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Pacified

October 19, 2009 by Minnesota Mom Filed Under: Minnesota Me, New Baby, Parenting 42 Comments

Finally! We finally got Anthony to take a binky.*

Pacified

Though granted, he’s still somewhat…indifferent.

I don’t understand why some babies refuse to take a pacifier. Our Jem, for example, stood (or rather, lay there) on principle and never once gave into the transitory pleasures of the plastic plug. I realize it probably tastes funny at first and that it’s a disappointingly dry tap in terms of milk. It’s that whole “I’m gnawing on something and it’s not Momma” experience. This is really weird, they’re thinking. I’m sucking and sucking and NOTHING IS HAPPENING. This is scary. The well’s run dry.

Still.

Given the choice between…oh, I don’t know…having a nice, comforting oral fix and wailing long & loud & inconsolably because Mommy is driving and can’t pick me up just yet…

I’d choose the oral fix every time.

But that’s just me.

Now where was that drive-through Starbucks again?

AMDG,

Ed. Note: I grew up hearing my sisters refer to the pacifier as a suss or sometimes su-suss. (We’re French-Canadian and suss has its roots in the French word sucer which means “to suck.” Go figure.) Later, though, much later when I was expecting my firstborn, I stayed with a dear friend in Kansas who called her daughter’s pacifier a binky. Binky? Binky? The word sounded so odd and, yes, even foreign to my ears and yet…somehow…

…it stuck.

Binky. Nukkie. Paci. Plug. What do you call the pacifier in your part of the country?

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Comments

  1. janice says

    October 19, 2009 at 6:47 pm

    I'm from western Canada, and here the common term for a soother is "soosy" or "suzy". Must be from the same French Canadian roots! Most of my babies have hated soothers as well, but my latest loves it. The irony is that she is a great traveller and rarely requires the o'ol suzy then…go figure!

    Reply
  2. Ann Karels says

    October 19, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    We always called them nukkies. I later realized that Nuk is a brand of pacifier, so it must be like using the term "Kleenex" for all facial tissue.

    Reply
  3. Jennifer says

    October 19, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    Yay! We had the same problem with my son – he was 4 months old and so SCREECHY when I finally forced him into it. We call it "oshy" because that's what my daughter named it. ?

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    October 19, 2009 at 7:41 pm

    I'm from California. My parents always referred to the pacifier as a "my my". I have no idea why. My oldest son called it his "eesh". Again, I have no idea how this started or why that was the name, though perhaps I said something liked "eesh!" when looking around for a pacifier to quiet a screaming baby. 🙂 In any case, I just think both names are kind of funny.

    Reply
  5. Kristy says

    October 19, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    I call it a binky, my in-laws call it a "paci".

    Reply
  6. scmom (Barbara) says

    October 19, 2009 at 7:51 pm

    Bobo. I think it means "little fool" maybe in Italian or Spanish. It's a family word and I have no idea who started it because we're all German.

    And thanks goodness all my kids took one.

    Reply
  7. Recovering Procrastinator says

    October 19, 2009 at 7:55 pm

    I'm in your neck of the woods but we call it Nuk or pacifier. My MIL calls it a pug. When I was a kid, we always called it "poto" and I have no idea why. I probably made it up and it stuck. I didn't know until I was an adult that it wasn't a real word!

    Reply
  8. Jamie says

    October 19, 2009 at 8:08 pm

    We call it a Nukkie (noookie)!

    Bridget will only take it if she is not crying, only if Clare gives it to her…Clare is the one who, then, naturally sits by her in the van!!

    So, we have to catch her right when she starts to fuss, but not crying yet for it to work.

    It's tricky!

    Only one other child took a nukkie, the others refused, I don't understand either!

    Reply
  9. Therese says

    October 19, 2009 at 8:09 pm

    We call it a nukkie. Michael did not take one but the older boys loved theirs! Alexandra does take one (Thank goodness!), but it is the green one from the hospital (a soothie?). I still want her to take a MAM-boy am I picky, huh?

    Reply
  10. Sarah - Kala says

    October 19, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    Since I am a country to myself (ha ha ha) I called them BEEP BEEPs.

