to Move On From . . .?

LilSugar — Mon, 31 May 2010 08:37:28 PDT

You don't see many kindergartners wearing diapers or popping a bottle in their lunch bag. Some milestones like rolling, talking, and walking just sort of happen and others like giving up a lovey, forgoing a pacifier, and moving from crib to bed are more learned. Some parents help their offspring progress by limiting the time their tot is wheeled around in a stroller or eats in a high chair. We're curious what you think. Chime in with your opinion on everything from bottle feeding to snuggling with stuffed animals!

How Did Your Child Give Up Sucking Her Thumb?

babysugar — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:15:26 PDT

Parents have strong feelings about what their lil ones use to soothe themselves. From the moment their wee ones arrive, they make the decision to either offer the tots a pacifier or leave them to find a soothing technique of their own. While pacifier-users tout the ability to take the artificial nipples away when the time comes, there's something to be said for the convenience and constant proximity of a thumb.

For the 18 percent of LilSugar readers whose tykes are fascinated with their own appendages, the difficulty comes when it is time for the kids to stop sucking. Doctors and dentists agree that prolonged thumb sucking can lead to misaligned teeth, mouth malformation, and speech issues, and it is usually recommended that kids stop by the age of 5.

But how do you stop your child from doing something that you can't actually take away from her? What did you do to stop your child from sucking her thumb?

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me? Tapping the Pacifier

LilSugar — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:00:53 PST

Bottle, breast, finger or pacifier babies love to suck. From the moment they enter the world, lil ones seem on a quest to find something to put in their mouths. While a thumb or finger is always available, 40 percent of LilSugar readers opt to give their babes the artificial nipple when attempting to soothe them.

When baby doesn't immediately calm down, many mamas look for another answer to hush their screaming child. Though singing and shushing work for some, repeatedly tapping the binky works for others. On a recent outing, I looked around to find several new moms standing over their children and tapping their pacifiers in hopes of quieting them down. Where this motion came from I can't tell you, but I can vouch for its effectiveness!

What Do You Call Your Child's Pacifier?

LilSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:30:00 PDT

Pacifiers come in all shapes and sizes, so it's no wonder that we all have our own names for them too. One child's "binky" is another child's "dummy." Some creative kiddos even come up with their own original names for their coveted soothers - my pal's babe referred to her sucker as "my cc." What do you call your child's pacifier?

Can't seem to rid your wee one of his sucker? Join our Place to Vent group over in our LilSugar Community and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight.

Ed Hardy to Launch Baby Product Line This Fall

LilSugar — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:00:41 PDT

Was Christian Audigier, founder of Ed Hardy, picking Jon Gosselin's brain about baby products when they were yachting in the South of France? We don't know exactly what the two were discussing earlier this Summer, but perhaps the dad of eight was giving some input on newborn products.

The company just announced the launch of Ed Hardy Baby Products, which will include baby bottles, bibs, and pacifiers featuring the tattoo designs. The BPA-free bottles and suckers will be manufactured in Germany using a silicone treatment to meet current safety standards and are expected to hit store shelves in October.

Are you interested in the latest eclectic offerings?

Tips For Giving Up the Pacifier For Good

LilSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:00:49 PDT

Breaking up with binky is hard to do. There are infinite ways to quit the pacifier, and everybody has an opinion. While some doctors urge parents to get rid of the suckers by a certain age for dental and language reasons, others are more lenient. Regardless of how you decide to wean your tot from the paci, there will be good days and bad. Here are some techniques mamas have used.

A visit from the pacifier fairy. Have the pacifier fairy visit your home to collect the suckers for lil boys and girls who need them. Like the tooth fairy, this one leaves a gift as a thank you.
Make it unusable. Cut the silicone nipple vertically in half. Your tot's tongue won't like the feeling as much as the original.
Give it to the baby animals. At Stockholm's Skansen Zoo, wee ones donate their old pacifiers to the new baby animals and the binkies are hung from trees in the children's zoo.
Change the rules. Start curtailing the places the pacifier can be used until it becomes inconvenient for your lil one to use it.
Trade up. Offer for your child to trade in his paci for a coveted new toy or video.
Go cold turkey. Simply take away the pacifier one night and toss it.
Lose it. Next time you are searching frantically for the pacifier, simply give up and say that it is lost and can't be replaced.

Source: Flickr User April Roberts

Lil Tip: Quitting the Pacifier

babysugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:00:23 PDT

Trying to rid your child of his unnecessary sucker can be torturous for both mama and babe. When you decide it's time to bid the pacifier goodbye, stand strong and try this lil trick. Cut the silicone nipple vertically in half. Your tot's tongue won't like the feeling as much as the original, and is likely to give it up sooner than later.
Source

Was Your Baby a Thumbsucker or a Paci Lover?

babysugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:00:41 PDT

Straight out of the gate, children are unable to soothe themselves. Hence, pacifiers were invented and aptly named. Some parents choose not to give their babies the artificial nipple and hope they will discover their thumb soon enough. Like many moms, I chose to give my son a pacifier until he could find his appendage on his own. At four months old, we struck gold, and the lil guy has a near-permanent fascination with his thumb in his mouth.

What did your tot prefer?
Source

Billy-Bob Pacifiers: Ga Ga or Gag?

LilSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:00:36 PST

Are these binkies in good or bad taste? Billy-Bob Pacifiers are the brainchild of a dental student and an entrepreneur who met at a college football game. The dental student was wearing fake buck teeth to win over some college girls and the entrepreneur was impressed. Fast-forward five years and the two expanded their fake teeth line to include these unusual pacifiers.

Would you pop a joke paci in your wee one's mouth?

Paci Partner: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

LilSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:00:34 PST

If you have ever been awakened by a crying baby that can't find her pacifier, you may want to take a look at the Paci Partner ($34). The Paci Partner is a weighted tube that attaches directly to a specially designed binky, making it easy for newborns to find their sucker in the dark of night. Designed by nurses and respiratory therapists, each kit comes with two tubes, two outer sleeves and three pacifiers.

Knowing that parents will do just about anything for their lil one to fall asleep on their own, would you buy a Paci Partner?