Mini Must-Have: Valentina Pinault’s Striped Top

Splash News Online

Look who’s showing her stripes — literally!

While vacationing with her family in St. Barts, Valentina Pinault stepped out in an adorable nautical-inspired ensemble for a boat ride with mom Salma Hayek Pinault on Dec. 29.

But what really caught our eye was her blue and white striped top featuring a beautiful floral design.

Turns out, the 3-year-old was wearing Stella McCartney for Kids‘ organic Lara Tee ($30).

We have to admit; setting sail never looked so cute!

— Anya Leon

 

Comments

I know I’m the first to say this (and I won’t be the last) but 3 yrs old is way too old for a pacifier. It’s so bad for a child’s teeth to be using a pacifier at that age. I could understand possibly as a comfort item for bedtime but not in the middle of the day. Valentina is such a beautiful girl, I would hate to see her end up with buck teeth!

- Stef on January 9th, 2011

i agree. i was on the subway the other day, and next to me were sitting a father and her 3, maybe 4 year old daughter, with a pacifier. Her father talk to her and the little girl answered with that thing in her mouth… Even for babies i found it weird and disgusting. It’s pretty much for parents who don’t want to be bothered and who put that thing in their kids mouth. Most of those kids will deal with teeth problems and will have braces… what a gift!

- h on January 9th, 2011

I’m not a mother [just a plain ol' college student] but I do have a question: when do you think kids should stop using a pacifier? Because I’ve seen Britney Spears’ sons have pacifiers in their mouths when they were around 3 years old. I’m not judging Salma Hayek but my mother got rid of mine and my siblings pacifiers after we started getting teeth. She would say “if you have teeth and can talk, you don’t need a pacifier.”

So basically since I’m not a parent and I wouldn’t know, I just wanted to ask you mothers when you think is the right time to give up the pacifier.

PS- Valentina’s hair has gotten so long !!

- Sierra on January 9th, 2011

Yeah, I agree..too old for a pacifier, but the rest of her little out is so cute!

- Shoshana on January 9th, 2011

Here we go…

- Meghan on January 9th, 2011

I would just like to say that my sister who is now 15, used a pacifier until she was 3 1/2. Her teeth are just fine, in fact she would only need Invisalign for anything, if at all. Needing braces is pretty much determined by family history, which in our family is pretty much a given. So, don’t go accusing parents of being lazy when they use pacifiers. Sometimes, they are necessary.

- Colleen on January 9th, 2011

She’s a gorgeous little girl, but is it me or could she be a dead-ringer as Levi McConaughey’s sister?

- Cindy on January 9th, 2011

I agree Meghan.

- LOL on January 9th, 2011

Exactly Colleen! Like my premature son who needed a pacifier in between breastfeeding to stimulate his sucking. He was born at 32 weeks and his inability to suck was the only thing keeping him in the hospital. Comments like ‘h’ made really hurts my feelings. Am I a bad and lazy mother for trying to stimulate my son to suck? Please stop and think first before posting your opinion on what makes parents lazy and disgusting!

- L.G on January 9th, 2011

um people that is HER child if she chooses to still give a pacifier to HER daughter thats her choice …u guys write like salma would care and listen

- nelly on January 9th, 2011

L.G Get real… your son didn’t need a pacifier at age 3 to stimulate sucking did he?? I doubt it. That is way too long for a child to have a paci. How many kids teeth stick out because of prolonged paci usage? sure some may be fine but others? wow. also it looks just plain stupid.

- J on January 9th, 2011

@LG there is a difference between a preemie needing it and a 3 yr old having it. Giving a pacifier to your preemie was a positive thing because it helped him develop that sucking reflex. I don’t think anyone would call you a lazy parents for doing that. I’m sure Valentina has developed a sucking reflex at this point though.

@ Colleen not only are pacifiers bad for teeth but they are also HORRIBLE for speech development. As you mentioned, your sister would benefit from invisilign which is still a form of dental work.

