Pacifiers.

I love doing this whole mommy blog thing. I love hearing your guys's feedback and that you share your personal experiences. I was so excited when after my first blog I had 5 comments from people who were so pumped to think I'd be doing this.

Next topic;; Pacifiers.

When Mason was first born, he wasn't into pacifiers at all but I always kept one on me for emergency reasons. Plane rides, restaurants, and Mason hated being in his carseat so it helped quiet him down during that time too. However I hated using pacifiers because I couldn't see him smile, his facial expressions, and I wouldn't be able to hear his cute little voice when he cooed. 

Lots of people have different things to say about when to stop using pacifiers. Some say you shouldn't use them at all, after 4 months stop, after a year. Mason is going to be 2 in a few days and he still uses it sometimes and I'm not the least bit concerned with it. 

Pros

Reduces the chance of SIDS (Sudden infant death syndrome)

Soothes and comforts baby.

Sleep Aid- Can help the baby fall asleep when he/she is struggling.

Habit Forming- It can be easier to break your child off of a pacifier than it is to break them off of sucking their thumb or fingers

Cons

It can interfere with breastfeeding if the pacifier is used too early. 

Can increase the risk of ear infection

Can change the babies tooth alignment or delay speech 

Need help with getting your child from using a pacifier?

Offer rewards everytime the child doesn't use a pacifier. 

Only use it for nap time or bed time.

Spend time with other children who do NOT use pacifiers. Children are very observant.

Make up a pacifier story. 

The Pacifier Fairy story- The Pacifier fairy (treat it just like the tooth fairy) Tell him/her to put the pacifier under his/her pillow and the tooth fairy will come and take it and leave a special treat.

Pacifier Wish- Take your toddler to a wishing well/fountain and tell them that if they throw the pacifier in and make a wish, their wish will come true.

I used Nuk pacifiers with the animal faces

They were so cute and fun.

I also used Avent (same as bottles)

So, when do you think a child should stop using pacifiers or does it not matter because they'll eventually stop anyways. Love to hear your thoughts!

Baby Bottles && Sippy Cups.

While I did breastfeed until Mason was over a year old, I also had to use bottles sometimes. I thought I'd share the kind of bottles I did use when I had to use them and you should definitely considering using them, they are amazing. 

I used Avent. 

They are BPA free and Mason always had great success with feeding off of them. They especially help babies who have acid reflux or colic. They have many different choices of nipple flow and the bottles come in a variety of sizes. They're easy to clean and I never had a issue with them leaking. 

Obviously Mason no longer drinks from a bottle so for sippy cups I still go strong with Avent.

They also come in a variety of shapes and sizes and some also have handles on BOTH sides of the cup which is helpful when you first transition over to a sippy cup. They're all spill proof so no worries there!

I have also heard that Dr. Browns bottles are very good too. Similar to Avent but I have yet to try them out myself. Avent has me hooked and I think that's what I'll be using when need be for my next little one as well.