Suri seems like a very confused little girl. She can't decide between high heels or a teddy bear. Is it a good day for Starbucks or a paci? And the only spawn of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes makes all of these at-odds decisions right out in public where we can see, dissect, and condemn.
Someday she'll learn. But until then, we can all speculate on what moves are bad for the little girl, what are signs of good parenting from the Holmes-Cruises, and what kind of behavior we can expect from the future head of the Church of Scientology.
So let's talk pacifier, shall we?
My kids never liked pacifiers (which was good, and also bad when you're on an airplane and they don't want food, drink, or to chill out) so I don't know the pain of weaning a kid off the paci. I've heard tales of paci-fairies, tough love, and giving in -- and Suri seems to come from a "give in" kind of family. I'm not judging, because I've never had that particular challenge.
But if you do want to know what the experts say, let's take a look at the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for pacifier use -- by age. Uh-oh, it doesn't look good for the almost-5-year-old.
While a pacifier is recommended for everything from soothing pain to helping to prevent SIDS in those early days of life, the AAP, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Dentistry, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) all agree that 5 is way too old to be using a pacifier without serious consequences. Which they outline here:
6 months to 2 years
Risk -- Otitis media
AAFP/AAP joint guidelines recommend reducing or stopping pacifier use in the second six months of life to reduce the risk of otitis media. ICSI recommends avoiding pacifier use after 10 months of age.
2 years and older
Risk -- Dental malocclusion (misalignment of the teeth, such as open bite, crossbite, or overjet)
ADA and AAPD recommend actively discouraging pacifier use after 4 years of age.
So there you have it. Suri is at risk for otitis media and dental malocclusion. Katie and Tom -- you've been warned.
Do you think Suri is too old for the pacifier?
Image via Splash News
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Comments 62
I hate when "experts" weight in on situations that they aren't a part of. We all make our own parenting decisions and dislike when other people tell us what we should be doing.
About the pacifiers, my kids didn't like them. My sister had hers until she was 5. When my mother took it away from her at 2 1/2, she started to stutter. She would get so upset and say "mommy I can't say it". The pediatrician wanted to know what was suddenly different and my mother told him that she tookt he pacifier away. He said plain and simple give it back. So she had it at nap and bed time. No harm done. She's a perfectly well adjusted 21 year old now.
um, I let me son keep his until he was TWO and felt like it was terrible to let him keep it that long, IMO 4 years old is definitely too long to be sucking on a paci.
i think she's too old for a paci, but i do suppose tom can probably afford the dental bills so whatev!
Yes, the parents are just tooooo lazy to take it away and be the parents they should be. I think it's a shame they seem to be letting the child make the decisions for herself. My Dr. told me many years ago, in reference to a bottle and pacifier, after the age of 12 mos, if you don't start tryig to wean them off of both, your just a lazy Mother. You don't want to give in to the child, or the crying. I'd think they'd be rich enogh to let the Nanny deal with it and shame on them.
That pacifier needs to GO!! But then again, considering what a wack job Tom Cruise is, this is probably the LEAST of the problems this poor child is going to have.
I took my kids binkies away the day before they turned a year old. Snipped a hole in the end of it and they didn't want it anymore, easy as pie. Babies have a need to suck, that's for sure, but a 5 year old is NOT a baby!!
My youngest brother had his until he was almost 6. It caused his front teeth on bottom and top to have a rounded part to them... it was hard as anything to get him to drop it... Im the sister; and my stepdad (his father) and mom didnt want to deal with him whining about not having it... i would cut them so he couldnt suck them... id loose them... id put hot sauce on them.. its embarrasing taking him to the mall or to the grocery store and he has one in... I think Suri is too old to have one... my kids will be off by the time they turn 2 at the latest.
I think when a child is growing up pursued by paparazzi, her need for comfort in what must be a scary situation is more important than concerns about misaligning her teeth or increasing her chances of ear infections.
i personally think she's too old for it...but hey they are the parents...