- Stef on January 9th, 2011

“J”-
You should re-read LG’s comment before you jump down her throat! She was responding to a previous poster’s comment.

- cris on January 9th, 2011

‘Even for babies i found it weird and disgusting. It’s pretty much for parents who don’t want to be bothered and who put that thing in their kids mouth’

J, if you read what ‘h’ said in her post, you would understand my post.

- L.G on January 9th, 2011

Yawn, here we go ago again, it’s her kid, her dental bill!!!! She’s adorable and like Cindy reminds me a little of Levi.

- Toya L. on January 9th, 2011

Yep, three is way too old to have a pacifier. My two-year-old granddaughter is just not having hers taken away and that is way too old as well, in my opinion. My kids had a pacifier but my doctor told me to get rid of it at six months of age, which I did. Pacifiers are used to soothe when they are newborns, just like swaddling. It’s a newborn thing. By six months, they are long past the swaddling stage, as well as the pacifier stage. By the age of two or three, it’s just a very bad habit.

- Angel on January 9th, 2011

Not to fuel the fire more or anything, but I think it’s important to know the truth about this matter..
(this is a little Q&A with the AAPD – American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry): http://www.aapd.org/publications/brochures/tfphabits.asp

It seems like everyone is right in their own way — children normally should stop between ages 2-4 (which is the age range Valentina is obviously in), but…prolonged pacifier usage could cause problems. Of course, everyone will have their own opinions, but like I said, it’s important to get the actual facts. Hope this helps everyone!

- Shoshana on January 9th, 2011

Can you guys show me where the rule book says that it IS Wrong to have pacifier at this age?

Since none of you are experts…..you don’t know.

- Kathy on January 9th, 2011

To “J” and “h” and everyone else like them – who are you to criticize another mother’s choice? And, to deem something so trivial as “disgusting” and “stupid” just because you don’t like it shows how small minded you are. And why is this a general, sweeping indictment against a person as a parent overall? The only argument that most anti-pacifier people can come up with is how prolonged use could damage a child’s teeth. However, I’m willing to bet that Salma and most other mothers can afford to fix their child’s teeth if need be.

Ultimately, it’s not your problem, nor will any of this cost you a dime. There are so many other, bigger issues and greater threats to young children than clinging to pacifiers/binkies long after they’ve sprouted teeth. Abuse, hunger, homelessness, preventable diseases and death . . . those are all “disgusting” and “stupid,” and those are issues that many children in America and around the world face daily. Let’s put it and keep it all in perspective people.

- Whaaat? on January 9th, 2011

Shoshana,

Thanks for the link.

- Whaaat? on January 9th, 2011

come on, it’s not like she’s sleeping or resting in her troller, she’s walking and looking really happy and healthy…i’d be curious to know why she needs a pacifier while walking…

- h on January 9th, 2011

My dentist told me that pacifiers today are designed so much better than they were years ago and do not cause any dental damage. My two boys had theirs until they were 2 1/2 but I limited to nightime and naptime use only. It can and does get in the way of their speech development.

- Amy on January 9th, 2011

I bet the little girl still uses a bottie to sleep.

- A, Heilbrunn on January 9th, 2011

Well, all I have is my own experience and I’ll share it: My daughter is almost the exact same age as Valentina and we took her pacifier away when she was two and a half. Having a pacifier as long as she did, she now is a tongue thruster and talks at the back of her throat. So, yep, it’s usually bad to let a three year old have a pacifier.

My son gave his up on his own at 17 months and had no problems.

- Emily on January 9th, 2011

Dear People, next time if you could get a picture of Valentina with a pacifer, no shoes and being carried by her mother, you would then hit the Sanctomommy Trifecta!

- KatR on January 9th, 2011

Selma does not want a crying nervous child. The Paci takes care of that for her for now and thumb sucking, and other tics usually kids quit on their own. I rather a child be happy and content as this child is than crying as I see quite a few parents allow their kids to do.

