Pacifier vs. Thumb Sucking?

I don't know which "camp" you fall into, whether you are a paci believer or proponent of thumb sucking (or most likely you don't think about it much or don't care, but this is part of my daily life now). When Austin was first born I was hesitant to give him the pacifier at first to avoid confusion with eating. Then one time when my mom was babysitting she gave it to him early on and he loved it! We started using it after that and he has been a big fan ever since. I theoretically like the idea of the pacifier better, because when you want them to be done with it, you can throw it away, "forget" it somewhere or other such methods. Of course, I say theoretically because at 26 months of age, we still have not forced the paci from Austin...it will be traumatic I am sure.


So when Bennett came along, we started giving him a pacifier right away and I assumed he would love it. Well, as with many other things, Bennett is proving himself to be his own person and different from Austin. He won't take it. I keep trying. One sits in his bed all the time and he will mess around with it and keep it in his mouth for a minute or two, but it always falls out. And now he is starting to suck his thumb, as you can see below. I thought about trying to fight it, but I think the thumb may win out. I know Dr. Cook, our family dentist friend, thinks pacifiers are the way to go. But I guess thumbs have some pluses as well- you can never lose it or drop it on the ground and he can find it whenever he wants. But for better or for worse, I think Bennett is going with the thumb. I'm not completely ready to give up trying the paci, but I'm not too confident I will win.