Our dentist mostly said to just let him grow out of these habits unless they were causing obvious issues.
I get where your dentist is coming from, but I’ve seen firsthand with my grandkids that sometimes these little habits stick around longer than you’d expect. My daughter actually stepped in a bit earlier when her son started chewing on random objects after the pacifier—she swapped in a soft chew toy (made for teething) and it helped redirect him. Not saying it’s always needed, but sometimes a gentle nudge can save some headaches later… and fewer trips fishing things out of the washing machine.
I actually see both sides here. Like you said,
—I’ve watched kids hold onto pacifiers or thumb sucking way past the age when most let go. Sometimes it’s fine, but I can’t help worrying about those stubborn cases where it starts shifting teeth or affecting speech. I’ve seen families have good luck swapping in a “chew” toy too, just like your daughter did. It’s not always necessary, but sometimes that gentle redirection early on really does make things easier down the road. I guess my anxiety just kicks in thinking about all the what-ifs...sometimes these little habits stick around longer than you’d expect
I get where you’re coming from on the anxiety—my parents let me keep my thumb-sucking habit way too long, and I ended up with a pretty noticeable overbite. Didn’t think much of it as a kid, but years later, braces weren’t exactly a walk in the park (or cheap). I’ve seen friends’ kids do the “chew toy” swap and honestly, it seems to help some of them transition without as much drama. My cousin’s little one actually picked out her own “special” chew necklace and was totally into it for a while, then just kind of lost interest in both that and the pacifier.
I don’t think there’s one right answer—it probably depends on the kid. But yeah, if I could go back, I’d have tried something like that earlier. Saves a lot of hassle down the road, trust me.
I get the appeal of chew toys or necklaces, but honestly, for my daughter, those just became another crutch. She’d just switch from the pacifier to the necklace and drag that thing everywhere. What finally worked for us was a gradual “binky fairy” thing—leaving it under her pillow, making it kind of magical. Took a bit longer, but she didn’t latch onto a new habit, which I was worried about. Every kid’s different, but sometimes swapping one comfort for another just prolongs the process, at least in our case.