- i just wish on January 9th, 2011

Oh get over it! I am sure she can afford the dental bill! I have 4 kids, and only my youngest uses a pacifier…we deal with trying to stop thumb sucking, nail biting, etc…the pacifier is the least of our worries! And YES my youngest is 3…its called picking your battles…I’m sure if we looked at your kids we’d find plenty to critize…did you breast feed? Did you put your kid in daycare? Mind your own business.

- Melinda on January 9th, 2011

I’ve seen loads of pictures of Valentina and this is the FIRST when she has a dummy in her mouth!!!! So I’m thinking she probably doesn’t have it all the time! She may have just woken up from a nap!

I had planned on not using one with my daughter but we did in the end…it was like magic! My Mum says she wishes she had used one with me!

At the end of the day it’s personal choice.

- Kate on January 9th, 2011

I personally don’t feel that a child over 2 needs a pacifier. All it becomes is a means of comfort which is something that a hug from mommy and daddy can provide. And children at that age should be learning to self soothe themselves on their own withoutbottles/cups/pacifiers. The longer you wait the worse of you are. My niece took one until she was 3. No she doesn’t have any dental or speech problems. But she looked utterly ridiculous walking around with one. She was highly intelligent so you could have a full conversation with her like an adult and then she would plop a bink in her mouth and look like a 1 year old baby! I dont know why it just bugged me. To each thier own though. Hopefully my child won’t find a need for them and if they do I will have it gone along with the bottle by 1 year.

- JMO on January 9th, 2011

congratulations to all the perfect mothers (and grandmothers) with their expert child development, dental, and parenting advice. my deepest appreciation! you are all so correct in your assessment that this child is doomed. i completely agree.

- daria on January 9th, 2011

As far as the pacifier issue here is, whatever works for each child and the parent is my opinion. If Valentina has teeth problems in the future I am sure it will be fixed. I happend to use a pacifier til I was about 3 and half years old, it comforted me and my parents preferred me quiting on my own rather than using force. That’s what ended up happening,I realized I didn’t need it anymore and simply stopped. I don’t have speech problems and my teeth are fine, never had to wear braces or anything. So people need to relax, each parent is allowed to raise their child and make these decisions for them.

- Nella on January 9th, 2011

ANYBODY HERE IS VALENTINA’S MOTHER???

…….NO???……. SO, SHUT UP PLEASE!

- MARIEL on January 9th, 2011

Parents must do better!

- Shannon on January 9th, 2011

Why are people getting so up in arms about a situation that does not affect them? She could have the pacifier until she’s 20, who cares, she’s not mines or yours child and we don’t have to worry about the dental bill. I’m sure they have enough money for that and possibly any other therapies if her speech is affected. I just love how some people boast how well adjusted their child is with pacifiers and speech, guess what? Some children have issues and their parents try to work with it as much as possible. No one knows this family personally so why do we care?

- mrscabrera on January 9th, 2011

if they don’t get rid of the dummy they are sure in for a battle! My niece just turn 6 and still has it, i know that is disgusting, it might be cute now while she is still small to give in to her protests about keeping it, but it is anything but cute when they are 5/6 screaming for it. Based on my personal experience with my niece, once it starts getting into this age it is the parents fault, I’m just glad my sister stopped the dummy on my 2 nephews before they turned 2.

- Hayley on January 9th, 2011

Blimey, it’s only a dummy. Some children like the comfort and security of dummies and, for those of you saying she shouldn’t have it during the day, maybe she’s just woken up from a nap or needs the security for something new.
I agree that at 3 she doesn’t need to have it in all the time but equally, there’s nothing wrong with her using one when she wants to. My daughters are 4, one of them is a thumb sucker and has been her whole life and the other is a dummy sucker. She doesn’t have it that often but just occasionally she’ll have it and it just makes life a lot easier, I have 2 sets of twins 19 months apart so I’ll take anything that’ll help be it dummies, swings or hard drugs (that’s a joke by the way). In the long run I think it’ll be a lot easier to dump the dummies than the thumb and I suspect that actually most kids self-wean from dummies and really, in the long run, what’s the big deal? I teach under-grad and post-grad students and I’m pretty sure none of them use dummies even at night.

