Five.
Count ’em.
One, two, three, four, five.
How’s that, you say?
Well, it’s not like they’re all functioning–at least not in the manner one might suppose. I’ve the two nature blessed me with. The kind that once hardened to diamond-hard nubs while hitchhiking one early, cool morning off a highway in Pennsylvania. (It was really windy. What? Too much information?)
All this talk of nipples is going to get this post banned from Facebook.
Then there are the two rubber ones with little ring attachments in my upper right pocket.
Then there is the similar one in my right front pants pocket.
This is being a newish dad. Carrying pacifiers around everywhere you go.
Okay, some think that pacifiers can be overused and lead to issues later. I hear that and I understand the concern. Seems that pacifiers, however, do not inhibit proper development of a baby’s mouth, doesn’t cause buck teeth, and is a habit that can be broken later on. How many adults do you see with pacifiers on your morning commute? Only those that had been to a rave the night before.
So I’m not worried. The pacifier is a wonderful thing. It calms and soothes a child, and as Jack is beginning the teething period, we’re all about the soothing. Bleating in the middle of the night? Pacifier. Getting antsy while watching us have dinner? Pacifier. Nap time and resisting sleep? Pacifier. Donald Trump on TV? Paci–well… no system is perfect.
Back to the nipples.
Of the plastic variety, two were in a shirt pocket, one in the pants pocket. Why? So I know which ones are clean enough to apply, and which need washing. Clean pacifiers go in the shirt pocket where they are easiest to reach. I try to keep more than one there so that when Jack drops one, I can put the dropped pacifier in my pants pocket (where it will be cleaned at next opportunity) and then pull another clean one out of my shift pocket to replace the fallen one.
It’s a system that works.
Even then, pacifiers go missing all the time which leads to the great pacifier hunt. Under chairs, under the crib, under the couch, under the table, between cushions, and, once, in the middle of the back yard. All of ’em get nicely washed and sterilized. A few go in the shirt pocket, one is kept near the crib, one might be left on the table near the couch, the rest go into a drawer.
Now… all this talk about pacifiers and reliance upon them… here’s the interesting thing.
I’ve noticed a small drop in the need. Those first few months, we were plugging the boy just ab out any time he was awake. Nearly three months later and it does seem that we fall back on the pacifier a little less often. Toys distract. For teething, we’ve some teething rings and chew toys. Teething biscuits. Or sometimes we just let him talk it out… in his way.
The pacifier is still a necessary tool in keeping everyone soothed–parent and child–but I find myself less concerned with dependency than maybe “conventional wisdom” might suggest.
So… new parents… my personal experience says pacifiers are a lifesaver. Your mileage may vary, but as for me… I’m glad to be the man with five nipples.
Cheers!
–John
