Pacifier or Thumb?

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Wuggle

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I'm sure this debate has been held many times around here, but I'd be grateful if you'd indulge a newbie. :smile: Do you have a preference for sucking your thumb or a pacifier? Is this a habit that's carried over from childhood, or did you adopt it when you arrived on the AB scene?

For me, I've sucked my thumb my whole life. My parents never made me quit because my mom sucked hers until she was 12, and they figured I'd outgrow it. My sister put herself through her own regimen and quit when she was 12 so she could be like my mom, but I never wanted to, and so still do it to this day.

I do have a pacifer, a Nuk 5 with an adult sized shield, and it makes me feel very small and cute, but psychologically it just doesn't do anything for me the way thumbsucking does. My thumb is like an addiction; I need it to feel good, and I can feel the chemical effect it has on my brain and body. The sucking is instinctive, reflexive and automatic, it requires no effort on my part. With the pacifier though, it just feels like a neutral object in my mouth. It doesn't trigger the same feelings of comfort and relaxation that my thumb does, and I have to put effort into sucking on it, if I don't, I stop, and it falls out of my mouth. It's a bit of a shame, because I originally got the pacifier in order to give my thumb a bit of a break, as it's very dry, chapped and sore, but it wound up not really working. I guess the brain wants what the brain wants, and will accept no substitutes. :smile:
 
Hey there,

for me a pacifier is definitely the best choice, years ago in puberty when I wanted a pacifier and couldn't get one, because I was too afraid my mom would find it and also I was too afraid someone would tell her I bought a pacifier (you might have the same view, that somehow the entire city knows your parents), I tried the thumb but there where two issues with that.

Firstly, I couldn't fall asleep that way, and secondly, it really does hurt my teeth after a while.

When I started living alone I tried NUK3s and they where okay for one to two hours but not the right thing - the NUK5 on the other hand was the first pacifier that I could sleep with easily and it doesn't usually hurt my teeth or feels odd.

Usually I don't sleep without a pacifier anymore, from my perspective it might not help me falling asleep everytime but it helps me sleeping through way more often...my best friend said, maybe it prevents me from snoring and that's why my sleep is better...

...can't really tell you if it's true or not...all of my family are snorers so I think I might snore as well, but my best friend told me when I visited her a few times, that she didn't notice any snoring coming from my room (she knows I sleep with a pacifier) - so she might be right with what she said.

Kind regards,
Sabu
 
I started thumbsucking at 15 during a stressful period of my life, before I discovered my ab side... Got pacifiers the next year, also before discovering my ab side... I generally prefer a pacifier, which I sleep with, to my thumb, but still sometimes thumb suck.
 
I prefer a pacifier over my thumb. However I only suck my thumb for only like 10 seconds before pulling it out. That's because of a couple reasons: 1; I might bite my hand and maybe even bleed a little, or 2; my sharp nail could cut my tongue and lose quite a bit of blood.

The only times I use my binky is when I go to sleep or if I get really mad at a game (at home anyways), I lock the door and suck on it until I'm calm then do something else. Playing games on the go, I try not to play any frustrating ones or just surf the web on my phone. There are also times where I'll use it while in my headspace or out of boredom.

To keep myself calm in public, I use a fidgit toy or a plastic bottle cap while listening to music or watching videos on my devices.
 
I would prefer a pacifier. With a pacifier I can chew on it and play with it with my tongue. Plus I don't want to keep washing my hands when I use my thumb.
 
This is all very interesting, thanks guys! Onesieman, your concern about biting your thumb is well justified. Some nights when I'm on the cusp of falling asleep, my jaw will spasm, and I'll bite my thumb hard enough to draw blood. The constant hand-washing gets old too, and my dad likes to tease me because the years of having my index finger pressed against my nose while I sucked has caused the cartilage to shift slightly, and made my nose a little crooked. You can't really tell unless you're looking for it, but it's something he likes to point out from time to time.
 