- Elby on January 9th, 2011

Hello? My baby girl is 19 months and still uses her “plug” and I don’t find it disgusting at all!! Leave the child alone. Some kids need it longer than others. She is not going to bringing it to college for goodness sakes!!

- Kristin on January 9th, 2011

Her shirt really is adorable.

- soph on January 9th, 2011

Um, yeah, the pacifier has to go or the nannies will be having a real tough time trying to get her to quit the habit!

- Karen on January 9th, 2011

I don’t think that anyone has a right to tell another parent how to raise their kids. Valentina is Salma’s daughter, not anyone else’s. My daughter stopped using hers when she was almost 3 because she kept biting them and we refused to buy anymore. My son is 21 months and only has his for sleeping.

I would much prefer my child to be sucking a dummy than their fingers, as from what i have been told by dentists, finger sucking causes more teeth problems than a dummy.

- Kirstie on January 9th, 2011

Both of my boys used a pacifier until they were 3 and there is nothing wrong with them. And it’s wrong to say that mothers use them when they don’t want to be bothered. In my case, that was the furthest thing from the truth. It’s so easy to be so judgmental while sitting anoymously behind a computer

- Aileen on January 9th, 2011

Hayley – Your niece is the first child I’ve ever heard of having one until she was 6. And I’ve been working with kids for over 10 years. She is most definitely an exception. All of the kids I’ve ever worked with have stopped using it between 2 and 4.

I think it really depends on the child as to how long a paci is needed. (If it’s needed at all.) Some kids don’t need it at all, some just need it when sleeping, and some need it to soothe them sometimes when they are awake periodically. The vast majority of kids lose it between 2 and 4 without a problem for having used it.

I can definitely see a bit of an exception for celeb children. They are followed by paps constantly and I imagine that must be quite scary. So they may need something to keep them more comfortable in those situations. As someone else said, you pick your battles. If it’s your child feeling secure vs. using a paci, I’d go with security and gradually wean them off. And as I’ve only seen 1 other picture of Valentina with one (out of all the ones we’ve seen of her in total), then I’d be willing to bet that she’s probably ok. JMO

- Sarah M. on January 9th, 2011

So, at the worse if Valentina needs braces in the future, why do some of you care? I could see if you were footin’ the bill it would be one thing….

- elle on January 9th, 2011

@Karen: Haha! So True!

- Emily on January 9th, 2011

She just looks beyond silly…..I don’t even like pacifiers for babies, let alone a THREE YEAR OLD. It doesn’t look like she needs it either. Ha ha for Karen—I’m with you

- Dana on January 9th, 2011

I think if a kid has a paci at that age the parents are just being lazy and not wanting to deal with it. My son gave his up really early, like 3 months. My daughter is 8 months and I only give it to her at nap and night times never in the day. You wont catch me having a 3 year old with a paci…. and if you have a kid that age walking around with one I promise you people are laughing and making fun of your kid.

- Holiday on January 9th, 2011

I think that she is way to old to have a pacifier in her mouth. I have three kids ages 1yrs old to 6yrs old. Must admit I did try to get them to have a pacifier in their mouth. The problem was it back fired on me cause none of them wanted the pacifier. To be honest, some of us parents raise the babies want to spare of the trouble to hear the babies fuss. Their is age limit for a child to be with a pacifier at minimum 1yr old

- realistic on January 9th, 2011

hahaha Only noticed one, maybe two ‘shirt’ comments. This post was not put here for that blue striped shirt, the shirt isn’t even anything interesting. The photo was put up here for the pacifier comments. Way to give ‘em what they want peeps!

P.S. Nothing wrong with a pacifier at this age, it’s soothing, security and familiar. Lots of ‘old wives tales’ stories happening here today.

- Sam on January 10th, 2011

Valentina is such a beautiful girl, I would hate to see her end up with buck teeth!