    Reply
  11. Elizabeth says

    October 19, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    I'm partial to Binkie…when #1 daughter was fussy we would rush to find it and when she had taken it we would say, "Bink-i-fication complete".
    Praise the Lord for that Binkie. Daughter #2 never liked it …she sucked on her middle and ring fingers while playing with someone's ear…difficult, but it worked. Anyones ear would do, even her own.
    Unfortunately, she will need braces…though she is rather fond of her buck teeth! Snorkie was a binkie man for a little while, but never needed much…he's a tough guy. Hoping new bwby will like the binky, too…you can eventually get it away from them…unlike fingers 🙂

    Had to say that my word verification is gyntusive….definition: intrusive gynecology???

    Reply
  12. Emily says

    October 19, 2009 at 8:16 pm

    We called it a "pappy" for my brother and sister. When people say "binky", I go, what?
    Anthony's eyes are FANTASTIC. So big and shiny! Love him!

    Reply
  13. Emily says

    October 19, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    Oh, forgot to mention: with my sister, she loved her so much, we had to hide them all over the house, in random places. We were still finding them years later, when she was about 10, in with the Christmas cake molds and things like that.

    Reply
  14. Corinne says

    October 19, 2009 at 8:32 pm

    When we were little my mom and grandma called it a cigar… I win for the weirdest, plus ADULTS gave it that name.

    Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    October 19, 2009 at 8:45 pm

    Yep, we called them a "pac" (pronounced "pass") after my first daughter who ADORED her pac and only gave them up at the ripe old age of 4 (!) when she traded them for a Barbie!

    Glad Momma gets a little coffee break in the car (and an auditory break, too!)

    Reply
  16. Joan says

    October 19, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    Binky. And Momma's milk was "This" LOL. When my daughter was 18 months she started saying: "I want my THIS!" everytime she wanted to nurse. It was hysterical at times. Use your imagination. When people didn't know what she meant it used to drive them bonkers.

    Reply
  17. That Chick who likes to Procreate says

    October 19, 2009 at 9:00 pm

    I hear you! My little guy is 3 months old and is just now finding his fingers and thumb but has refused to take a nuk all this time. The car is difficult for us too for the same reason. 2 drive through Starbucks that I know of, one in Edina (50th and vernon) and St. Louis Park on highway 7. . .

    Reply
  18. joolzmac says

    October 19, 2009 at 9:44 pm

    Here in Australia, pacifiers are known as 'dummies'. That really doesn't sound so good, does it? I like the name binky better.

    Joolz – South Australia

    Reply
  19. Laura H. says

    October 19, 2009 at 9:46 pm

    i hear it called a paci or binky here pretty often. i just call it a pacifier. *shrug*

    Reply
  20. Allison says

    October 19, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    When I was a baby, my parents called them a nukkie.

    But I've also heard them called paci's over here. I'm in Wisconsin, so it's not like I'm in a different culture than you 😉

    Reply
  21. Tricia in MN says

    October 19, 2009 at 9:57 pm

    In our family, we've called them "choo-chee's". I have no idea where that came from though. I'm hoping our baby to be will take them willingly! They are a God-send in Church!

    Reply
  22. RealMom4Life says

    October 19, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    We've always called it a pacifer, guess we're not too fun here. But, I'm thinking that my dd who can say it plain as day probably doesn't need it?! Although she did point out that her older brother still uses his thumb sometimes and it's pretty much the same thing.

    Reply
  23. Elizabeth@Frabjous Days says

    October 19, 2009 at 10:05 pm

    Dummy here in the UK too.

    My boys liked them, my girls not.

    Maybe Anthony wasn't so keen on the pink ;o)

    Reply
  24. Annita says

    October 19, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    Well, our crew ranges from 15 months to 22 years, and we have always called it a binky! I never knew in all the years I have been a mommy that there were so many different names for a pacifier! 🙂 JMJ

    Reply
  25. amy says

    October 19, 2009 at 11:25 pm

    DH called them Nukki's for the longest time. I use the term plug. After all, it's a noun aaaand a verb. Both of which are very appropriate. 😉

    Reply
  26. ia jen says

    October 19, 2009 at 11:41 pm

    A lifesaver. Hahahah!! Actually we called them bubba's. I don't remember how it got started but it stuck for all 3 kids.

    Reply
  27. patrice says

    October 20, 2009 at 12:14 am

    My parents are from Ireland and many aunts/uncles older cousins spent time living in England before they came here … the pacifier was alway called "a dummy."

    We basically forced our eldest to take the dummy because I feared she was developing a thumb sucking habit and I had cousins who sucked their thumbs til they were WAY past toddlerhood. I didn't want that. She was the only one. The others refused any artificial nipple of any kind and went from nursing to sippy cups.

