Nothing satisfies its name like a pacifier. Pacifiers can please an irritated and upset infant in a flash. Custom pacifiers are commonly known as teether and soothers. It can enable the whole family to get some vital rest when lack of sleep starts to kick in. Experts have noticed that prolonged use of pacifiers can cause oral motor development issues. This is vital for a baby’s speech and feeding. So, Is it ok to give a pacifier to your crying baby? So here’s everything you need to know about a pacifier and Are Pacifiers Bad for babies!
Some of the best brands which provide an amazing range of pacifiers are as follows:
- tommee tippee pacifiers
- bibs pacifier
- mam pacifier
- avent pacifier
- nuk pacifier
What did Pacifiers Do To A Baby?
Pacifier Can:
- Comforts
- Soothes
- Calms
- Make the feeling of relaxation.
- Help cry baby to feel cool.
Yes Or No – Are Pacifiers Bad
There is a big debate about whether we should give a pacifier to your baby. Some think it’s fine; some are opposing it. I feel it’s completely fine if given proper care. You can give a pacifier to calm and comfort your crying baby. And, A baby has a desperate need to suck. It can aid the sleeping process in infants and babies. It can reduce the uncertain breastfeeding sucking when babies are not hungry even. They can suck on a pacifier to ease the feeling. It calms the irritation and fuss feel. Unfortunately, Giving a pacifier has negative sides, which we will discuss further in this article.
Is It Safe To Use Sanitizers on a Baby’s Hands Frequently Find Out
8 Benefits Of Using Pacifiers
Are Pacifiers Bad? Let us have a look at the benefits.Here is the list of benefits of using a pacifier for your baby:
1. Lower Danger of SIDS
The use of pacifiers can forestall unexpected infant death syndrome. Specialists aren’t sure how it functions. However, when you give your infant a pacifier while he or she is sleeping, you may bring down the risk of SIDS for the baby.
2. Urges the Child to Self-Calm
Pacifiers can help infants figure out how to control their sentiments, loosen them up, and cause them to feel secure and calm. The solace factor can be a twofold success: calmer the baby, calmer the parents.
3. Fulfill the Suck Reflex
Children have a characteristic that needs to suck. The container or bosom generally addresses this issue. However, the craving can’t wait even after the tummy is full. In such situations, pacifiers help. Parents need to ensure that pacifiers don’t replace the baby’s mealtime.
4. Help Babies Fall Asleep
Pacifiers are also known to help babies fall asleep. Sometimes reinserting a pacifier when your baby wakes up at midnight is enough to help the baby. Finally, everyone else in the house goes back to a sound sleep.
5. Offers a Temporary Distraction
A pacifier offers your baby a temporary distraction. Also, it makes him feel less fussy. Pacifiers might come in handy after the baby’s got vaccines or blood tests or other procedures to calm them down.
6. Baby Can Self Comfort
Pacifiers prove to be of great help for a crying baby. Baby feels safe and secure when they suck it. It enhances the feeling of comfort in babies. They feel relaxed and calm when they suck a pacifier.
7. Control Anxiety
It helps to control anxiety in babies. when they are worried or develop fear about something. Experts suggest sucking on a pacifier helps to release the feeling of anxiety and fear. And they feel safe and secure.
8. Travel Companion
Pacifiers can be the best friends and their travel companions. When parents are traveling with their newborns and babies, pacifiers can be of great help. As it helps release anxiety and comforts the baby during traveling. In airplanes, Sucking helps to reduce ear pressure during the process of take-off and landing.
5 Limitations Of Using A Custom Pacifiers
Here is the list of demerits of using a pacifier for your baby. Hence, you must take care while using a pacifier for your baby.
1. Are Pacifiers Bad? – A Baby Might Get Subject To The Pacifier
If your child uses a pacifier to rest, you may notice center-of-the-late evening crying spells when the pacifier drops out of your infant’s mouth. It happens because your baby gets used to using the pacifiers to go to sleep.
2. Building The Risk Of Certain Ear Diseases
In any case, paces of middle ear diseases are commonly least from birth to half year of age. However, it still might build the risk of middle ear diseases.
3. Are Pacifiers Bad? – Dental Issues
Ordinary pacifier use during the initial days of birth doesn’t cause long-haul dental issues. However, delayed pacifier use may make a kid’s teeth skewed or not come inappropriately.
4. Are Pacifiers Bad? Oral Motor Development Issues
For basic oral motor development, a baby needs to move the jaw, lips, and tongue freely. This development is necessary, especially during gross motor movement. It is because gross motor milestones correspond with oral motor milestones and pacifiers tend to hinder oral motor development.
5. Takes Away The Benefits Of Play From Babies
Pacifier can take away the benefits of play from a baby. Infants naturally use their mouths to explore objects. This helps them understand different concepts like temperature, shape, and texture. However, the constant use of pacifiers restricts the process of naturally exploring things too.
When To Stop Using A Pacifier?
Experts recommend that parents wean the baby from a pacifier after the baby is 6 months old. This is the time when the risk of SIDS drops. Also, ear infections have become more common. Hence, stopping the use of pacifiers is best suited at this point. It is also advisable not to force your child to give up the pacifier. If you want your child to give up the pacifier, try to limit its use to nap time or sleep only.
Risks Of Using A Pacifier – Are Pacifiers Bad?
Basically, the risks of using pacifiers are mentioned above in the disadvantages. However, the biggest problem with using pacifiers is that it may meddle with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a crucial part of an infant’s initial days. Early pacifiers use tends to meddle with breastfeeding. Sucking on a breast is not the same as sucking on a pacifier or container. A few children are susceptible to those distinctions. Certain pacifiers such as homemade pacifiers, sweetened pacifiers, or pacifiers tied around a baby’s neck are unsafe for the child. They could lead to an injury. If you decide to use a pacifier for your baby, make sure you use it wisely and safely.
Precautions To Take While Using A Pacifier
- Don’t start the use of pacifiers until you’ve fully established a breastfeeding routine.
- It is better to offer your baby a pacifier after he’s 3-4 weeks old.
- Use pacifiers that are not dangerous for your child. Pacifiers that are of two pieces propose a choking hazard if they break. So always avoid their use.
- Don’t force a pacifier on your baby; let him get adjusted to its use at his own pace.
- Even when stopping the pacifier use, don’t force the baby to give it up.
- Don’t put sweet items on the pacifier to sugarcoat it.
- Clean and sterilize the pacifier thoroughly before offering it to your baby.
- Change and replace your baby’s pacifiers with time and dispose of the old one properly.
- Make sure you are using a BPA-free pacifier for your baby.
- Never tie pacifier to your baby’s clothes or body parts. As it has another choking and traping issue with the cord or rope.
- Select pacifier that has holes in them as it has proper ventilation to let the air in.
- Select the right size of the pacifier as per your baby’s age.
Are Pacifiers Bad – It is Your Personal Call
So, Parents, this is all about pacifier. When to start using? Its pros and cons. What are the precautions to be followed? And the risks associated with pacifier. Now, It’s your personal call and intuition, which will help you to decide on whether you should or should not go for a pacifier with your newborn. Remember, no one in this world can better understand your baby than you do. Please feel free to share your reviews on pacifiers use for babies. I hope you enjoyed reading this. Till then, Happy Parenting!
Also Read: Find Out What Is Diaper Rash And How To Get Rid Of It?