- Stef on January 9th, 2011

And I’m sure her parents feel very concerned about you or evryone “would hate “for their daughter.
It’s safe to say that tou can stop worrying. I doubt that the daughter of a billionaire and a rich Hollywood actress will end up with horrible teeth.I’m sure that we will see pictures of a grown Valentina with a set of perfect white pearls.Thus, the total strangers concerned by her well being can sigh of relief.

- Cécile on January 10th, 2011

She looks silly, as does any other child of that age with a paci. If you can walk and talk, you don’t need it. Whatever your reason for giving your child the paci past age 1, that’s your choice, but a lazy one.

- lucy on January 10th, 2011

Today’s pacifiers do not affect tooth position. Thumb sucking is much more of an issue here, and you can’t take a child’s thumb away. So, who cares, let the kid have her pacifier…just like some kiddos have a blankie, a stuffed animal, WHATEVER. My kid twirls her hair for comfort, when she’s tired or sad, whenever she needs conformt – that IS her pacifier. Every kid has their “pacifier” – whether it’s a nuk, a blankie, a finger, their hair…so get over it.

- kim on January 10th, 2011

I side-eye any child over 2 with a pacifier. Come on Salma, ditch the paci.

- Alyssa on January 10th, 2011

My best friend lets her 3 year old son use his paci at bedtime and for naps, his teeth are messed up and slant in the position where he holds it in his mouth, but the dentist told her his adult teeth wouldn’t be bothered. I don’t think she’s lazy at all, she’s a great mother and wants her son to feel comforted when he needs. She knows he needs to be off of it soon, she hides it from the rest of our friends and I think it’s awful she has to do that because people are so mean.

Saying a parent is lazy over something like a paci is just ridiculous and rude and an obvious attempt to make yourself feel superior. What works for you may not work for a different family.

- jessicad on January 10th, 2011

I thought this pic/post was about her SHIRT??? Which is really cute and not that expensive, I would like to say…esp, when you see the $$$’s of some of the get-up’s Suri wears. I would buy this for my litle girl…

- Jennifer on January 10th, 2011

I see nothing wrong with them using a pacifier. It’s their child.
Plus if the effects of a pacifier can be equivalent to that of a child sucking their thumb, I believe that it probably does not effect adult teeth. For example, my sister sucked her thumb almost nightly until she was seven or eight. When she got older, she never had to have braces and now has a set of perfectly straight teeth.
No other members of my immediate family have had that sort of luck

- SHM on January 10th, 2011

My daughter just turned 2 in December and she still has the pacifier. The reason – she chews on her fingers when her teeth come in. Since most kids don’t get there last set of molars until 2 1/2-3 yrs old both her pediatrician and pediatric dentist told me to NOT take away the pacifier until all her teeth are in. They said “you can take the pacifier away, but you can’t take the fingers”. So I have followed that advice. She mostly only gets it at naptime or bedtime, but if she is chewing on her hands a lot, I give it to her. So if that makes me a horrible mom so be it. I personally was gonna pull it when she turned one, but at the urging of her dr and dentist I decided not to. Maybe Salma’s doctors told her the same thing mine did and she decided to battle the pacifier rather than the fingers. Cut her a break.

- tampagirl23 on January 10th, 2011

My brother had his “sassy” until he was about 3. He was the only child in our family of 3 children that did not need braces. And I’m pretty sure no one was making fun of him either, I mean really people? Some of you are suggesting that 1, 2, and 3 year olds are going to get laughed at by adults??? If anyone has time to make fun of a child then they have way more problems than a pacifer-giving mother such as Salma Hayek.

And anyway, people get braces all the time nowadays, even for the slightest imperfections whether they were caused by pacifers or not.

- Carli on January 10th, 2011

so I assume all parents who let their child suck their thumb past age 3 are “lazy” or letting their child keep up a “disgusting” habit? come on. some children have trouble soothing themselves past the baby stage. i really don’t understand why every time there is a picture of a celebrity child with a paci there is a huge uproar. these people really need to get a life besides criticizing other mothers’ parenting techniques.

- C on January 14th, 2011