ROMPER

My Daughter Used A Pacifier To Age 4, & TBH I Bribed Her To Give It Up

by Anna Lane

I’ve had a lot of low points in my parenting career but one of my biggest #momfails by far has been allowing my daughter, Rose, to use a pacifier until age 4. I didn’t plan to set my kid up for a future of braces and humiliation, but I just couldn’t face taking away the one item that guaranteed her sleeping through the night. So, what’s a tired Mom to do when faced with an ultimatum from her child’s pediatric dentist? Why, bribery, of course!

In my defense, I didn’t set out to turn my daughter into a pacifier addict. My older child never took to the paci, despite my mother-in-law’s attempts to hook him on it, so it never occurred to me that it would turn into the object of Rose’s obsession. When she started using the pacifier I was elated, primarily because I was thrilled to find something for Rose to suck on other than my sore nipples. I was also completely exhausted and willing to try anything that purported to help ease the early days of parenting two kids under the age of 2. [Read more at Romper.com]