Wuggle said:
... the pacifier though, it just feels like a neutral object in my mouth. It doesn't trigger the same feelings of comfort and relaxation that my thumb does, and I have to put effort into sucking on it, if I don't, I stop, and it falls out of my mouth. It's a bit of a shame, because I originally got the pacifier in order to give my thumb a bit of a break, as it's very dry, chapped and sore, but it wound up not really working. I guess the brain wants what the brain wants, and will accept no substitutes. :smile:

I never have and don't suck my thumb, but I do need a pacifier or I feel 'lost'. I have tried to suck my thumb but I don't like doing it at all. I took to pacis instantly the first time I bought one in my early twenties and I have used them on & off ever since (forty years) My favourite brand which I just adored was taken off the market due to a safety issue and I was crushed. I have not found anything that good since and I've tried all of the different types available. When I first tried the NUK 5 I wasn't that impressed with it and tended to gag a little because I was so used to baby size dummies. However, I have gotten used to it and I quite like it now. I usually have three soothers going at the one time and rotate them to vary the experience. I much prefer latex to silicone and the latex cherry I use is great at night because it stays in my mouth which is important because I use a paci all night every night and always will. I'm currently sucking on a AVENT symmetrical silicone that I got the other day to try out. It isn't bad, but the nipple is pretty small and I don't like the join in the middle of the nipple which seems like it shouldn't be there. I really like the NUK orthopedic baby dummies but they fall out of my mouth so I have given up on them. When I have the finances later in the year I will try some of the custom AB pacis and the market and see if I can find the perfect pacifier for me.
That is a real problem with your thumb drying out and cracking Wuggle. Perhaps you should persist with pacifiers and see if you can get used to them as a replacement soother while your thumb/s recovers. You are right about the brain wanting what the brain wants so I hope you find a solution soon
 
I primarilly use my thumb.
Very soothing and comforting, and the taste of my own thumbs are "familiar".
I love my thumb.
It just feels good.

 
I mostly use my thumb although I will use a pacifier,

I need to get more pacifiers! (side note)

besides that I enjoy my thumb very much it is comforting and soothing all in one type deal!

for the longest time through-out my teen years I did not suck my thumb and one day in my twenties I picked the habit back up odd enough and I have been doing it ever since.
 
I have sucked my thumb my whole life.

In my early teens, my parents tried to get me to quit by using a bitter tasting nail polish on my thumbs. It didn't work. My sucking on my thumb in a weird manner, I was able to prevent my tongue from touching the bitter nail polish. It was very awkward but at least I was able to suck my thumb. Eventually, my parents gave up.

I tried not to suck my thumb in front of my parents but I suck my thumb a lot while watching TV in the family room so it was hard to prevent my family from noticing.

I gave up thumb sucking for three years while I was in the Army but started thumb sucking again while on leave and after my enlistment was over.

I found that I can pretty easily stop sucking my thumb if I need to (at camp, at friends' houses and so forth). That is, I don't need to suck my thumb for a good night's rest.

My thumbs have been pretty dirty at times. I am a pretty healthy person (as to illnesses) so I seem to be somewhat immune from dirty thumbs. After changing oil or spreading mulch and washing my hands, my thumbs are still a bit dirty but I go right ahead and suck my thumb.

As to pacifiers, I have baby sizes, intermediate sizes and nuk5 size pacifiers. None of them do I use a lot. I do use them sometimes but they hurt my mouth if I suck on them too long whereas I never have that problem with my thumb.

Bottom line: I am a thumb sucker and a thumb sucker I will stay!
 
I love my pacifiers. I have tried using my thumb, it is ok, but the Paci is what I love :)
 
Pacifier for me. My thumb is dirty and tastes gross... so, I don't really like to suck my thumb. However, I also don't have a pacifier either... but I would still choose that over my thumb though. Because I never know where my thumb has been or what sorts of germs have attached to it. :|
 
I like pacifiers and sucking my thumb - totally depends on my mood.
 
Because of how I am I fear germs... even if they are just my own so I prefer a paci over thumb
 
GDNTSKID said:
I sucked my thumb until I was 8, but starting using a paci when I was 26. It took me a while to get used to it, but once I got the right one, there was no turning back.

Haha. just got me thinking :) I stopped using pacifier very early. And then I started again at 46 :-D Love it :)
 
Pacifier~!

Sometimes I grit my teeth when playing video games or focusing on something, so! It's not the best feeling when a thumb is used. d:
 
im guilty of the pacifier, can never go a night without it, sucking my thumb just doesnt do it for me
 
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