A creative mom shared on TikTok how she turned her baby's pacifier into home decor.
The video, which has been viewed 5.3 million times, shows Vicki Ponce (@vikkiponce29) cutting off the nipple of a pacifier and adding a magnet to it using a glue gun. She then posted a Polaroid photo of herself cradling her baby with the same pacifier in its mouth during her hospital stay on her refrigerator.
“People don't tell you how quickly time passes once you have a baby,” she said. newsweek. “Before I knew it, they were all grown up. Every day when I look at their pacifiers, it brings back those sweet memories from when they were newborns.”
A survey found that Ponce, of Phoenix, Arizona, is not the only person who believes time passes quickly. A survey of 2,000 parents of children aged 0 to 18 conducted by OnePoll for Stokke found that three in four American parents believe their children are growing up too fast. That's why many people choose to keep their keepsakes.
A study reported by the New York Post found that the most common keepsakes included the baby's clothes, teeth, and hair.
The results also found that while parents tend to keep items primarily for mementos, 37% intend to pass them on to their children when they grow up.
Ponce, a teacher, explained that she came up with the idea while cleaning up the cream pacifiers she received as a baby gift when she moved.
she said newsweek: “It was one of his favorite pacifiers, so I knew I wanted to keep it, but I didn't want it somewhere where I would never see it. When we finally moved into our new home. , I started putting Polaroid pictures on the fridge. I realized I could use an old magnet I had and turn his pacifier into a magnet to hang Polaroid pictures of his baby.
“It reminded me of my cute son when he was a newborn, so I thought it would be a waste to throw it away.”
As of this writing, the viral video has garnered 1.1 million likes and over 1,400 comments.
One user's comment with 56,000 likes suggests it's not for everyone. It read, “My son will point to the refrigerator.''
“My child loses his pacifier every week,” said another woman.
A third poster said: “I'm crying. I threw away all of my daughter's pachis.”
A fourth user said: “It's so heartwarming to see how mothers preserve their children's childhoods.”
When should I stop using a pacifier?
Nationwide Children's Hospital says that every child is different, but some children may stop thumb sucking or using a pacifier on their own. However, some parents may need to be involved.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Practice recommend pacifier use because research shows that using a pacifier beyond 12 months may increase the risk of ear infections in some children. We recommend reducing or discontinuing it as soon as possible.
Using a pacifier beyond 18 months can affect your dental health. Frequent thumb sucking or excessive thumb sucking can cause your teeth to become misaligned, increasing your chances of developing misaligned teeth. The sooner your child stops, the better. Therefore, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends reducing pacifier use and thumb sucking by 18 months of age.
Nationwide Children's Hospital offered the following suggestions aimed at helping parents completely remove pacifiers from their infant's life.
- Offer a safe stuffed animal or soft blanket instead.
- Please use the pacifier only at bedtime.
- Go “cold turkey” and remove them all from your home completely.
- If you leave a pacifier out at home and make an imaginary friend, the pacifier will be gone by the next morning and replaced with a treat. It's like when the tooth fairy comes to visit.
If your family has a dilemma, let us know at life@newsweek.com. You can seek advice from experts and your story may be featured in Newsweek.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, finding common ground and finding connections.