    Reply
  28. Sharon says

    October 20, 2009 at 1:08 am

    Yep. We were nukkie people and we had them in every drawer and pocket we could put one in case one dropped or got lost. My youngest didn't give up her nuk till she was 4 and the dentist yelled at her!

    Reply
  29. Kate says

    October 20, 2009 at 1:13 am

    Haha, my mother insists on calling it a binky, but my daughter (an early motormouth) named it Pacer and it stuck. If someone calls it anything else she corrects them. "that's not ____, it's my pacer!" one exception: when she patooeies it it calls it "that stinky binky"

    Enjoy! My second wouldn't touch it until she discovered the joy of tormenting her sister.

    Reply
  30. Cheryl M. says

    October 20, 2009 at 1:19 am

    We always called it a "noonie" 🙂

    Reply
  31. Marcy says

    October 20, 2009 at 1:20 am

    Here in TX I usually hear binky or paci but I do have one friend who calls it a dummy and another who calls it a pie.

    Reply
  32. K says

    October 20, 2009 at 10:48 am

    Binkie.

    I've only had three that took them readily. #1, #2 and #6. #3 had nothing, no thumb, to binkie, no lovey and he hit the nipple off the first bottle I ever tried at 9 months.

    #4,#5 and #8 were/all thumb suckers.

    #7, well she didn have a pacifier or suck her thumb until she was past two. I had to wean her suddenly and when the new baby was born she was stealing his binkies and when we stopped that she started sucking her thumb 😛

    Reply
  33. Nadja Magdalena says

    October 20, 2009 at 11:25 am

    I'm enjoying all the names for what we call a paci in this house. Gemma will only take it if she is half asleep already, Dominic never took one and the others were all quite addicted to it.

    Reply
  34. The Bookworm says

    October 20, 2009 at 11:46 am

    Num-num here … that came from our neighbours' youngest daughter's attempts to say dummy. The name num-num stuck in their family and then transferred to ours. Our littlest was the only dummy user. Eldest DD was a thumb sucker who didn't manage to kick the habit until she was 11, and we didn't want to go down that route again! Middle DD wasn't interested in either thumb or dummy, but Naomi loved her num-num. So much so that even though the dummies are history her pet name is still Nomi Num-Nums ;).

    Reply
  35. Karen E. says

    October 20, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    We're a binky family. No idea why.

    Reply
  36. Mary @ CHeerios says

    October 20, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    In our family, we call it Pacie or pacifier.
    But lots of people say Binky or plug.

    God bless!

    Reply
  37. Ellen says

    October 20, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    My dad calls it the plug. Unfortunately, my son never took to it (nor any other form of self comfort) – he'd take a few drags and when he realized that nothing was coming out of it, he shoot me a nasty look then spit it out.

    Reply
  38. JMB says

    October 20, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    We call it Binky, but I had an au pair from Sweden who called it a paci. Only one of my four children took to it, the other three have (guess what?) a tongue thrust!

    Reply
  39. Elizabeth C. says

    October 20, 2009 at 6:37 pm

    On my side of the family, all spanish speakers, we call it "el chupon" which means "to suck". Sounds like a wrestler's name to me though.

    Reply
  40. Shawna says

    October 20, 2009 at 10:54 pm

    In our area of Alberta, we commonly call it a "sucky" or "soother". In our house it can also be referred to as "plug" or "cork".

    Reply
  41. Marylisa says

    October 22, 2009 at 8:01 pm

    For whatever reason Daniel started calling it a "butters." I have no idea. Anyway, long past the time he could actually call it the proper name, we still call it a butters. Oh wait, does it sound like my nearly 3 year old still has a pacifier? Oh! Um . . . ha . . .

    Reply
  42. Katherine says

    October 27, 2009 at 3:09 am

    My earthy Irish brother-in-law called it a "dummy tit". And I've never used one because of it (that, I'm a La Leche League fascist).

    Reply

Hi there!

I’m Margaret in Minnesota, and this is my mom's-eye perspective of a kid-heavy life. I love the Lord; I take lots of photos; and I always try to tell it like it is, from sex to depression and everything in between! I hope you enjoy your time here. ♥

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I’m Margaret in Minnesota, and this is my mom's-eye perspective of a kid-heavy life. I love the Lord; I take lots of photos; and I try to always tell it like it is, from sex to depression and everything in between! I hope you enjoy your time here. ♥

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